Long car rides can make children antsy - ease their pain with these apps! Credit: Getty Images

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The first grandson has arrived in the Duggar clan. Credit: Scott Enlow, TLC

With 19 kids, it's probably a safe bet that Arkansas couple Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar will have a slew of grandkids running around one day. The count is already at two, even though they still have their own 18-month-old daughter at home.

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Massaging Bed Rest, $99.95, Brookstone.com: Treat dad to a massage -- any time! The ultra-plush material with a built in massager is just what he needs to relax and rest after a hard day of work.

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Travel Kit & Razor, $150, theartofshaving.com: For the dad who travels frequently, this top-of-the-line shaving kit will help him beat that five o'clock shadow. The Art of Shaving compact and water-resistant Travel Kit & Razor is a necessity for a man on the go!

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Vehicle Diagnostics for iPhone/iPad, $99.99; thinkgeek.com: For the daredevil dad who loves to put the pedal to the metal, this app connects directly to his car's engine On Board Diagnostics data and reports a number of stats directly to his iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

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Wireless Remote Grilling Thermometer, $59.95, williams-sonoma.com: Dads are almost always master grillers -- or, at least they think they are. Now, instead of waiting around by the Weber to make sure he doesn't overcook the steaks, get him a wireless grilling thermometer so he be sure his meat grills to perfection.

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GPS Ski Goggles, $499.95, hammacher.com: For dads who are die-hard snow lovers, these are the only ski goggles that track maximum, average and current speed, temperature, latitude/longitude, total vertical distance traversed and number of runs completed. Make sure he takes you along when he heads to Aspen.

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Kids today are growing up in public - and this is especially true when it comes to Facebook. Credit: Getty

• Kids are growing up in public -- and this is especially true when it comes to Facebook.
• Everything they say or do adds up and affects their reputations.
• You can help your kids protect their privacy by making sure they use their privacy settings.
• Every time Facebook introduces new privacy controls, you'll need to update your settings.

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Do you know where your children are? Foursquare does! Credit: AP

• Location apps let kids post their actual, physical location.
• According to a 2010 study by McAfee Inc., 69 percent of kids ages 13 to 17 have included their physical location in their social networking status update.
• Safety and privacy are the major areas of concern.
• Marketers use these programs to send highly targeted ads.
• If you're going to use them, set privacy controls to the strictest settings.

And that's what makes location sharing a no-go for kids and teens. These programs bring up two big issues: safety and privacy. Since they let you post your location, they can expose your kid's whereabouts to anyone they "friend" -- or, in some cases, to any other user of the program. Also, advertisers are already using social mapping to target users with ads and incentives to visit their businesses (most of which are bars and restaurants).

Foursquare was one of the first entries into the location-sharing game. Here's how it works: When you sign up, you import contacts from other programs like Facebook, Twitter and Gmail. Using Foursquare's mobile website or its smartphone app, you "check in" -- send a message saying where you are and what you're doing -- and the program alerts your friends to tell them where they can find you. (Foursquare does allows you to hide your location, so you can check in without revealing it.) Foursquare uses a gaming motif, which makes it especially appealing for kids.

Facebook Places is available on iPhones or accessible through the company's touch.facebook.com site. It gives you the option of sharing your location with your Facebook friends and checking specific locations to see if your friends are there. For users younger than 17, Places is an "opt in" feature, meaning you have to enable it to use it. But make sure you check your kid's privacy settings anyway.

Gowalla works very much the same way as Foursquare, with a gaming aspect that rewards people for visiting certain places and doing interesting things. Unlike Foursquare's more finely customizable privacy settings, Gowalla's privacy settings are either on or off -- allowing people to view you or not. But Gowalla retains certain features that are publicly available even if you've checked "off." For example, if you recommend something, your recommendation appears under your user name.

Another popular program in this category is Loopt, which is currently only available as a downloadable app with phones using GPS. It's also geared more for singles looking for relationships -- the personal profile asks you to check boxes indicating your relationship status and what type of relationship you're looking for.

Like Facebook, Loopt gives its users the ability to send messages to friends, and while its ability to connect people face-to-face is highly targeted, it does offer fairly customizable privacy settings, including the ability to hide your location and block people.

