Those early newborn days and nights can be tough. You are operating on less sleep than ever before, and you’re supposed to remember all kinds of daily details. How long has been since a nappy change? When is the next doctor appointment? Have you taken a photo or tracked a milestone? Which boob was used last?
Luckily, the moms of today have a technological helping hand available. There are apps to streamline all kinds of tasks, as well as those that simply and make life a bit easier during the challenging first year of life. Let’s look at types of apps that you should absolutely try in the first year of your baby’s life.
1) Baby monitor apps:
It can be hard to tear yourself away from your baby, but with a good baby monitor you can get a few things done while baby sleeps. Those old-fashioned walkie-talkie style baby monitors are a distant memory. Nowadays all you need is a spare phone, your current phone and a baby-monitoring app. Look for apps that prioritise security as well as offering two-way communication.
For Android devices, Dormi is a highly rated app that requires no extra equipment. Dormi supports multiple devices, so both mom and dad can monitor baby from different rooms. Dormi is smart enough to automatically adjust sound levels. The free version only allows 4 hours monitoring time, but it’s enough to try it out and see whether you want the full app. Baby Monitor 3G by TappyTaps, is another popular baby monitor that offers peace of mind with nifty features like a nightlight and works with Android, iOS and Mac devices. A mere R41.99 buys you the app.
2) Feed tracker Apps:
It can be tough to remember when the last feeding was, which side you breastfed from and keeping time until the next feed when you are more exhausted than you ever imagined possible. In the event of illness, it is ultra-useful to have this information readily available.
Cue tracker apps to help the memory impaired mom and dad. Feed Baby – Tracker and monitor by Penguin Apps is a very popular free app that allows you to track every aspect of baby feedings whether on iPhone or Android. Its comprehensive features include detailed feed trackers, nappy changes, sleep and growth tracking. Baby Daybook is another comprehensive tracker that makes it easy to keep track of feedings. Baby Daybook is filled with thoughtful details too, for example the ability to backup and sync with Dropbox, allowing you to share detailed information with caregivers.
3) Apps for helping baby sleep:
For those parents who have been blessed with a little night owl, anything that might help baby sleep is worth a try. Some parents swear by baby sleep apps. Most use white noise to lull baby to sleep.
One sleep app that comes highly recommended is the Baby Sleep Instant by the Urbandroid team. Available for free, this app uses monotonous low frequency sounds, like washing machines and heartbeats, to soothe fussy babies. Another great app for helping induce sleep is the White Noise Baby app by TMSOFT. Not only does it have a range of white noise sounds for putting baby to sleep, there is also a brilliant rattle designed to soothe baby when you are out.
4) Digital baby books:
Sure, it would be lovely to have a meticulously organised baby book with all the important milestones marked off, but who has the time for that? Keeping track of everything is easy with a digital baby book.
The Peekaboo moments-baby journal is a user-friendly digital scrapbook. Storing your precious moments in a beautiful in this secure app is a great way to keep track of the important milestones. LifeCake is another milestone tracker that is intuitive to use and easy to share photo’s with family and friends. They call themselves ‘time travel for parents’ and reviewers say that it makes looking through memories more enjoyable too.
5) Baby health Apps:
Keeping track of your baby’s healthcare needs can be challenging. There are a number of apps you can use to track all the important health information.
One of the best local all in one apps is the Mediclinic Baby app. Available for both iPhone and Android, free. Not only does it track milestones, it offers handy vaccination reminders and information for every stage of your baby’s life. For those who are part of the Mediclinic baby programme, you can register and gain pre-admission through the app. Another app that offers information and reminders is the WebMD Baby app, which offers more detail than the Mediclinic app. It is also free and is an impressive resource for a new parent.
With some of these apps in your parenting arsenal, you will have more time and energy to devote to the important things, like cuddles with your baby.
To download the apps in this article:
- Dormi http://dormi.sleekbit.com/
- Baby Monitor 3G http://www.babymonitor3g.com/
- Feed Baby – Tracker and Monitor https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.com.penguinapps.android.babyfeeding.client.android&hl=en
- Baby Daybook http://www.drillyapps.com/
- Baby Sleep Instant https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid.babysleep&hl=en
- White Noise Baby https://www.tmsoft.com/white-noise-baby/
- Peekaboo moments http://peekaboomoments.com/
- LifeCake https://www.lifecake.com/
- MediClinic Baby https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.canvasm.mediclinic&hl=en
- WebMD Baby https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.webmd.baby&hl=en
