Best apps for babies

Baby Rattle Toy perfectly re-creates the soothing sounds of a time-tested infant standby. “It may sound crazy to give a tiny, dribbling tot a smartphone worth hundreds of dollars,” but you never know when you’ll need a pacifying rattle. (Free, Android)

Sparkabilities Babies 1HD distracts younger ones with colorful graphics, sound effects, and movie clips featuring animals and simple shapes. The app is also interactive, and “the interface is simple enough that older babies will be able to play by themselves.” ($5, iOS)

Talking Tom Cat features an animated cat that “reacts to screen touches by yowling, making silly noises, falling over, and so on.” (Free, iOs and Android)

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Lullaby! soothes your infant with quiet versions of classic songs, and includes a sleep timer and alarm clock. ($1, iOS)

Source: The New York Times