Smart Phones: Not Just For Grown-ups

In the continuing effort to entertain babies and children, parents are now turning to their cell phones.  But not in the way you might think.  Parents have always handed their phones to their children when the need for a quick distraction arises and a number of cell phone toys have been made, as well.  But new applications being made for smart phones are taking children’s interest in the phone beyond the shiny screen and buttons. 

Whether you’re looking to calm a crying baby, play an educational game, or just keep your children entertained for a few minutes, there are apps available to cover it all.   Need to get your baby to sleep in a noisy (or silent) place? Try Apple’s White Noise Lite.  The app makes just enough noise to drown out everything else, allowing your baby (and maybe even you) to sleep in even the least opportune of places.  If you are driving down the road and your baby is screaming because she dropped her rattle, there is no need to worry – just hand her your iPhone.  The Baby Rattle Bab Bab app’s sound and appearance are pleasing to your baby and function just as a rattle does.

Your smart phone can come in handy when you’re dealing with an older child, as
well.  Jenny Reeves of San Antonio tells Fox News that she allows her sons to flip through pictures of themselves and their dogs when she needs a quick way to pass the time and her older son – age 3 1/2 – is learning how to email his grandparents.  And it’s not all fun and games.  Parents are using apps as everything from baby monitors to health trackers.

There are numerous other types of apps for children of all ages including trivia questions, movie clips, and number and letter games.  These are great for long plane and car trips, or sitting in a restaurant, awaiting an order. Alex Bloom, the president and CEO of Handango.com (a website that sells over 140,000 apps for various phones) claims that several hundred of those apps are directed at parents with young children.  

As with anything, there is a debate as to whether or not allowing your child to play with or depend on a cell phone is a good idea.  Some argue that $300 is a lot to pay for rattle while others insist that the idea of allowing your child to play with the phone advances their technological know-how and improves and enhances abilities such as spelling and grammar.