Apps can be so useful. They tell us the weather, help us plan our meals for the week, and keep us updated on the best viral videos — so it’s only natural that we use them for the most important roles we have: parenthood. As a new parent, connections and answers to questions are vital to thriving in those first few years.
These apps can connect you with other parents, answer your questions in the middle of the night, and help you feel more confident about your choices on the hard decisions that every parent has to make.
The Wonder Weeks
New parents may not know this yet, but generally, babies reach the same developmental milestones around the same time. The Wonder Weeks app helps to let parents know what to expect for each milestone (including mental leaps, which can lead to fussier-than-normal babies), and gives suggestions for how to manage those big life changes in your baby. Being able to understand your baby’s cues is an important part of reducing the tears and frustration that are sure to come.
Owlet
Watching a baby sleep is a hallmark trait of a new parent. It can be scary to not know when your baby is awake, whether she is sleeping comfortably, and how her sleep patterns are changing. The Owlet app works in conjunction with the company’s Smart Sock and camera to measure and monitor your baby’s sleep.
Sittercity
New parents have a hard time leaving their children at home with a sitter, understandably. Finding a person you trust can take a long time. The app, Sittercity, is hoping to make this task easier. With this app, you can upload babysitting jobs for free and start connecting with local vetted caregivers quickly.
Blueberry Pediatrics
With the Blueberry Pediatrics app, parents can learn how to perform at-home exams and a pediatrician will respond with recommendations, a treatment plan, and prescriptions as necessary — all online. Within minutes, a new parent can lessen their concern and get the care they need for their child from a professional without waiting in a long Urgent Care line.
WebMD Baby
Medical questions come up almost every week when you have a new baby. New parents have both simple and complex questions that a search on the internet cannot answer. Apps like WebMD Baby can be a great starting point for parents to track their baby’s development and keep notes for appointments with their pediatrician.
Sound Sleeper: White Noise
Any experienced parent would tell a new parent to try white noise. Babies are used to the soothing sounds they hear while in the womb, so white noise sounds are great for calming babies and putting them to sleep. The Sound Sleeper app makes naptime easier with soothing sounds that are categorized by age for your child and even yourself.
Squat or Not
Every day with a new baby is a combination of eating, sleeping, and diapering. If you are taking your baby out, finding places to do these three things can be surprisingly difficult. The Squat or Not app allows users to find clean, family-friendly bathrooms based on reviews by real users (aka other parents).
Child Health Tracker
The first year of a baby’s life is filled with doctor’s visits, immunizations, and testing. Keeping track of these details for each child can be hectic. The Child Health Tracker makes this task more simple for a busy new parent. You can have immunization and medical history for your child on-the-go by keeping it handy in your phone.
Tinybeans
Tinybeans is an app that gets parents, because it was created by parents. Users can share photos and videos, track milestones, and get parenting advice at the click of a button. For parents who love to organize and love to save memories, this app creates the perfect balance of the two.
Baby Feed Timer
Feeding a baby on a schedule can be intimidating if you aren’t sure what day of the week it is, what time you last fed them, and are sleep-deprived. The Baby Feed Timer keeps track of what time bottles were used, breastfeeding times, diaper changes, and sleep times. This takes one more important task off of the new parent easily.
Nara Baby Tracker
A tracker to help plan out your baby’s day is a nice add-on so that any new parent doesn’t lose count of wet and dry diapers, breastfeeding times, pumping times, and keeps track of growth for the baby. The Nara Baby Tracker app also has a neat feature of being able to send the log to another parent or caregiver to share updates, making sharing those critical pieces of information a no-brainer.
Peanut
Finding mom friends may be the top social concern for new parents and Peanut is striving to help solve this problem. The app allows users to connect with other parents through forums, live discussions, and chances to meet locally.
