The Technological Toddler

When I was growing up, telephones had cords. Really long ones. Like, so long that you could walk from one room to another (which was annoying to my mother because our phone was in the kitchen). We didn't have a computer. Televisions were big huge boxes and you had to get up to turn the channel.

Now it's 2012. And I no longer have a telephone. I have a tiny (sometimes annoying) computer that carry around in my purse. Last year, Husband and I got our first smart phones. IPhone. They are evil inventions. Before I had an iPhone, I was never the kind of person who'd carry my phone everywhere (or freak out if I accidentally left it at home). And I almost never had my phone out on the table at a restaurant. I have a love-hate relationship with my phone. Because while it sometimes does stuff that makes me say I hate it...I use it for everything.

You know who really loves my phone? Grant. I spent months and months taking my phone away from him. Telling him no and then hiding it from him. But one day it hit me, he's growing up with it so there's no hiding it from him. So I browsed for toddler-appropriate apps. I was A-mazed by how many there are. I found some Fisher Prices apps, one for learning to draw the ABC's, and one for just random doodling. Recently, I picked up a free Dora the Explorer app download at Starbucks (thanks Elizabeth for pointing it out to me!) which is another ABC helper.

I think Grant's favorite right now is one of the Fisher Price apps for shapes & colors. It seems to be the most interactive of the Fisher Price ones. There are two "levels" and level 2 has a little piano and the shapes sing and dance when you touch one. The all usually break into song at some point and when Grant gets done swaying back and forth to their tune, he puts down the phone long enough to clap then quick grabs it back up in case I'm going to try to snatch it from him.


Quit judging, I'm well aware of how badly he needs a hair cut.





Now to invest in a more protective case for my phone!

In case anyone is curious, these are the apps I use: Fisher Price Shapes & Colors, Fisher Price Where's Puppy, Fisher Price Let's Count, Fisher Price Animals, Doodle Buddy, ABC Tracing, and Dora's Skywriting ABC's (free download from Starbucks). All free. I don't know how to link here from the iTunes store but I'm sure you'll find them if you just search them.