Crazy helpful parenting apps to combat the mental load of motherhood
Hi Mamma! How are you today? I hope this week isn’t too stressful. I know there are so many days when everything feels totally overwhelming. You’re just looking for any way to keep track of your life. The good news is that with technology available at our fingertips, there are a ton of crazy helpful parenting apps that can make this whole mom gig a little easier. If you’re still tracking feeding and diapers I have a game changing recommendation for you. There are also some other parenting apps that take the guess work out of information storage, staying in touch with your family, and fertility and family planning. The sanity saving Fisher Price app to is great once your little starts trying to jump out of his or her seat at a restaurant. Adding a few of these to your phone is well worth the storage space.
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Here is my Mamma’s List of the most helpful parenting apps:
- Baby Tracker (Tracks feeding, diapers, sleep, weight and other milestones)
- Fertility Friend (Family Planning & Fertility)
- Tiny Beans
- LactMed
- Fisher Price Puppy
Baby Tracker
The Baby Tracker app was a total lifesaver during the first year. We tracked every nursing session, bottle, diaper, nap, and overnight sleep for an entire year. If I had tried to continue manual tracking after the first few days I would have gone insane. This app was super helpful to remind you what side you nursed on last, how many naps and feedings your little had that day, and when it was time for a nap. What I really love about this app is the chart and historical information options. It was great to go back and see on average how many times she nursed or had a bottle at certain stages, when she had sleeping trouble, and when we finally stopped using 12 diapers a day!
I know not everyone is so neurotic, but this app was particularly useful during those first few doctors’ appointments when we kept getting asked how many dirty and wet diapers she’d had, as well as how many nursing sessions. Since everything blurs together at the beginning, this was the only way we could accurately keep track of what was going on.
Fertility Friend
Fertility Friend was a great family planning app that we used to conceive our little lady. It can also be used when you AREN’T trying to get pregnant in those early months. The app shows peak ovulation times, is a great reminder of where you are in the cycle. It also allows you to track possible dates of conception. It’s a great tool to use when you’re trying to understand your cycle and ovulation timing. If you have a period in the first year it’s a good way to also track when you should avoid sex if you don’t want to become pregnant again.
Tiny Beans
Guys – Tiny Beans is AWESOME. I literally can’t say enough good things about this app. It has been such a life saver when trying to stay in touch with our entire family (and friends). They live all over the country and staying in touch isn’t always easy. It’s a photo and video sharing app that allows you to update as many photos and videos as you want. And they’re all categorized easily in a huge calendar. I’m pretty sure you can even create your own photo books directly from the app. I haven’t used that feature, so I don’t want to promise, but in general, it’s just awesome. It’s a great backup option to save photos or share them immediately and conveniently with friends and family. A huge bonus is that you aren’t blowing up Facebook or sharing pics of your littles with the world.
We like it so much I wrote an entire post on how awesome it is. If you want to learn more, you can check it out. I did end up upgrading to the paid version because I wanted to share videos longer than 30 seconds. We used the free one for a while and ended up getting 50% off for a year when we finally bought. I’d recommend using the free version a while and waiting for a coupon code to come through if you’re interested in the paid version – it happens a few times a year.
LactMed
As if getting through pregnancy without taking anything you shouldn’t wasn’t hard enough, there are many medications you also can’t take as a breastfeeding mamma as they will enter your milk. The good news is, many over the counter (and prescription) medications ARE safe while breastfeeding. LactMed is a good resource to help you understand what research has been done on something you’re thinking of taking. Of note, many medications will say “no significant research” as it’s difficult to actually test medication on pregnant or breastfeeding women. I still found it helpful and felt better about taking a few of the OTC medications I needed while breastfeeding.
This is a great one once your little gets a bit older and starts getting squirrely when you’re out at a restaurant. Although I recommend trying to limit screen time as much as possible before age two, sometimes you just need to keep your kid in check. When you’re out and just need a few minutes to get through dinner this app can be a lifesaver. It has four sections that teach ABCs, colors & shapes, numbers, and songs. Our daughter loves it so much, and she has Sis – the Fisher Price Puppy at home so she associates the app with her toy.
Adding a few simple parenting apps to your phone will allow you to save time and your sanity as a busy mom. There are many helpful apps available, but the ones we found to be most useful during the first year were Baby Tracker, Tiny Beans, LactMed, and then Fisher Price Puppy as she got older. Fertility Friend is a great way to help with family planning. Since we have technology at our fingertips – try to make it work as hard as possible and simplify your life!
Let me know if there were any other awesome parenting apps that are must-haves for the first year.
