Parenting Perfected

Becoming a parent is one of the most rewarding yet demanding experiences a person will ever have.  Thankfully, there are many apps to make life a bit easier. Here’s a list of the top apps for new parents, and not-so-new parents may find them helpful, too. They’re all free, so download away!

1. Universal Baby Monitor

(Available at Apple Appstore; Google Play)

Peace of mind depends not only on your baby getting a good night sleep, but also on whether everything is OK when you’re not there, in the bedroom, with the baby. Universal Baby Monitor is an app that lets you check on your baby while she’s sleeping, and it detects if your baby moves or wakes up and immediately alerts you.

2. Baby Travel 

(Available at Apple App Store)

Going on a trip with your baby for the first time can be an unnerving experience. What should you bring? Do you need different things if you’re driving or flying? What about medications? Before you do anything else, take a deep breath and then download Baby Travel. This app has lots of helpful tips on what to pack no matter where you’re going, and it even lets you tell family and friends your departure and arrival times.

3. Cozi Family Organizer

(Available at Amazon Appstore, Apple App Store, Google Play)

One of the keys to a happy relationship with your partner after the baby has arrived is clear communication about who’s supposed to do what and when. Step 1: Get Cozi Family Organizer. This app has a shared calendar where you and your partner can see each other’s calendars, and a shared shopping list where you can see when things to buy are added or crossed off the list in real time. You can also use the app to send automatic reminders to each other, make to-do lists, and organize receipts in a common place.

4. Pabobo 

(Available at Apple App Store)

You’ll quickly discover that a good night’s sleep very much depends on whether your baby gets the same. An app that can help you and your baby sleep soundly is Pabobo. It has six gentle nightlights in different colors that, together with accompanying lullabies, can help your baby fall asleep and stay asleep. It also has a timer that lets you decide how long the lights should be on, and an alarm that goes off if your baby starts to cry.

5. SitOrSquat 

(Available at Apple App Store, Google Play)

When you’re out and about with your baby, it’s so frustrating when you can’t find a clean public restroom with a changing table. SitOrSquat is a location-based app that lets you to find just that wherever you are. The app has a user-generated list of more than 100,000 public restrooms throughout the United States, and it tells you how long it’ll take you to get to the nearest one. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to post pictures and rate the restrooms as either “Sit” (good) or “Squat” (bad).

6. Smiling Mind

(Available at Apple App Store, Google Play)

As a new parent, one of the things you’ll crave the most is a few quiet moments to just relax, and this app offers just that. Smiling Mind has hundreds of guided meditations that help you tune everything out and focus on your breathing while visualizing calming images. The cool thing about this app is that it also has meditations for kids age 7 and up, as well as meditations that parents can do together with their kids as they grow up.

7. Wahoo 7 Minute Workout 

(Available at Apple App Store, Google Play)

Let’s be honest: No matter how incredibly enjoyable it is, being a new parent is physically exhausting. Finding the time to exercise can be difficult, but we all have seven minutes a day to spare.
Wahoo 7 Minute Workout is one of the most popular short-interval fitness apps available. The routine is divided into 12 high-intensity exercises that last for 30 seconds, with 10 seconds of rest intervals. The exercises train your chest, abs, arms and legs through body-weight training, push-ups, sit-ups and squats. You don’t need any equipment so you can do the exercises wherever and whenever.

8. WebMD Baby

(Available at Apple App Store, Google Play)

No app can substitute for a real-life visit to your baby’s pediatrician. But in between visits, you may want to consult WebMD Baby. The app has lots of physician-reviewed information for new parents. You can look up medical conditions and treatments, get information on vaccines, and find contact information for local hospitals, physicians and pharmacies.

9. Winnie

(Available at Apple App Store, Google Play)

Sometimes, what you crave more than anything else is just to connect with other new parents and get their advice on what to do in certain situations. When you get that urge, download Winnie. Known as the Yelp for parents, this app lets you interact with a large network of other parents to ask questions. The app also has a large directory of baby-friendly restaurants, parks and shopping centers.

• CDC’s Milestone Tracker 

(Available at Apple App Store, Google Play)

It’s great to stay organized with all the things you need to do for your baby, but how do you know that your baby is developing as it should? Milestone Tracker is a development-tracking app that has been developed by the highly respected Centers for Disease Control. The app has a comprehensive checklist that lets you see if your baby is reaching various milestones, advice on what you can do to stimulate your baby’s development, and suggestions about where to go if you’re concerned about how your baby is doing.