Review of BabyConnect App
by Tony W.
Our doula told my wife and me about an app called BabyConnect. It’s available on iTunes for about $5 and is well worth the money. Instead of navigating a clunky paper sheet to log all the feedings and diaper changes, BabyConnect allows you to collect a host of information – including feeding times, food type, nursing, diaper changes, and much more – on your phone at the touch of a button. The app uses graphs and charts to break down the information into days and weeks, providing an easy-to-comprehend format that gives you great insight into your baby’s feedings and bathroom habits.
To top it all off, the account allows multiple users and also allows users to log on through the web, making it easy for parents who care for heir babies at different time of the day to log all feedings and diaper changes and have them immediately accessible to either parent. I love this app.
Baby Tracker Apps Favorite Features
By Carilyn C.
With each of my babies, I tried not to get too overwhelmed with a feeding schedule and focused more on watching for signs of hunger. However, I found that using a baby tracking app to keep a log of feedings and diapers on my phone gave me peace of mind. When you are a busy, exhausted new mom even remembering something simple, like what time the last feeding began, can be a challenge. Especially early on when you are feeding your baby 12+ times per day. I loved knowing exactly how long it had been between feedings with just a quick glace at my phone. With my first 2 babies, I used an app called Mom Brain. A couple years later when I had my twins, it was no longer available so after some quick research I chose an app called Total Baby. Unfortunately, Total Baby is also no longer available, but as I was thinking about it, I realized that I chose both of these apps for the same reasons.
While many baby tracker apps are loaded with features (tracking baths, doctor visits, medicine, milestones, photos, etc.), what was most important to me during the newborn phase was being able to quickly and easily log feedings and diapers. After the first month or so, when I knew my baby was growing and thriving, I stopped logging diapers. I continued to track feedings for a few months. For feedings, I made sure the app I was using automatically calculated the time it had been since the last feeding. I didn’t want to have to do the math in my head all day long especially when I was feeding newborn twins who didn’t like to be fed at the same time. Also as a twin mom, it was of course important that I could track more than one baby and easily got back and forth.
Once we were ready for sleep training, around 3 months, I found the tracking apps very helpful for timing naps and nighttime sleep. After tracking sleep for just a couple of days, I could look at the summary charts and easily identify patterns that I used to establish a sleep schedule.
Lastly, while I wouldn’t say it is a vital feature, I did find it convenient that the apps I used both let me track baby’s height & weight. Since I always had my phone on me at doctor appointments, it was easy to keep updated stats stored right in the app.
Looking at what is currently available in the app store, there are a number of options, all between $0-5, that offer the features I found most helpful. Baby Tracker, Sprout Baby, and Baby Connect, just to name a few.