Posts filed under ‘iPhone’
Free White Noise
There are loads of things I love about living right on Broadway. Watching the crowds. Showing Oliver the cars and buses driving past. Having Pinkberry across the street, and loads of cafes and restaurants within a one block radius. Free jazz concerts every night, and even Alleluja man.
But the noise is a killer. I don’t mind it myself, but when we’ve spent hours getting Oliver to sleep and then managed to creep out and shut the door behind us, only to have a honking truck or fire engine siren roar past and leave him screaming for dear life – on those nights, Broadway makes me very upset. And it’s a pretty regular occurrence.
People suggested noise machines, and a friend really talked up the Brookstone one. I was one click away from dishing out $100 for it – and then my husband suggested checking the iTunes store.
Brilliant idea! Within minutes, I had myself a totally free app (White Noise Lite, it’s called – and it seems to be available to BlackBerry, too) that plays:
- Chirping crickets
- Crashing waves
- Chugging trains
- Rainstorms
…and those are just my top noises. You can upgrade to a paid version but this one is working out great. And there’s something pretty magical about walking into your city bedroom to hear crickets chirping away. I think I’m sleeping better now, too.
I’ve loaded the app on the iTouch because if someone calls the iPhone while it was chirping away, it would definitely cause more distress than the sirens. So we’ve hooked up the Touch to some cheapo speakers – and can now transport ourselves to the Caribbean or the woods any time we please. For free.
Staying Literary with Baby in Tow
When Oliver was born, I’m pretty sure I spent upwards of 80% of the day feeding him. The rest of the time, I held him while he slept. And I tried to record every feeding/diaper change/nap, too. And occasionally ate myself. And carried around much-needed water. And was sleep-deprived.
Needless to say, there was no way to carry a book around, too. Even if I had one, often it was just too dark to read and I’d have gone crazy trying to remember where I put my book light the night before. But oh, how I needed some entertainment while I fed and fed and fed! And how I needed to feel a bit intellectually stimulated and like my old self.
I’d already used my iPhone for recording contractions (carrying just one device you always need anyway instead of a pen and paper was brilliant!). And then found another awesome app for recording all baby-related events (feeding, diapers, naps, my own Ibuprofen intake). Life was almost simple!
And then a very clever woman told me about Amazon Kindle for the iPhone, and all was well with the world again. Because now I could combine two of my favorite pastimes – being with Oliver and reading – with no extra effort. All I ever had to have with me was my son, my phone – and, occasionally, water.
Since then, I’ve read The Help, The Invisible Man, Juliet, Naked – and have sampled a whole load of other books for free. You can read in the dark (a major plus with a baby). You can read on the train. You can read any time you’re with your baby and he’s asleep and you don’t want to disturb him – or let go.
I just saw an ad for Barnes & Nobles new reading gadget and it seems like total nonsense – at least for moms. That thing is so expensive – you could buy an iPhone and about a hundred books, I’m pretty sure. And the whole point is to minimize the amount of stuff we carry. Who needs another electronic doo-dad to worry about?
Important News Post #1: New iPhone App just for NYC parents!
I just dished out $2.99 for the brand new app IKidNY. It’s using my current location. And with that, it’s going to tell me the closest:
1) Outdoor Activities
2) Indoor Activities
3) Restaurants
4) Changing Tables
5) Subway Elevators
So far, looks genius (though I hope to see a Baby Shopping feature added soon). Who is this mom who invented it? And who is the graphics wiz who came up with the super-cute and user-friendly interface (so this is what you get when you actually pay for apps!)?
Just to give it a whirl, I’ll look up Outdoor Activities in our area…Thinking…Thinking…Now I get a map of Manhattan and choose an area – or search for what’s closest to me…And I get Hudson River Park, two playgrounds, and a Beach Cafe and Volleyball Court I know I’ll be visiting next summer. You get the address. And can quickly get directions.
And can add it to favorites.
I can see this becoming a very handy tool when a group of moms with babies is looking for a kid-friendly restaurant in the area (like my friends and I were earlier today) that won’t mind parents playing the Mozart Cube to their kids for all to hear (like I was earlier today ;).
Big World, Little People 