We were helping a friend move last week and there was a lull right near the corner of dinnertime and "I'm Tired & Bored"… but the car keys and the money to pay the pizza gods were in my husband's pockets, and he was busy carrying a mattress down three flights of stairs, 10 miles away.

So.

I have an iPhone.  I love it, yes I do. Yes, I do let her play with it, but we have some rules about how to handle it (gently and with mom or dad standing by) and how to give it back (early & often) that are mostly followed.  Yes, I hover.  But it's my lifeline to a lot of things.  This night, it was my lifeline to calmly getting us to dinner with the rest of the moving team. 

A while ago, I downloaded an ocarina for my iPhone (and yes, a lightsaber. Hush.) - but it's hard for her to play and the proximity of the microphone to the power-port makes me think that 4-year olds weren't what they had in mind for that one.

I didn't know what to download, so i picked the first thing that looked kind of fun and cheap (@ 1.99) - Bloons.  It's a dart-throwing game that has a few different settings and levels, and plenty of 'great job!' responses at the easiest settings.  It worked fine.

I wish I'd seen the NYTimes article here first though - http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/the-best-iphone-apps-for-kids/?em, which lists great iPhone apps for kids, both in the article and in the comments section.  If you are a plan-ahead person, you can download these through iTunes and then load them on your phone.  If you are me, you can search them via the App Store while distracting flying howler monkeys and flying cream-pies (ok, it was just my 4 year old, but it felt like that).  The apps include:

• Wheels on the Bus ($.99)
• iWriteWords ($.99)
• Scribble ($.99)
• Oregon Trail ($4.99) - a little old for her yet, but when I saw the classic 80s game, I squealed.  

Also available, reports the Times, - podcasts from Sesame Street & PBS Kids Sprout.  Awesome.