I’m still on the fence about toddlers and technology. (Should I be admitting that here?) There are times when I look at my daughter effortlessly swiping through pictures on my iPhone and I marvel at the absurdity of it all. Then there are other times–like when she’s playing a game and leaving her new baby brother’s face alone for, like, ten seconds–that I’m ready to download every app known to mom.

Starting with the one I just discovered.

And best yet, it’s free.

The new HAPPYBABY First Alphabet Flash Cards iPhone app, brought to you by the wonderful folks from Cool Mom Picks approved HAPPYBABY food, has been entertaining her lately and her little brother and I couldn’t be happier.

The app is pretty simple. A colorful alphabet page leads a child to a healthy fruit or vegetable “flashcard” for each letter. A chipper voice explains, “D is for dragon fruit” and then your kid yells out, “Dragon fruit doesn’t even make sense!” Okay, just my kid says that. But then she also denied the vanilla bean’s legitimacy, claiming it didn’t even look like food.

Suffice it to say, this little app has led to some great educational discussions about fruits and vegetables in our house. There are predictable foods on some of the flashcards, like apple and banana. But there are also much cooler foods too, like fig, imbe (am I the only one who has never heard of this fruit?) and quince. And those unexpected cards keep things interesting.

This app’s not going to keep an older toddler entertained for long. It’s more like a good quick distraction in a restaurant or doctor’s office. But it’s still fun. And it’s free.  –Stephanie

Download the HAPPYBABY First Alphabet Flash Cards iPhone app for free from the iTunes store.