What Parents Need to Know

1. These programs aren't for your kids. Ignore the "ratings" you may see online. The apps must be downloaded, and even though they're free, you'll get a receipt for it, so you'll know whether it's been installed. Either way, check your child's phone for these apps. You need to know what they're doing.

2. If you think it's OK for your kid to use one of these apps, then you must make sure that their privacy settings are set to the strictest options (as in, designated "friends only). That said, there are no guarantees that your child will be 100% protected from strangers or unwanted advertisers.

3. Since the programs allow users to post directly to Facebook or Twitter from any location, questions of safety and responsible behavior must be addressed. You don't want someone telling everyone about a party at someone else's house.

4. Finally, don't our kids have enough ads in their lives? These programs have the ability to send highly targeted ads -- to your kids' favorite store at the mall, for example. Constant advertising has a tendency to give people the "gimmes." Reinforce the fact that they can use the word "no."

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Storybook apps are for kids of all ages! Credit: Getty Images

We're loving the new book apps you can download onto your smartphone or iPad. Full of creative images, learning games, and interactivity, book apps provide an immersive experience that teaches and entertains.

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There's nothing better than when your kids actually develop their own sense of humor. Credit: Getty Images

All parents remember their baby's first smile. And there's nothing better than when your kids actually develop their own sense of humor. Sharing a private joke, silly song or even a nonsense story is more than just a fun way to pass the time: Laughter actually strengthens our bond with our kids.

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Apps that you'll love! Credit: Getty Images

• Ease of play: The app is well designed for small children, with only a few different places to tap and no way to get lost or misdirected. It is very easy to get back to the ABC screen, but children can also jump to another word by tapping a letter in a word.
• Educational value: "ABC Wildlife" teaches the alphabet by showing animal names from A to Z -- each word has a photo, a video, and bit of informational text. Also, any letter in the word can be tapped to jump to a word starting with that letter.

• Violence: Not an issue.
• Sex: Not an issue.
• Language: Not an issue.
• Consumerism: Not an issue.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not an issue.

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Angry Bird Seasons is good for 8 and ups. Credit: Getty Images

Rated ON FOR Ages 8 and Up

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that the latest free update of "Angry Birds Seasons" introduces 15 new St. Patrick's Day-themed levels of the wildly popular physics puzzle game "Angry Birds." The previous 15 Valentine's Day levels, 45 Halloween levels, and 25 Christmas levels are still playable too. For players who did not have the "Angry Birds Seasons" already, it's a $.99 new app purchase. Gameplay is exactly the same (launch birds from a slingshot to collapse structures and destroy the pigs hiding inside), only now the backgrounds include fields of shamrocks, pots of gold, and pigs with red beards and leprechaun hats to destroy. There's even an Irish remix of the theme song featuring tin whistles. Also available are an iPad version of the game, "Angry Birds Seasons" HD, and an Android version of the game.

The good stuff

• Ease of play: The controls are easy to master, but the puzzles themselves can be quite tricky to figure out. All instructions are shown in pictures, so no reading is required.
• Educational value: The game boasts realistic physics, and winning involves using trajectory, speed, and momentum to your advantage.

• Violence: When birds make contact with an obstacle they disappear in a tuft of feathers, but they demonstrate no pain and seem perfectly willing participants in the mayhem. Defeated pigs disappear in a puff of smoke. Pigs that are damaged but not yet defeated display bruising.
• Sex: Not an issue.
• Language: Not an issue.
• Consumerism: The app contains links to download the original "Angry Birds," sign up for the "Angry Birds" email newsletter, buy "Angry Birds" plush toys, watch an "Angry Birds" video trailer, and visit the developer's Facebook and Twitter pages. With the St. Patrick's Day update, users can also send Angry Birds-themed St. Patrick's Day cards through Facebook.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not an issue.

• Personal privacy: Players can post to leaderboards, and buttons on the title page lead to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. These are optional. Players can also opt in to Apple's Game Center to track achievements, and for some games, challenge friends. With Game Center, players can send and receive friend requests using an email address or Game Center nickname. Requesting or accepting a friend via email will reveal the first and last name associated with each party's Apple ID and the sender's email address. After failing a level, you may be offered a link to search Bing for tips; this takes you out of the app and to the Bing site.

