Skip to content

Top Navigation

Parents Parents
  • GETTING PREGNANT
  • PREGNANCY
  • BABY NAMES
  • BABY
  • TODDLER
  • BIG KID
  • FUN
  • HEALTH
  • PARENTING
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAY
  • News
  • THE STAY AT HOME GUIDE
  • SHOP
  • OUR MAGAZINES
  • MORE

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Your Profile
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Parents

Parents Parents
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 22 Chore Ideas for Every Type of Kid

      Find a chore your kid loves to do, and start a habit of wanting to help out that'll last a lifetime. Read More Next
    • Top 5 Mom Friend Problems—And How to Fix Them

      Parenting is so much easier with good pals. Learn to overcome friendship hurdles and bond with women who get you. Read More Next
    • How to Sleep Train Toddlers and Big Kids

      I’m a pediatric sleep specialist who has seen it all, and I’m here to tell you that it’s not too late to get your child to (happily) stay in his own bed all night long. Read More Next
  • GETTING PREGNANT

    GETTING PREGNANT

    See All GETTING PREGNANT

    Your Chances of Getting Pregnant Every Day of the Month

    When sex coincides withĀ your most fertile ovulation days, you'llĀ increase the chances of conceiving.Ā Get to know each phase of your cycle to get pregnant faster.
    • Ovulation
    • Reproductive Age
    • Maximizing Your Fertility
    • Pre-Pregnancy Health
    • Trying to Conceive
    • Dealing With Infertility
    • Genetics
  • PREGNANCY

    PREGNANCY

    See All PREGNANCY

    Signs of Approaching Labor: How to Tell Your Baby is Coming Soon

    Anxiously awaiting your baby’s arrival? Learn to recognize the first signs of labor approaching, which signal that your little one might make an appearance soon.
    • Signs of Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Week-by-Week
    • Giving Birth
    • Labor & Delivery
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Due Date Calculator
    • Pregnancy Complications
    • Fetal Development
    • Gender Prediction
    • Baby Showers
  • BABY NAMES

    BABY NAMES

    See All BABY NAMES

    These Are the Most Popular Baby Names of 2020

    Curious which baby names stole the show this year? From new classics like Noah to tried-and-true faves like Ava, here are the top boy and girl names of the year so far, plus more naming trends to consider.
    • Baby Girl Names
    • Most Popular Names
    • Names by Origin
    • Twin Names
    • Baby Boy Names
    • Names by Religion
    • Celebrity Baby Names
    • Baby Name Quizzes
  • BABY

    BABY

    See All BABY

    How to Decode Your Baby's Cough

    Caring for a baby with a wet or dry cough? Listen for wheezing, hacking, or barking first, then read on to find out what's normal and when it's time to worry.
    • Newborn Care
    • Crying Baby
    • Health
    • Baby Development
    • Safety
    • Gear
    • Breastfeeding
    • Diapers
    • Sleep Issues
    • Feeding
    • Nursery
  • TODDLER

    TODDLER

    See All TODDLER
    • Preschool Activities
    • Behavior & Discipline
    • Toddler Development
    • Milestones
    • Potty Training
    • Starting School
    • Health
    • Safety
    • Childcare
  • BIG KID

    BIG KID

    See All BIG KID

    How to Deal With Bullies: A Guide for Parents

    Mean kids aren't just a middle-school problem. The trouble has trickled to the youngest grades. Learn how to spot it—and how to protect children of all ages from bullies at school.
    • Education
    • Health
    • Food & Nutrition
    • Bullying & School Problems
    • Child Development
    • Safety
    • Manners & Responsibility
  • FUN

    FUN

    See All FUN

    17 Budget-Friendly Kids’ Birthday Party Ideas

    A fun celebration doesn’t need to cost a pretty penny. Throw a memorable bash with these clever cost-cutting kids’ birthday party ideas.
    • Birthdays
    • Indoor Activities
    • Outdoor Activities
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Printable Coloring Pages
    • Kids' Entertainment
    • Best Toys
    • Holidays
    • Family Vacation Ideas
  • HEALTH

