Best tablet apps for toddlers

Keep the kids entertained with these iPad and Kindle Fire apps

Locking your kid up in a cage for a moment of silence may not be socially acceptable (or legal), but digital distractions are totally fair game. The next time you need 10 minutes (or, ummm, two hours) to yourself, hand over your tablet and keep the kiddos entertained with these iPad and Kindle Fire apps targeted toward toddlers.

iPad apps 

Scribble Press, $2.99

Want to encourage creativity in your little one? This is just the app to help Junior flex his artistic muscle. Scribble Press invites kids to tell their stories through their own drawings and words, which can later be turned into a digital book (printed copies are also available from the company's New York studio). Story templates are also available and include themes like "My Babysitter is a Zombie" and "The Dog Ate My Homework." The app's blank pages also serve well as a simple sketchbook when your tiny tot just wants to doodle.

Caillou Stickers!, 99 cents
As someone who isn't under the age of five, I have a really hard time pin-pointing the addictive nature of this app -- because honestly, there isn't that much going on here. But maybe that's actually the draw. Little minds can focus on the very basic task of choosing "stickers" and then dragging them into their preferred Caillou background (there are seven to choose from including a campground, birthday party, farm house and bus stop).

Juno's Piano, Free

Your budding musician get a jump start on traditional piano lessons with this instrumental iPad app. Juno's Piano takes a super simple approach in instructing the kiddos on basic tunes, and it won't charge you an arm and a leg by the hour like those stuffy old instructors. First, an animated pig-tailed girl jumps along the on-screen keys, and as each one lights up, that's little Susie's cue to follow along. Different colors represent different notes, and positive reinforcement (via audio) is awarded when the correct keys are played.

Read Me Stories, Free
When you're just too tired to read the same damn bedtime story for the twelfth time in a row, let Read Me Stories take over for you. The app is free to download and offers several themed story collections that can be purchased for a small fee once you're in (these average around $2). After that, a new story automatically downloads each day (but good luck getting your tiny tot to move on from her favorite fairytale). Kids can opt to read the book without any help, or choose the audio option to have it read aloud (each word is highlighted as its read, making it easy to follow along).

Kindle Fire apps

Kids Ultimate Finger Painting, Free
Nothing says hours of fun and entertainment (and free time for mom and dad) like finger painting. The downside? You're usually left with a massive mess to clean up afterward. But not any more thanks to tablet apps like Kids Ultimate Finger Painting. Hand over your Kindle Fire and let your toddler go crazy ... just make sure you've got a protective case on that thing. The app also contains various drag-and-drop puzzle games to help with hand-eye coordination.

Super Why!, $2.99
This one comes straight from the educational PBS show Super Why!, which teaches tiny tots to read. Geared toward kids ages three to six, the app contains a collection of interactive games with popular characters from the show including Alpha Pig, Princess Pesto, Wonder Pig and Super Why. When your toddler does well, she'll receive virtual stickers that can be placed for positive reminders in a digital sticker book.

My First Puzzles, $1.99
The title for this one couldn't be more apt, as the puzzles here are about as rudimentary as it gets. My First Puzzles can help kids with hand/eye coordination, while fun sound effects and sharp graphics keep them entertained. The app offers 14 different puzzles, all of a different animal. As soon as a puzzle is completed, an icon will appear with an image of it so little Johnny can easily remember which ones he's already mastered.

iStoryBooks, Free
This one is similar to the Read Me Stories app for iPad in that it serves as a mini digital library for the kiddos. iStorybooks offers several interactive children's books with an option for your toddler to try reading on his own, or to have the story read aloud to him. The illustrations are slick, and a new book is automatically downloaded every two weeks. iStoryBooks comes with a few pre-loaded options, but you can download additional content within the app.