In the coming years, technology will continue to play a large role in our children’s lives.  I’m sure you have seen YouTube videos of babies and toddlers swiping through their parents’ iPads, knowing exactly what they are looking for! Though some of us bemoan the prevalence of technology in our young children’s lives (myself included!), the fact is that tablets and smart phones are an integral part of many homes and they can be used as tools to educate and inspire.

There are so many great apps that are education-focused and can help children master arithmetic, spelling, memorization and history to name a few. We have heard of a few schools issuing iPads to each student -allowing students to carry their textbooks more easily, download more frequently updated versions of school texts, and receive, complete, and turn in assignments electronically. There are organizational apps that help families with their daily tasks and chores; apps that make sharing messages and photos between family members safer through other social media outlets (which can be a big help to families with young children and grandparents who live far away), etc.  There are apps that allow children to develop their creativity and imagination through interactive storybooks and artistic endeavors.

One of the most important things I have learned is to limit my children’s screen time.  While tablets and smart phones are great tools for both education and fun, it is so important that children are encouraged to participate in free play, sports, reading etc. As a parent, I see one of my responsibilities as helping them learn to find a healthy balance between screen time and other activities.  Left on their own, they would likely choose screen time (TV, computer, tablets) over anything else.

There are, of course, apps for that!  We reviewed Screen Time – Media Time Manager a few months ago. Using Screen Time, you will be able to do the following: 1) assign daily minute allowances for each child, 2) encourage your children to earn screen minutes by doing chores or showing good behavior, and 3) encourage your kids to give up their screen time minutes for other rewards or activities. Alternatively, I tend to set my iPad or iPhone timer for 15 minutes.  Each child gets two 15 minute non-consecutive turns, and when the timer goes off they can finish whichever app they are in the middle of before passing the device over to a sibling.  Consequences of not listening are not being allowed to use a tablet or smart phone the next day.  Remember to always follow through with the consequences!  The daughter of a friend of mine commented to her upon losing a privilege for misbehaving “that’s ok mommy, you will forget tomorrow that you took that away from me.”

Used properly, a tablet can enrich a child’s life.  Theiphonemom.com strives to help parents make smart choices in choosing apps for their families, and hopefully we will continue to play a role in our readers’ lives!

I will admit to being addicted to certain endless runner type games on my iPhone.  All in the name of research as The iPhone Mom! But when it comes to my children, I try to limit their time with this style of app and direct them to more productive apps instead.  One area that iPads and iPhones are very useful in is education.  In fact, some schools even provide iPads for students use to reinforce classroom learning.  I feel that children learn best through repetition and there are many engaging and fun apps that accomplish this goal.

There is of course great potential for distraction when it comes to any electronic device.  I am the queen of procrastinating and my Subway Surfer score gets quite high whenever I have a deadline looming.  I heard firsthand that in one school that provided iPads to each student, some students handed them back in after a few months because of the distractions it caused.  I do try to monitor my children’s screen usage and guide them towards educational items.

There are some really fantastic math apps I would like to briefly highlight.

• Math Fun 1st Grade and Math Fun 2nd Grade are two separate apps from the same developer.  These are among the most comprehensive educational apps I have seen. Both apps have 10 activities with over 200 equations to focus on different aspects of addition & subtraction and multiplication & division. With exercises in number families, vertical equations, place values and so much more, children will become comfortable in important aspects of elementary school math.
• Mathmateer (formerly Rocket Math) is a great math game with the goal of building a rocket. You’ve got a set amount of money to spend and you can use it to buy boosters, fins, decorations, etc. You can choose between the following mission categories: numbers, counting, time, US money, shapes/patterns, addition/subtraction, multiplication/division and challenge. You can also choose a mission based on one of these difficulty levels: beginner, novice, intermediate, advanced, expert and genius. Completing your missions earns you money for rocket improvements.  For me the hook was trying to get my rocket to work the way I thought it should. In order to do that I needed money which meant I had to do the Math. I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I think that’s the general point of the app. So mission accomplished Rocket Math!
• Splash Math features sixteen chapters that cover over 200 skills that third graders will learn in Math
• Squeebles fractions, our current favorite, where answering fraction problems correctly earns you ingredients to bake a cake to enter into a bake show!
• Little Digits, great introduction to counting for the younger crowd, ages 3 – 7.

