If you've got an iPhone and a toddler you must know about the iPhone lightsaber application by Lucasfilm Ltd. If you haven't heard of it - get down from whatever planet you are on, hop on the App Store and download the "Lightsaber Unleashed" app. It is very cool and will allow you to produce endless videos of your toddler acting out real-life light saber duells (and with no risk of losing life or limb). Like this one ...

Seasonal greetings to all iPhone Dads! Last year we reviewed 25 online advent calendars in the run up to Christmas. This year it's all gone a bit iPhone and some creative gaming company has come up with the "APPVENT CALENDAR". The website reveals a free iPhone game every day till Christmas. Download the game of the day at work and try it out with the kids when you get home.

Enjoy!

-Stef

There’s nothing more boring than a moaning woman in labour, but what if you could play on your iPhone throughout the whole ordeal without any recriminations whatsoever? Step forward the contraction timer app.

I’ve been able to find 17 applications that are specifically designed to monitor the duration and frequency of your wife’s screaming while she is making a right meal of childbirth:

• Baby’s Coming (free) – Dadgets.info top choice
• Contraculate (free)
• Contractulator (free)

Craig just posted a hilarious new article on iPhone baby apps ... this one is about apps DURING conception. It's such a great concept that I had to hijack his article a bit when I came across the following. The first digital aphrodisiac - check it out:

Here is Craig's article:

Well here's another ever so practical iPhone application perfectly suitable for busy dads. The various "baby name shaker" apps have set out to take the process of choosing your baby's name into the 21st century. Find the perfect name for your baby using your iPhone ... what a great idea!

Gone are the days when you had to troll through dozens of over-prized baby name books or sign up to all sorts of dodgy email newsletters on baby naming sites just to get access to a collection of potential names for your baby. Also gone are the days when you had to resort to throwing books in the air to see which page they land on to introduce a random element to your selection.

The name shaker apps on the iPhone use the phone's accelerometers to assist with the name selection. So you can simple shake the phone and get a random name. If you prefer the rational method of trolling through the long list of names you can do that as well of course. Other features of most apps include:

* advanced search
* short listing / filtering (boy / girl)
* favourites
* meaning of names
* multi-language support

All up just the perfect and simple solution to a non-trivial task and at a price way below baby name books (prices range from $4.19 to $6.49).

Now that the games have gone down a treat it's time for the ceremonial bringing in of the cake, complete with candles. But what if you used your last match to mask the stench of the horrendously smelly poo you had just before your guests arrived?

Step up the iPhone, which has a million and one candle applications to give you that hi-tech virtual glow. Birthday Blow Out provides you with a tasty-looking cake covered in candles. What’s more, you can blow into the iPhone’s microphone and see the candle flames flicker. If your kid blows hard enough then the candles will go out, and your iPhone will be drenched in spit.

For more kid-friendly iPhone fire gadgets

The wait is over - here is Craig's long awaited review of the Y-Cam Knight video monitor...

Can a security camera babysit?
1. Tell yourself that this is far superior to any video baby monitor currently on the market. You’ll be able to show off live video of your sleeping baby on your iPhone from anywhere in the world, and who knows what kinky applications you’ll think up when you can finally afford that Swedish au pair.

2. Tell your wife that this essential device will allow you to keep a tearful eye on your little baby whenever you are kept away from home on business. Buying the Y-Cam Knight would be a testament to your fatherly love.

Following Craig's review of the various video baby monitors someone told me about the iPhone Baby Monitor. Huh? iPHone ... baby monitor? Yup - that's right, you can use your beloved 3G smartphone to check up on your baby as well. There are a number of apps out there (Google: iphone baby monitor) - one of the more recent ones is "iBaby" by Cyan Design.

Here's the official blurb from their website:

iBaby is a simple baby monitor that detects noise in a quiet room. It can be used to enhance existing baby monitors already in the home, or taken with you for sleep overs for extra peace of mind. Once activated the device will monitor the area for any sound, and when triggered, will ring a nominated number to enable you to listen to your baby. Features:

- Child friendly graphics!
- Soothing night light
- Stops iphone from going into sleep mode
- Logs all sound events by date and time
- Unlimited range

Apple's revolutionary iPhone has changed the smart phone space in a matter of months after its launch. It is now "THE PHONE" for business and personal use all other manufacturers are trying to beat. But did you know that it can also be used as toy? The iPhone is equipped with motion detectors which means it can respond interactively when children flip it over, shake it or move it about.

We asked gadget & web freak Mr K to write up a post about how he & his 14 month old daughter make use of the iPhone for some great father- daughter time. E.g. the iPhone application "dice" displays some virtual dice that roll around the screen and collide with each other - hours of fun and amazing to watch! Mr K runs www.iphonesource.org and he finds that the iPhone is also a great resource for new Dads. With an insanely easy interface the iPhone is simple for everyone, there are literally 100s of free applications that dad can install to keep his offspring entertained, and the camera and photo library make it easy to take / flick through photos and have a laugh.