    HEALTH

    See All HEALTH

    All About Coronavirus COVID-19: A Concerned Parent's Guide

    Here’s everything you need to know about the disease that originated in Wuhan, China.
    • ADD & ADHD
    • Allergies
    • Autism
    • Cold & Flu
    • Coronavirus and COVID-19
    • Cough
    • Down Syndrome
    • Emergency Aid
    • Fever
    • Medication & Vitamins
    • Obesity
    • Rashes
    • Stomach Aches
    • Vaccines
  • PARENTING

    PARENTING

    See All PARENTING

    The Stay at Home Guide for Parents

    Everything you need to thrive at home as a family.
    • Positive Parenting
    • Parenting Style
    • Celebrity Parents
    • Family Dynamics
    • Divorce
    • Home
    • Adoption
    • Just for Mom
    • Money
    • Toy Recalls
    • Stroller Recalls
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD
    • Family Recipes
    • Baby Food
    • Toddler Finger Food Recipes
    • Hints & Tips
    • Healthy Eating
    • Birthdays
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Meals
    • Food For Pregnant Women
  • HOLIDAY

    HOLIDAY

    See All HOLIDAY

    44 Fun Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids

    Spend an afternoon making these Valentine's Day cards, decorations, and edible projects for kids. Bonus: These craft ideas are perfect for preschoolers and the ideal homemade gift for a few special someones!
    • Christmas
    • New Year's
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Father's Day
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
  • News
  • THE STAY AT HOME GUIDE
  • SHOP
  • OUR MAGAZINES

    OUR MAGAZINES

    See All OUR MAGAZINES
    • Parents
    • Parents Latina
    • Ser Padres
  • MORE

    MORE

    • Newsletters
    • Contests
    • ParentsIRL
    • Adulting
    • First Year Playbook
    • Celebrate Your Way

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Your Profile
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Fun
  3. Entertainment
  4. Gadgets
  5. Best Baby Apps

Best Baby Apps

By Kate Silver and Kirsten Clodfelter
September 08, 2014
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Sarah Kehoe
Got restless toddler syndrome? These apps will amuse and educate.
Start Slideshow

1 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

It's a Lifesaver

Credit: Sarah Kehoe

When Emily Butler takes her 2 1/2 -year-old daughter, Caroline, to restaurants near their home in Washington, D.C., there's one thing she never leaves at home—her phone. That's because she knows that it can serve as her lifeline if Caroline gets upset. She simply turns on one of her tried-and-true apps, like Butterscotch.com's Trancit Lite, and the screen fills with swirling colors and images that never fail to engage her daughter through the meal.

"At a restaurant it comes in handy if your baby is crying," says Butler, 34. "They kind of zone out, staring at the lights. You (and everyone else) get to eat in peace and they get their colors on."

And Butler isn't alone. As parents know all too well, no matter how many toys, books, and instruments we purchase for our babies and toddlers, there's one device that never fails to entertain: our cell phone.

Most of us spend plenty of time talking and playing with our kids, but sometimes we need to buy ourselves a few minutes to scarf down a hot plate of food, pay for our cup of coffee, or have a five-minute adult conversation.

Click through to see our top kid-tested picks of iphone apps.

  • Download Trancit Lite on iTunes

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Baby Piano

Credit: Fancy Photography/Veer

Cost: Free (Lite Version); $0.99 (Full Version)

This portable piano has been a top seller for years, and it's easy to see why. The eight-key piano plays notes and makes animal sounds, with corresponding cartoon animals pictured on each key. When kids are finished making their own songs, they can play a nursery rhyme by pressing one of the highlighted keys.

  • Download Baby Piano (Lite) on iTunes
  • Download Baby Piano (Full) on iTunes

2 of 12

3 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

iBabyPhone

Credit: Kathryn Gamble Lozier

Cost: $0.99

Kids see their parents making phone calls, and they want to do the same. Now they can pretend to call people with no risk of actually doing so, thanks to iBabyPhone. As kids dial using the number buttons, the numbers are read out loud but no calls go out. The phone has different modes that teach colors, numbers, animals, and more. Your children get to feel like grown-ups talking on a phone app made just for them.