I could go on and on about different math apps which I feel are really fantastic for reinforcing skills.  Particularly when it comes to multiplication tables!  However, I’d also like to point out some notable apps in other subjects.

In geography, science and social studies:

• Stack the States
• Stack the Countries
• Presidents vs Aliens
• Our Amazing World: Antarctica
• Monster Physics
• Disney American Presidents

Letter and Sound Recognition:

• Goodnight ABC
• ABC 123 Fun
• Antique ABCs
• Pre-K Letters and Numbers
• Letters with Pooh
• Pre-K 123, Pre-K Rhyme and Pre-K Paper
• LetterSchool
• Share my ABCs
• KidGlyhps

These are just a small sampling of educational apps which should give you a taste of the value a smartphone or tablet can add to furthering your child’s education.  Used in conjunction with regular classroom learning and homework assignments, these apps can help your children progress to the next level.

I love to read.  I have about 10 books on my nightstand waiting for attention and I am in the middle of about three different books.  Before I had four children I read every chance I could get and would often stay up until 2am to read just one more chapter.  Once the kids came along, I found the extended nursing sessions my babies loved to be very conducive to reading.  And if I was in the middle of a good book, I may have nursed them more than strictly necessary on any given day to be able to read more!

Now though, my kids are getting older.  And while I do enjoy each stage as it comes, my reading seems to be restricted to age appropriate books – their ages, that is!  Ranging from Go Dog Go by P.D. Eastman to Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, I usually am only reading to my kids these days.  That’s because the second I lie down in bed, holding onto one of my books, my eyes close and I pass out.  I don’t dream of vacations.  I dream of having time to read!

Long-time readers of TheiPhonemom.com will know that I am partial to interactive books.  I was enchanted from the first time I opened one of these apps.  Interactive books on the iPad take children’s stories, attach amazing graphics, a soundtrack, engaging voices and activities and create a whole new experience for children to enjoy.  These apps can range from stories based on existing books, like Bizzy Bear Builds a House, to original stories created specifically for this platform like Flora’s Forest or Luna Red Riding Hood.

Activities associated with these stories serve different functions.  In general, stories that are adapted from books tend to have activities that engage children but do not necessarily serve to further the storyline (i.e. tapping on a cow makes it moo) whereas original stories include activities that pull the reader further into the story and create an experience where the reader is helping the story progress (i.e. in Flora’s Forest, tapping on the kite makes it fly away).

Cuddling up with my children at the end of a long day and sharing a treasured book is always my favorite time of day.  When I see my children using my iPad and choosing interactive stories on their own, I cannot help but smile with pride!  These children are growing up with more electronics than I did, but they still choose stories every chance they get.   If you have not discovered interactive books yet, I encourage you to try one and read it with your child.  You will love their sense of wonder as the activities draw them further into the storyline.

Any parent of multiple children can tell you that keeping track of their family’s medical history can be a challenge!  Every time I am asked for a child’s birthdate, I have to pause and think, let alone their most recent weight and height!  Back when I had one child, I could rattle off every state from the previous six months.  Now?  I know how big each of them was at birth…and that’s about it!

Technology simplifies keeping track of each family member’s personal health records. Just this morning I was filling out a form for a new doctor’s visit and I was able to refer to our electronic records to fill out my little one’s most recent height and weight.  These days it seems that your entire life can be accessed from your mobile device and it only makes sense that your family’s health information should be just as accessible, especially in emergency situations. If you have more than one child, it can be difficult, for even the most diligent of moms, to keep track of each child’s detailed record of immunizations, allergies, etc. How many times have you looked at a bottle of acetaminophen and tried to remember if your child gets one teaspoon or one and a half teaspoons?

