13 fun apps for babies and toddlers

No need to buy a baby monitor when you can turn your iPhone into a Babyphone. Simply enter your home phone number and place it next to your sleeping baby. When baby wakes up, your iPhone will automatically call you.
Where to Buy? iTunes
$3

This BlackBerry app was designed to educate and entertain your baby while keeping your BlackBerry safe from button-loving little fingers. Your wee one will enjoy pressing the keys, watching the colourful objects and listening to audio pronunciation of object names, letters and numbers.
Where to Buy? Blackberry App World
Free

This virtual music box plays soothing lullaby favourites for your baby and shows a video of the night’s sky with calming twinkling stars.
Where to Buy? iTunes 
$1

What little one doesn’t love bubbles? Engaging the senses, this mesmerizing app is great for a little distraction: hear the bubbles pop, see them fly off your fingertips and feel gravity pull them down.
Where to Buy? iTunes
Free

This app plays ambient nature sounds to help soothe your baby and encourage sleep. It features a timer and looping sounds like crashing waves and calming sounds of quiet rain.
Where to Buy? iTunes
Free

Make a monster friend for Elmo. Your toddler chooses a monster body and touches its face to create eyes, nose and a funny hat. When the monster is complete, Elmo himself will play and dance with it.
Where to Buy? iTunes
$4

This app is a fabulous tool for developing your toddler’s language skills through signing. It includes 145 colourful flashcards based on the award-winning Signing Time and Baby Signing Time series.
Where to Buy? iTunes
$5

Interactive alphabet flashcards without the bulk! With this handy app, your child will enjoy fun and engaging animal illustrations with audio accompaniment — the letter name, corresponding animal and phonetics. Double tap the card to flip it over and practice writing upper- and lower-case letters right on the screen. Shake to erase.
Where to Buy? iTunes
$2

This app keeps your Android-powered phone locked and in airplane mode (radiation free) while entertaining and illuminating your child with shapes, colours and pleasing sounds.
Where to Buy? Google Play
Free

This highly interactive e-book lets kids read on their own, listen to a story or do both. Your toddler can shake the book and watch things fall, touch an image and find out what it is. (Also available are The Lorax and Dr. Seuss’ ABC.)
Where to Buy? iTunes
$4

A multi-award winner, this app is fully interactive. Your toddler can colour and sing along in various languages. It includes 12 pages of fun with 35 activities.
Where to Buy? iTunes
$1

Your tot will love the colourful schools of fish that swim across the screen and magically transform into letters, numbers, shapes, different colours and more. Also features classical and classic children’s music.
Where to Buy? iTunes
$2

Keep your tot entertained and challenged with this app that develops shape recognition and fine motor skills. Your child can solve more than 30 puzzles with a fun, simple drag and drop. When the puzzle is complete, tap the figure and hear sounds.
Where to Buy? iTunes
$2