  • Download iBabyPhone on iTunes

3 of 12

Advertisement

4 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Digital Devices and Children

4 of 12

5 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Baby Rattle

Credit: Sarah Kehoe

Cost: Free

This app is perfect for a curious, hands-on baby and transforms your phone into a shakeable rattle with fun interactions. Great for babies who have just started to become fascinated by the phone, this app appeals to both sight and sound with a simple, clean design. Choose from four rattle styles that each make a different sound when baby shakes your phone. Cute animations offer a new level of engagement with fun sounds when tapped. Now, if only there were an app that would keep Baby from putting your phone in her mouth...

  • Download Baby Rattle on iTunes

5 of 12

6 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

I Hear Ewe

Credit: istockphoto

Cost: Free

These animated animals come to life when you touch them. The parrot squawks, the monkey screams, and the lion roars, making this app a toddler favorite. With images of 24 creatures and 12 vehicles, both babies and young kids love to play and learn with I Hear Ewe. Each time they touch an animal or vehicle, the name of that item is announced along with a real sound effect. Choose from one of four languages for an added level of learning.

  • Download I Hear Ewe on iTunes

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Baby's Musical Hands

Cost: Free

Sitting with a baby or toddler in your lap who wants to fiddle with your phone? This app is the perfect solution. A panel of brightly colored squares provides an array of musical notes when pressed, allowing for the infinite creation of enjoyable baby melodies. As a fun surprise, each touch produces a spray of sparkling stars across the screen to help keep Baby's interest.

  • Download Baby's Musical Hands on iTunes

7 of 12

8 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Animal Sounds for Baby

Credit: iStockphoto

Cost: Free

Designed for littles one between six months and 5 years, this app is used by tapping, tilting, or shaking your device to hear the sounds of different cute critters displayed on the screen. The adorable animals on this Laugh & Learn app from Fisher Price include a cow, tiger, monkey, penguin, and pig. The app will keep little ones entertained, and it'll perk up the ears of any nearby pets, too!

  • Download Animal Sounds for Baby on iTunes
  • Download Animal Sounds for Baby on Google Play

8 of 12

9 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

LumiKids Park

Cost: Free

This award-winning app from Luminosity is an ideal tool for learning-based play for kids between the ages of two and five. This intuitive gaming experience enables kids to explore a friendly virtual park while strengthening cognitive, motor, and social-emotional skills. Exceptionally cute animation offers an added bonus.

  • Download LumiKids Park on iTunes

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Captain McFinn's Swim & Play

Cost: Free

This unique learning app for 3- to 5-year-olds is the first app to incorporate a live, interactive host. Taking inspiration from popular kids' shows like "Blue's Clues," "Dora the Explorer," and "The Good Night Show," Captain McFinn's engages kids in an underwater adventure while promoting emotional and social development.

  • Download Captain McFinn's Swim & Play on iTunes

10 of 12

11 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sesame Street Go

Cost: Free

This media-streaming app is the best thing to ever happen to fans of this beloved children's show. Find video clips and games featuring Elmo, Big Bird, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, and the rest of the Sesame Street crew as they promote interactive learning through tons of silly, familiar fun.

  • Download Sesame Street Go on iTunes

11 of 12

12 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Busy Shapes

Cost: $2.99

This app is perfect for puzzle-loving tots ages two and up and is totally worth the price. Colorful shapes engage logic and reasoning skills through a series of puzzles and placement exercises in this award-winning app. Designed carefully for young learners, features like passing-swipe control and customizable guided access to keep kids from accidentally exiting out of the app during play make it easy to see why Busy Shapes is a top pick. 

  • Download Busy Shapes on iTunes

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 12 It's a Lifesaver
2 of 12 Baby Piano
3 of 12 iBabyPhone
4 of 12 Digital Devices and Children
5 of 12 Baby Rattle
6 of 12 I Hear Ewe
7 of 12 Baby's Musical Hands
8 of 12 Animal Sounds for Baby
9 of 12 LumiKids Park
10 of 12 Captain McFinn's Swim & Play
11 of 12 Sesame Street Go
12 of 12 Busy Shapes

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Parents

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • From Our Sponsors this link opens in a new tab
  • Affiliate Program this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Parents.com is part of the Parents Network. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.parents.com

View image

Best Baby Apps
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.