I confess, I am a smart phone addict after initially being very resistant to them. I have found it brilliant with a baby and now toddler! So I thought I would share a few of my favourite apps here. Obviously there are a million out there and a few options for each type…but this might give you a few ideas and you can have a look for ones that best suit you!
BABY SUPPORT:
So you have your precious bundle finally….now what?!? My husband and I have really fond memories of recording every feed and nappy change on a scrappy piece of paper until we worked out we could manage it on the phone!
I used one called Baby Connect (www.baby-connect.com) after trying a few different options at the time. The only thing it didn’t seem to do was actually change, feed and pop bubs down to sleep….so I felt it was well worth the $4.99 it cost. A great feature is you can log in anywhere, so in our case Dad could keep an eye on what baby was up to during the day while at work. It works great if your kids are in childcare too.
We also found it very handy that you could enter other useful information such as temperatures, heights, weights, lengths, and vaccinations. It even charted the stats on a graph for you.
I notice there is a new one called Baby Nursing/Breast Feeding Tracker which is free. It lets you time feeds, record which side, record nappy changes etc.
FEEDING:
There are lots of apps out under this topic and hence you can probably trial a few free ones, but the “Annabel’s Essential Guide To Feeding Your Baby & Toddler” by Annabel Karmel for $6.99 is the one I am excited about! Well categorised by age and from everyday ingredients, her recipes have been famous for years now.
MEDICAL:
Ok you should always seek medical advice from trained professionals when your kids aren’t well. With the 24h Healthdirect line (1800 022 222), give them a call if you’re worried. However, what about that emergency situation? Obviously you call 000 but having an app that talks you through CPR in clear diagrams can be a life saver!
First Aid by the St John Ambulance Australia Incorporated is $4.99 and covers a huge range of serious first aid issues (from allergic reaction, asthma attack through to choking). First Aid White Cross by Bruno Mandolesi is free and covers infants through to adults.
ENTERTAINMENT:
Whose entertainment – the parents or baby??? Realistically both have needs in this area.
For parents:
Social media apps such as Facebook and Twitter are free and invaluable when you’re not out and about as much as normal. They can also be a great way to learn more about everything from cloth nappies J through to the latest TV series to watch!
For the active toddler, what better than the Playground Finder, free from Teacher Learning Network. This nifty app allows you to search for playgrounds in your local area and read or contribute reviews about them. The more people that use the app the more information it has to share.
Now I won’t recommend specifics here (there are many options and it is quite area specific), but some ideas of other helpful apps for parents include menu apps (allows you to find certain cuisines in your area, peruse the menu and order), and grocery shopping online which usually include a delivery service. Most major supermarkets have an app and/or website service these days and there are some great “from the farm/grower” initiatives.
For Kids:
When they were little, Amelia’s girls went crazy for iwritewords (lite version for $2.99) which sings the alphabet, teaches letters and numbers; writing them, reading them and counting them. Doodle Buddy, free, allows kids to draw, stamp and stencil to their heart’s content. Phone for Kids allows the little one to “play” with a phone keypad that is linked to 6 educational games.
I also love apps that allow kids to practice other languages. E Flash are talking flash cards that come in a variety of languages. Lingu Pingu is very cool too, a little penguin that speaks both English and German. There are many different language apps too so perhaps have a look in the app store for those in the language you want your bubs to learn.
Hope this has given you a few ideas and we would love to hear what apps/websites you recommend!
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