One of my favorite things to help me get through some of the first-year parenting woes has to be some of the baby apps that you can download for your phone. I've tried a lot of them, but ultimately stuck to four that I still use on the daily!
1. Sprout Baby
This one is my favorite out of the four. I think it costs $1.99, but it's well worth it. There are daily factoids that are based off your child's age, and a monthly low-down one what to expect for that particular month. There is a section to make your own "digital memory book" of baby's firsts, which is perfect for me because I can always reference it when I finally find the time to drag out Baylee's baby book. There is a medical section with a M.D. visit planner, a growth tracker, an immunization record, and a medication tracker. I always make sure I load what immunizations Baylee has received, incase I ever lose her paper immunization record. It's also fun to look back at the growth tracker to see how much baby has grown. The app also has trackers for sleep, feedings, pumping, diaper changes, and activities. I don't really use those trackers anymore, but in the beginning they were very helpful, especially for pumping and feedings. I'm not sure what age the app goes to, but as far as I can tell based on the "memory" choices, it goes well through toddlerhood. There is also a way to add other children, which I think is pretty neat! If you only get one parenting app, this one has got to be it. I definitely has it all!
2. The Bump Baby
This one was fairly difficult to navigate in the beginning for me, but they have since changed their look and it it so much better! There are daily and weekly facts based on baby's age, and a checklist for things to do with your baby each month. There is also a section where you can take a weekly picture of your baby, which is totally adorable. I love to look at all the little thumbnails and see how Baylee changed week to week. (only 3 more pictures left! what?!) There is also a "guide" section where you can reference common parenting issues, and all the advice has been very helpful. This app stops at baby's first birthday, so it's kind of a bummer, but other than that it's been a very useful app.
3. Baby Center
If you're pregnant or have a LO ("little one" in message board lingo) you probably know all about the Baby Center message boards. They're notorious for being full of catty "know-it-all" moms who have a tendency to shoot each other down and be very judgmental. This being said, however, I have had a mostly great experience with the boards. I joined them when I was just 5 weeks pregnant and most of the ladies on there have been very helpful with my questions. It's kind of nice to be able to talk to someone who is due the same month and then has a baby the same age. There are some moms out there who are just plain rude, but if you ignore them, you can make the baby center boards a pleasant experience and useful tool. Along with the boards, this app has the most insightful and useful daily facts out there. It also stops at a year, which I am really sad about, but I will continue to keep the app to use for my birth club board. It's a good place to ask a simple question or to see who else is awake during a 2:30 am feeding. :)
4. The Wonder Weeks
So, it turns out that this amazing doctor, named Dr. Frans Plooij, did a bunch of research with child development regarding "leaps" and "transitions" and how that affects the child's behaviors and habits. He put all his studies into a book called "The Wonder Weeks", and now that book has been turned into a super informative app. There is a chart that tells you exactly when you're baby is in a "leap" and what is going on with their brains and bodies during that time. So far, every single leap has been spot on with Baylee. It really helps to understand why she is being so moody or not sleeping and eating well. It also gives you a light at the end of the tunnel showing you when to expect their sunny dispositions to return until the next leap rolls around. You have to pay for this one as well (I feel like it was expensive...maybe $2.99) but for someone like me who is very interested in my child's brain development it has been super worth it. It also gives you ideas for ways to help your child ease through each transition, and that has been extremely useful for me!
If you're a new mom (or dad!) go download these four apps...I promise you'll love them!
(P.S. These are my own opinions...I was not compensated in any way)
Until next time! XoXoXo
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