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The new bedtime story reader? Credit: Getty Images

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iTunes

Cut the Rope (Chillingo, $.99-$1.99)
The goal of the game is ridiculously simple: Feed candy to a little monster named Om Nom that you receive in the mail. But Om Nom's treats are always suspended from a tangled web of ropes above the critter's head. You need to -- here it comes -- cut the ropes in just the right way, so that the little sweets land right in Om Nom's waiting maw. It's not nearly as simple as it sounds. The realistic physics are where the game really shines -- these ropes swing and sway just the way they would in the offline world. It's addictive and, one can argue, educational. Play it and you'll see why it won.

iTunes

Fruit Ninja (Halfbrick Studios, $.99-$2.99)
You are the deadly assassin. Your finger, your sword. Your enemy? Fruit. The joy of this insanely frenetic game comes from the visceral thrill of slashing away at flying pineapples, watermelons and kiwis. Slice them in half -- or in quarters if you're fast enough -- and watch the juices splatter as the pieces scatter. You can't miss any, though (nor can you accidentally hit one of the bombs that are often thrown in among the fruit), or it's game over. It may sound like a one-trick pomegranate, but it's a wildly good time. And if you need a bit more variety, Halfbrick also publishes "Veggie Ninja."

iTunes

Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap Games, $2.99-$6.99)
If you've heard some kid talking about this goofily-premised game, you may have assumed they were misspeaking. But no, it really is about flowers and shrubbery fending off hordes of the invading undead. While it may sound silly at first, the wit and ingenuity of the game becomes apparent as soon as you start playing. As the zombies slowly shuffle (or on later levels, frantically run) toward your home, you need to plant seeds along their paths -- seeds that will sprout all sorts of botanic defenses, think literal "pea" shooters and "cherry" bombs. Since it is a monster horror game, there is a bit of violence (zombies may lose a limb or a head here or there), but it's all being perpetrated by produce, which certainly makes it less horrifying.

iTunes

Land-a-Panda (Big Pixel Studios, $.99-$1.99)
OK, "Land-a-Panda" is a relatively new app, not a proven commodity like the others on this list. But everything about it makes it feel like its going to spend a long time sitting next to these others at the top of the app charts. It's adorable, for one thing -- the game's mission has you trying to reunite two lovelorn pandas, all within a bright, colorful game world. It's got easy-to-pick-up controls (basically all you need to do is tap a cannon to launch your panda out of it, and occasionally rotate the cannon to aim it), but deceptively challenging game play (as you blast your round beastie from cannon to cannon, the path you choose is key). And it's got a catchy title. Will "Land-a-Panda" be as big as "Angry Birds"? Who knows? But the potential for a hit is definitely there.

iTunes

Angry Birds (ClickGamer, $.99-$4.99)
Speaking of miffed avians, even if you've heard the occasional reference to "Angry Birds," you may not really be familiar with it. So here's a primer: Evil green pigs have stolen the eggs from some birds; the birds, as one might expect, get angry. They seek revenge by launching themselves at their enemies with a giant slingshot. Why they need the slingshot -- since they are birds, and should ostensibly be able to fly -- no one knows. But it proves to be a solid weapon for them, as the pigs are hiding away in very shoddily constructed fortresses made of sticks (perhaps they're related to the Second Little Pig?). Knock down the structures and flatten the pigs to win. It's ridiculously entertaining. And generally inoffensive in terms of kid-friendliness. The ball-shaped pigs get a bit bruised and battered along the way, but it never even reaches Looney Tunes-level violence.

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Credit: Ryan Anson, AFP/Getty Images

• Ease of play: The book is incredibly easy to navigate except for one screen, which has puzzle elements (users must touch the screen enough to reveal the majority of a hidden picture before they can turn the page). This can interrupt the flow of the story.
• Educational value: Words are highlighted a phrase at a time as the narrator tells the story -- a feature that users can toggle on or off as they choose.

• Violence: Jack kills the giant by chopping down the beanstalk. Bones also litter the outside of the giant's castle. Neither, however, is presented in a frightening manner.
• Sex: Not an issue.
• Language: Not an issue.
• Consumerism: A link on the main menu takes users to other works by the developer. Readers are also reminded of the company's other apps via an animated ad at the end of the story.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking: The giant has a beer stein on his table, but the contents are never discussed.

