Apps for haggard parents flying with a wailing tot
THERE are few things worse than getting on a plane and discovering a wailing child and a haggard parent sitting next to you. Few things, that is, except being that haggard parent of the wailing child. Here, Barbara Ortutay of the Associated Press shares some apps and tips to entertain your offspring during a flight:
SCREEN TIME OK? OK!
Let’s get this out of the way. The American Academy of Pediatrics generally frowns on screens for children under 18 months, especially without adults to guide them. But it acknowledges exceptions in a recent update. An earlier guideline called for no screen time at all. The change reflects the reality that even one-year-olds need to video conference with grandma sometimes.
PEEKABOO BARN
This free app for iPhones and Android was among the first mentioned in my online mom groups when I asked about long flights. Like other apps for babies, it is deceptively simple for adults, but engrossing for entire minutes for the littlest ones.
Have the kiddo hold your phone, or hold it for him or her. A red barn will appear with the door closed. Some sort of farm animal will make its farm animal sound behind the door. After it knocks on the door, kiddo taps the barn door with a finger, the door opens and the animal appears. Its English name is written on the screen and pronounced with good enunciation. The door closes, and the whole thing repeats again. VERDICT: Not bad. For my child, this app works best in screaming-in-the-car seat situations. She immediately calms down, is super excited and does a little dance when the theme music (“Old McDonald”) starts playing. After 30 seconds or so, she prefers to inspect my phone's leather cover.
FISHER PRICE
The toy maker has a bevy of apps available for iPhones and Android, usually for free. I chose “Soothing Sights & Songs for Baby,” as it promises to "keep your little one calm and entertained." It comes with two games, though that’s a generous description.
The one we played features cartoon sheep jumping over a fence as stars twinkle and crickets chirp. My city baby has never seen stars or sheep or heard crickets, but she seemed fairly engrossed in the app. She also realized something I didn’t: If you tap the screen, a lightning bug will appear.
VERDICT: This is the baby version of the burning fireplace or the fish tank that sometimes plays on TV. Not much is happening, but it’s quite relaxing if you stare at it long enough, at least for an adult. My squirmy child was moderately soothed.
GUIDED ACCESS FOR GRABBY FINGERS
This setting for iPhones and iPads keeps your device in a single app, say, YouTube or Peekaboo Barn, so your child can’t start deleting all your photos. It also makes it easier to let kids watch movies or videos; even if they are constantly poking the screen, the video won’t pause or stop.
To set up, go to "settings," then "general" and click on "accessibility." Scroll all the way down and turn on "guided access." To start it, open the app you want to use, then triple-click the home button.
On Android tablets, you can set up a separate profile for your kid and employ a slew of parental controls, such as selecting “lock home button" to keep a kid from exiting apps. On phones you can create a guest profile with limited access. VERDICT: I didn’t know this setting existed until after the trip. Next time.