Toddler iPad
At 2.8 Lux can be happily ensconced with the iPad for close to the entirety of a four hour flight. She didn’t really engage with movies or games on it until around age 2, so this is a big change (sweet relief) for our travel now. I thought I’d do a quick update on what we keep on there. We only use the iPad for travel like this, or serious emergencies at home, so everything stays fresh and exciting.
We have purchased both seasons of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood from iTunes. Love him. When’s the new season coming, Daniel??
For this trip, I bought the 30 minute Lost and Found film, on tinybop’s recommendation. It was $10 on iTunes which seems steep but she ended up watching it about six times and it’s really really lovely.
We also bought the Japanese film My Neighbor Totoro. We all watched that one together, really sweet and I love all the Japanese lifestyle details. I think Miyazaki films are great for kids. They remind me of folk tales and seem to encourage imagination of all sorts.
Our current favorite apps for her are: the Human Body, Monkey Lunchbox, Petting Zoo, Soundtouch, and Ants Lite (actually, just Lux approves of this one. I find it confusing).
Other travel items we rely on: her panda headphones, and sugary yummy earth vitamin C suckers for take-off and landing.
image from the Lost and Found film, by Oliver Jeffers.
8 Comments
jesscuellar
thank you for sharing some recommendations, i’m excited to try some new apps for my son, atticus. we let atticus use our iphones and ipad but try to keep it mostly educational with a little pbs kids thrown in for good measure. we’re big fans of “first words” which reinforces letter recognition and teaches spelling.
Rachael
You’re welcoming, and thank you for sharing a favorite too! Always collecting…
Joe Ringenberg
On the subject of My Neighbor Totoro, from totoro.org:
How can a cat be a bus?
There’s a Japanese legend that says that when cats reach a certain old age, they can shape-shift into something else. These shape-shifting cats are called “Baka Neko”. This cat apparently decided to become a bus.
Andrea Barnett
Thanks for this! We don’t use our iPad often, but it is a necessity at the restaurant, to keep the kiddo out of stock pots, etc. Also, Volumes 3 & 4 of Daniel Tiger are available now! (Praise be.) I had no idea about the Jeffers video, but I am definitely going to check it out. Ewan’s favorite short video (hands down) is the animated Eric Carle collection (Hungry Caterpillar, Quiet Cricket, etc.) and I can’t seem to find anything else like it. It’s perfect for toddlers. Not too overwhelming, but still beautiful and full of surprises. I keep wondering why stuff like that is so hard to find. Not everything has to be like Paw Patrol, you know? 🙂
Rachael
Yes, why don’t I have those Eric Carle videos?! A gaping hole in our collection. I think these things are only going to get better. Like the overwhelming amount of good kids gear now–just imagine the app options in a few years.
Amelia Sorensen
A flight to AZ is on our horizon. In our moments of desperation and to G’s delight, we have many of the Toca Boca apps. Right now he especially enjoys Haircut, Store and Lab. I’m grateful for your recommendations as variety and novelty will help immensely.
Rachael
I forgot about the Toca Boca apps! Thanks for these.
Ashley Muir Bruhn
Love Lost and Found. Hudson asks us to draw “the Octopus that helps people.” And last night he asked if some classical music that was playing was from the penguin show.