Kid Mode by Zoodles

We have Kid Mode by Zoodles installed on both our phones and on Chace's tablet (yes, we're one of THOSE parents who think getting a tablet for our kid is a good idea). Its most useful feature is that it has a very effective childlock feature, so that we don't have to worry about him tapping on pop-up ads that appear on some of his favorite apps.

Kid Mode has five main tabs: Games, Art, Books, Mail and Favorites. We rarely use the Mail feature though, since Chace isn't conversational just yet.

On the Games tab, we put in all his apps and games, and even a media player for the music videos we downloaded for him. Also on this tab, you can find assorted educational videos that are appropriate for kids. I think the content changes weekly or bi-weekly. I say this because Chace seems to have a favorite video to watch every other week.

He's been using the Art tab a lot lately. He's only recently started drawing faces and a clown. We're crossing our fingers for more :)

The Books tab allows parents to record themselves reading the storybooks for replay later on by your child. Only the first one is accessible with the free version of this app (Three Little Pigs). The others you can get from upgrading to Premium, or you can buy separately for $2.99. I did record my own version on my phone, and it was easy enough. The graphics are just okay, not fantastic.

                                         

The Favorites tab is where all his most played apps and videos appear. Only thing is, he'd get confused sometimes when he tries to access Kid Mode on my phone, and he doesn't see his apps on the Favorites tab. The app lacks syncing capability, which is about the only downside I can think of so far.

                                         

The bonus was the addition of featured videos with songs from such popular shows as Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba, and also some from his favorite YouTube blogger, KidsTV123 :)

All in all, we're really happy with this app. And these are features that are available on the free version. With the premium version, you get more stuff, like being able to promote subjects for certain skills you would like your child to target, and even excluding material with cartoon characters you may feel are not appropriate (at your own discretion). I think the price to upgrade is reasonable ($4.99/month or $39.95/year), though right now I don't see the need for us just yet.

That being said, kudos to the Zoodles team for making a great app!:)

I want to tell you...

...a  little bit more about myself first.

I was in a corporate job until about 2 years ago, when my husband got a working assignment which , in turn, gave me an opportunity to do something I had been contemplating ever since Chace was diagnosed with global developmental delay (GDD). At the time, we were already letting Chace do both occupational and speech therapy, and there was definite progress; there was no doubt of the benefits he was getting from OT and ST. But, in my mind, I always felt that more was needed. He needed someone to focus on getting him to do the therapy at home; more than that, I really felt he needed one parent at home. I just could not entrust his care to a yaya, seeing as he needed so much more than just someone to feed him and prepare him for school.

The decision to take a personal leave from my job was a year-long discussion between myself and my husband. The primary consideration was, of course, financial. We knew it was not practical for a family to live on a single income. In the end, it was about what Chace needed now. We both came to the conclusion that having one parent focus on him would pay off better later on, in ways which money cannot buy.

So here I am, now a committed housewife and hands-on mom, not perfect (but aspiring to be). Some family and friends may applaud our decison, others will wonder what the hell we are doing. I admit that sometimes, I think about whether this was the wrong decision to make, whether I just wasted my education and career experience, to turn around and do something completely different, new and unfamiliar...

...but then my heart whispers to me, "Yep, you're moving in the right direction." <3

Hello!

I haven't blogged in a while, but I wanted to start this journal to chronicle our experience with autism. My son, Chace, was diagnosed with GDD back when he was just turning 2 years old, and recently it was confirmed as ASD by a second doctor. This journal is for us, but hopefully it will also be of help to other parents who are still somewhat new to autism. We've only just begun our journey. Join us :)