Is the new Spotify Kids app worth the extra money?

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps, Entertainment, Kids

When I first heard about the new Spotify Kids app, I was pretty excited. Would this be the app that would wean my son from the Moana soundtrack and expand his musical horizons? Is this the app for kids who are ready for their own music, but not everything that the...

15 awesome podcasts for kids that you’ll enjoy too, parents.

by Caroline Siegrist | Entertainment

We’ve been busy rounding up everything from helpful homeschooling resources to online learning apps and websites for the quarantine, but we realize kids can’t live on educational materials alone. So we asked our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group members...

A comparison of 5 of the best audiobook apps. Get more reading time in!

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps

Anyone else  the escape of audiobooks while we find moments to ourselves? These audiobook apps proved to be the perfect literary lifeline for me while I was stuck at home with my young children during the quarantine, and are keeping me going even now. Because no...

This high-tech baby monitor and swaddle is helping parents and newborns breathe easier

by Caroline Siegrist | Gear + Hardware, Babies, Life and Home

Attention, new parents! We’ve found one of the coolest new high-tech baby products: the Nanit Breathing Wear that monitors baby’s breathing for you by “reading” ink patterns on the swaddle or breathing band. We’ve been fans of the Nanit...

We found an animated storybook app that’s a great YouTube alternative

by Caroline Siegrist | Educational Apps, Best Apps

I’m always on the hunt for YouTube alternatives for my son, and I’ve just discovered a good one in Vooks, the app that streams animated children’s books. If you’re wanting your kids to be entertained by something other than toy cars being...

Curb Your Screen Addiction series: Using screen time monitoring apps

by Caroline Siegrist | Tips and Tricks

This week in our Curb Your Screen Addiction series, we’re talking about how screen time monitoring apps can help you rein in your phone use. If you’re like me, then you found yourself quite surprised by your screen time stats when  Apple updated iOS to...

Curb Your Screen Addiction series: Narrating your phone use aloud

by Caroline Siegrist | Tips and Tricks

Next up in our Curb Your Screen Addiction series, we’re featuring our easiest tip yet. This one comes from Kristen and Liz’s interview with The Art of Screen Time author and NPR commentator Anya Kamenetz, who offers some excellent, non-alarmist advice on...

How to use the Siri Shortcuts app to make your life a whole lot easier

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps

I’m always discovering new tricks on my iPhone, but figuring out the Siri Shortcuts app has been a total game changer. This feature lets you set up voice commands to automate the tasks you perform over and over again, like navigating to your kid’s school...

Curb Your Screen Addiction series: Turning off your notifications

by Caroline Siegrist | Tips and Tricks

Next up in our series on how to curb your screen addiction, we’re tackling the issue of notifications. Back when I first got a smartphone, those little red numbers next to my apps filled me with excitement. Someone had messaged me! Or liked my photo! Today, I...

Curb Your Screen Addiction series: Using the grayscale setting on your smartphone

by Caroline Siegrist | Tips and Tricks

As we continue our New Year’s series on how to curb your screen addiction, I’m excited to share our next tip since it’s been one that’s been so helpful in managing my own tech habits. Plus, it’s a change you can make in literally 5...