Our sister site ParentDish has posted an article on their favorite iPhone/iPod touch applications for parents. As an iPhone-toting dad, I've used mine to keep the little nippers busy with cute applications, but Sarah James has found even better options, including

1. Baby Monitor Did you forget to bring Jr.'s monitor to Grandma's house? Put your iPhone next to his crib and launch Baby Monitor. When he starts to wail like a banshee, Baby Monitor calls a pre-determined number, like Grandma's landline. Baby Monitor costs $0.99US.
2. Baby Tracker: Diapers I remember the days of The Diaper Pail* and anxious trips to the pediatrician's office. If that's still a part of your experience, check out Baby Tracker: Diapers. It lets you note the consistency, color and contents of Jr.'s waste. Giggle if you like, but I see exactly how this could offer peace of mind. Baby Tracker: Diapers costs $0.99US.

There are more, of course, so check out the full article. In the meantime, here are a few suggestions from this old dad:

1. iChalky When my 3-year-old is out of patience, I hand over iChalky. Jiggle the phone and drag your finger to flip little Chalky all over the screen. The preschool set loves it. iChalky costs $0.99US.
2. Jirbo Match My 5-year-old likes matching games, and Jirbo Match is challengeing enough to engage her. Jirbo Match costs $1.99US
3. iTalk Think of something while you've got your hands full? Just launch iTalk and record that thought. Later, you can sync recordings with the desktop companion, iTalk Sync. iTalk is free.

While we're on the topic, I've got a request for the iPhone and iPod touch. The problem with letting the kids use them is that they sometimes navigate away from the application or video and get into other stuff (plus that whole "throwing and dropping" thing). Recently, my daughter deleted some photos I hadn't exported to my Mac.

That's hardly the end of the world, but it would be nice to put the phone in "Kid mode" and prevent them from navigating away from a video or application.

*Only today do I realize the insanity of having what amounted to a miniature cesspool in my bedroom.