There are a few categories of health related apps that I would like to highlight:

1. Medical Records
   If you do a search on TheiPhoneMom.com for the terms “medical” or “health”, you will come up with numerous results.  Most recently, we reviewed Microsoft Health Vault and Family Med Track.  Both of these apps allow you to store a complete medical history for multiple family members including medications, immunizations, health conditions, allergies and more.  They each have unique functions, so be sure to read up on all that they can do.  Medical record apps really allow you to have your full family medical history at your fingertips at all times making doctor’s visits much easier.   My Kid’s Healthfeatures a great display to keep track of milestones in weight, height, head circumference as well as vaccinations, appointment, allergies and illnesses.
2. Illness/Symptom Guides
   Do you ever obsess over your children’s symptoms?  A few days after one of my children’s friends had her appendix removed, one of my children had a stomachache. Who did I turn to?  Dr. Google!  Googling every symptom is not recommended by doctors as you can either miss important things that need treatment, or work yourself up into a panic over a simple virus. One great app for checking symptoms is the Merck Manual: Home Edition. It’s written simply and has been put together by hundreds of medical experts. iTriage is another symptom tracker app that was created by two emergency room physicians in order to help you figure out what you might be dealing with and where you should go to seek help. You can even connect this to your Microsoft Health Vault account.  Finally, for an emergency situation Medlert 911+works as an emergency response app, connecting you quickly with those you have designated as your emergency contacts.
3. CPR and First Aid
   I am a strong believer in a hands-on CPR and first aid course for anyone who lives with or works with children.  In an emergency, it is helpful to be trained so that your response is automatic.  Some babies tend to gag and choke when eating solids and if you know how to quickly flip them over your arm and pat their back, you will be much more confident in facing these challenges!  I have two apps in my “to be reviewed” folder that are waiting on a full write up. First Aid by American Red Crossis a comprehensive guide that takes you step by step through first aid and CPR responses to emergency situations.   Pocket CPR focuses on CPR only and includes a training program that allows you to see if your rhythm is correct.
4. Role Playing Games
   Finally, for any kids who are apprehensive of doctors, role playing games can help prepare them for their next visit. Play Hospital is a cute game that walks kids through each step of a doctor visit.

I have four children who are close together in age. As each child came along, I realized how different and unique their personalities were.  Even as newborns, each child had their own needs; it was just a matter of figuring out what those needs were on our part!  For example, my eldest thrived on a strict routine and any deviation from the schedule would result in a miserable few days afterward, whereas my third could take any changes in stride.

For my family to function well, we quickly realized that we needed to be very scheduled with our kids. From the time my eldest was 3 months old, we would strictly schedule all naps and bedtimes. We continued this with our subsequent children, even though I nursed each of them on demand for up to 18 months.

With our oldest, I kept a spiral notebook full of her daily schedule – wake up, breastfeed, diaper, nap, play, breastfeed, diaper, nap, etc. We went through the entire notebook! In those hazy, sleep deprived days when my husband would ask “didn’t you just nurse her?” I could hand him the notebook. And chances are, yes I just nursed her because that is what newborns love to do! Not too much else going on for them…

Of course, that was way back in the pre-iPhone days. TheiPhonemom.com has reviewed several apps that help you keep track of your baby’s schedule.  Most recently, we reviewed Baby Feed Tracker Plus. With the press of a button you can record breastfeeding, bottle feed, diaper change, nap and expression (breast milk). Each mode also has an option to include notes.  There are many apps in the iTunes app store to help you keep track of your little one’s daily activities.  Make sure you choose one that has been updated recently (shows more app support from developers), has the features you would like, and receives good feedback.

A note about feeding reminders with any of these apps: babies, particularly newborns, don’t know they are supposed to be on the schedule provided by the app (i.e. nurse/bottle feed every 3 hours).  I spent many days over the years nursing little ones every hour on the hour.  This is totally normal for infants!  Don’t be afraid to listen to your baby and not the clock when it comes to feeding little ones.