App to the Rescue

Realizing you don’t actually have any more diapers in the diaper bag. Okay, well maybe there isn’t an app for that! But amazingly there are tons of fun applications for your little iPhone that will help you out of many tight situations. Here are some quick scenarios where a fast download can help a mobile mom (or dad).

Long, long waits at the pediatrician’s office
App for that: Wheels on the Bus ($0.99)
This sweet, interactive board book will keep them busy for at least as long as your standard stint in the waiting room. We love that you can get the song to play in different languages with lots of fun surprises along the way. If your kids love Old MacDonald and the Itsy Bitsy Spider, they’re also available.

Batteries dying in the middle of videotaping the school play
App for that: Qik Video Camera ($1.99)
This clever little app turns any iPhone into an in-a-pinch video camera. The quality isn’t exactly high-def, but it’s better than missing the moment altogether. We also love that you can quickly post your clips to your Facebook page or Tweet them to Grandma (social media mavens that we are).

Big kid wants to play a board game, but little kid keeps “wrecking it”
Apps for that: The Game of Life, Monopoly, Clue, or Boggle ($0.99–2.99)
Games with lots of little pieces are magnetically attractive to toddlers and dashing all the pieces off the board is almost as instinctive as learning to crawl. Electronic Arts has come to the rescue for kids who just can’t take another interrupted round of their favourite game. Some old classics are now wonderfully interactive with no little pieces to chew, swallow or toss!

Standing in the grocery store with no clue about what to make for dinner
Apps for that: Jamie Oliver’s 20 Minute Meal, Epicurious, or AllRecipes.com DinnerSpinner (Free–$7.99)
It’s the end of the day and you don’t have a plan—a meal plan, that is. Don’t make the panicked pizza call just yet. If you can get to the store, you can pull it off. All you need is a craving and one ingredient that you feel like using. Search by ingredient on all these apps and they’ll pull up a long list of delicious meals (you can sort them by prep-time). The bonus—they’ll help you pull together a basket of everything you need to put a tasty, home-cooked meal on the dinner table.

Kids won’t go outside because they are too busy playing with your iPhone
App for that: Geocaching ($9.99)
In a world where it is all too easy to be swept away by cool new technology, it’s always good to remember that technology can help you enjoy the simpler things, too. If you and your kids haven’t already tried Geocaching, have this app ready for the next warm weekend. This application’s easy-to-use tools will help your family hunt for treasures hidden in your neighbourhood and really experience the great outdoors.

You’re at a restaurant for Great Aunt Mildred’s birthday and the kid just won’t sit still
App for that: Scribble Lite (Free)
This app turns your iPhone into an artist’s sketch book, complete with a full palette of pens in various colours and thicknesses, so the kids can draw, doodle, paint, sketch or trace to their hearts content, no paper or crayons required.

You really want to apply some lipstick but you can’t get a second to yourself to look in the mirror
App for that: Mirror (Free–$0.99)
There are a number of mirror apps available and they all work by turning the iPhone screen black to enhance its reflectivity. All you have to do is change the frame or border around to make it look like a real mirror. Face it—it’s a handy app for a mom. (Alternatively, look for one of the many flashlight apps which turn your iPhone into an always-at-hand flashlight, with various flashing light effects.)

Now if only someone would just come up with an app for sleep deprivation.

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