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Ryan Anson, AFP/Getty Images

• Ease of play: Mastering the controls will require understanding where to push so that the cows and aliens will move away from that spot, which can be tricky at first, but players will learn to use multiple fingers to corral the cows into the barn. The "how to play" screens aren't very helpful at all, but the game becomes more intuitive as you play. Also, after a game is over the cow on the screen will occasionally offer gameplay tips -- some of these would have been helpful in the "how to play" section.
• Educational value: Meant to entertain rather than educate.

• Violence: The player tries to keep the aliens from getting into the barn by pushing them away and off the cliff, which causes them to scream as they fall away. Cows can also be pushed off the cliff, and they moo as they fall.
• Sex: Not an issue.
• Consumerism: There is a button on the main menu for more games from the developer, with links to the App Store for purchasing.
• Drinking, drugs, and smoking: Not an issue.

• Personal privacy: Minor privacy concerns. Players can opt in to Apple's Game Center to track achievements, and for some games, challenge friends. With Game Center, players can send and receive friend requests using an email address or Game Center nickname. Requesting or accepting a friend via email will reveal the first and last name associated with each party's Apple ID and the sender's email address.

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Credit: Ryan Anson, AFP/Getty Images

• Violence: Not an issue.
• Sex: Not an issue.
• Language: Not an issue.
• Consumerism: Not an issue.
• Drinking, drugs, and smoking: Not an issue.

• Personal privacy: Some privacy concerns. Users can opt in to Open Feint, an interactive network, which allows users to upload real avatar photos, post on message boards, connect with Facebook friends or Twitter followers, and access live chat with strangers.
• Personal safety: Some safety concerns. If users opt in to Open Feint they can choose to share their personal information with strangers.

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"Oliva the Great" is available on iPad. Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP

• Ease of play: Gameplay consists of finding objects in a cluttered room and remembering which finger swipes result in which magic tricks. Finding the objects isn't hard, but as the number of spells increases, kids might have trouble remembering which swipes do which tricks.
• Educational value: Children can use the app to improve their memory skills and object identification abilities.

• Violence: Not an issue.
• Sex: Not an issue.
• Language: Not an issue.
• Consumerism: The app is educational, but ties in with the Olivia show, a successful children's program that airs on Nick Jr.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not an issue.

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Credit: Amazon

• Ease of play: Very simple to use: Choose a mode, tap on objects to learn the words, and swipe to turn the page. Autoplay mode will read through the entire book without any additional input.
• Educational value: With the Autoplay mode, the app reads the story and turns the pages. In the Read to Me mode, the app reads the story but pauses at each page to allow time for exploration. With the Read It Myself mode, the app simply displays the words. In both read-aloud versions, the words are highlighted as they are read. Also, tapping on objects found on each page results in the word being displayed and pronounced.

• Violence: There is a section of the book about tweetle beetles battling and hitting each other with paddles. Also, at the end the frustrated Mr. Knox shoves the fox into a bottle because he is tired of tongue twisters.
• Sex: Not an issue.
• Language: Not an issue.
• Consumerism: On the main menu there is a link to other picture book apps from the developer. Also, on the info screen, there are links to the developer's website and the Seussville website. Occasionally the app will pop up messages suggesting other book apps to purchase.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not an issue.

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Credit: Amazon

• Ease of play: One of the mini-games -- which requires kids to tilt the iPad back and forth in order to slide Rocket across the bottom of the screen and catch falling letters -- requires a bit more precision than many preschoolers have. But outside of that, the app is incredibly easy to use.
• Educational value: Kids can read along with the story -- words are highlighted as they are spoken by the narrator. The story itself is also educational, as it is about learning to read. The mini-games included are reading-based educational games, and there are multiple places within the story that allow kids to review letter sounds and word beginnings.

• Violence: Not an issue.
• Sex: Not an issue.
• Language: Not an issue.
• Consumerism: Not an issue.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not an issue.

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After they've come in from the snow, cuddle up with these movies, games and more. Credit: Vadim Ghirda, AP

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World Solitaire: Aurora is available on the iPad. Credit: Paul Sakuma, AP

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