Preparing for the arrival of a newborn is an exciting — yet stressful– time. To ease the worries that come with bringing home a baby, new parents must be armed with plenty of information and items that will ease their transition into parenthood. With help from medical professionals, we compiled this list of baby-to-be must-haves to help you get ready for your little one’s early years.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Infant Development
- Ovia Pregnancy Tracker
Ovia Pregnancy App screenshot from an iPhone of a the apps home page
Tracking your bump is exciting. But comparing your bump’s growth to everyday objects is even better – which is why Ovia is one of the most-loved apps out there for expecting parents. Maybe you’d rather track your baby’s growth next to a variety of vegetables? A small animal? Parisian pastries, perhaps?
Whatever appeals most, you’ll love having something to look forward to each week.
Available for iOS and Android.
- BabyCentre
For all the pregnant mummas out there, BabyCentre is the go-to app for all the essential tips, tools, checklists, and other features to help you and your partner along the way. Most importantly, all health information is approved by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board (so you can rest easy knowing you’re in good hands).
“When I was pregnant, I really enjoyed the helpful community and forum feature inside the app where you can connect and chat with other mums-to-be.” – Quinnie, Momatu team.
Available for iOS and Android.
- Pregnancy +
Pregnancy + is everything you’d expect from the name: all things pregnancy-related, plus more. Another go-to app for expecting mums, Pregnancy + rightfully claims the title as one of the top pregnancy apps in the world (and for a good reason). Keep track of everything from weight changes to doctors appointments and get valuable info about changes week-by-week all in the palm of your hand.
“It was a while ago now, but my wife loved the Pregnancy + app, and I also enjoyed how they would send me updates every week about the progress on the baby based on the due date.” – Pece, Momatu team.
Available for iOS and Android.
Best baby apps to use after the arrival of your little one
- Feed Safe
If you enjoy a glass of wine when you’re feeding, you might want to shuffle around your home screen to move this app to the first page. This clever creation from the Australian Breastfeeding Association – developed in consultation with researchers from Curtin University, Western Australia – helps you calculate the time until there is no alcohol in your breastmilk. Simply enter when you had your first drink, and the app will let you know when you’re good-to-go and ready for a feed.
Available for iOS and Android.
- Baby Sparks
Did you know that during the first years of life, a child’s brain creates more than one million new neural connections every second? And for that very reason, BabySparks was designed to share expert-created, customised daily play programs.
With a whopping number of development activities and milestones that you can track, you’ll also find helpful videos that cover more challenging topics like safely teaching your baby how to roll over.
Available for iOS and Android.
- The WonderWeeks
The Wonder Weeks homepager screenshot for iPhone
The Wonder Weeks homepager screenshot for iPhone
There’s not much this app leaves out, and it’s no surprise that (almost) all of the Momatu parents listed this a ‘must-download’ app. When the tough times and sleepless nights come into play (thanks to the periods of change or increased fussiness), The Wonder Weeks app allows you to understand better your baby’s mental development; tracked against leaps and bounds.
Featuring the complete Audiobook of the Wonder Weeks, a calendar-sync option to keep tabs on everything and a comprehensive diary to follow for you to take notes, you won’t regret adding this app to your device.
“When the baby is going through growth spurts or mood changes, I use The Wonder Weeks to keep track of it all and why he behaves differently.” – Devinda, Momatu team.
Available for iOS and Android.
- Huckleberry
Huckleberry App homepage screenshot
There’s no way we were excluding Huckleberry from this list. Not only is the design a treat for the eyes, but Huckleberry also helps new parents find their groove when it comes to building up good sleep habits.
Available for iOS and Android.
- Mind the Bump
Mind the bump screenshot of app
Smiling Mind and beyondblue have teamed up to create a mindfulness Meditation tool for both expecting parents and new parents. Written by psychologists and psychiatrists, this app helps to manage stress, assist with building connections or manage change.
Your mind will thank you for it.
Available for iOS and Android.
- Baby Tracker
There are other baby tracking apps. But Baby Tracker is in a league of its own. With just a few one-handed taps, you can keep track of feedings, sleep schedule, nappy changes, growth records, essential medical information and more. Above all, it’s almost like a central homepage for your baby, but better.
Other features worth shouting about include the use of Siri for voice prompts and the option to switch on ‘dark mode’ to give your eyes a rest.
“I love how the data from Baby Tracker shows a trend of my baby’s wake time and nap time so that I can plan visitors and outings. Genius!” – Quinnie, Momatu team.
Available for iOS and Android.
- Growth: Baby and Child Charts
Growth app store screenshot with a growth and percentile chart for new parents
Forget about leaving a pencil mark on the inside of the laundry door. With Growth: Baby & Child Charts, you can accurately track your child’s growth, calculate exact percentiles and ensure they’re growing at the right place. While Growth: Baby & Child Charts might not be the most attractive app in the mix, it earns bonus points for it’s user-friendly design and functionality.
Covering everything from the Fenton gestational age charts for pre-term babies through to BMI and weight tracking for adults, this simple yet powerful app is a must-download.
Best apps for babies under 6 months
You might have noticed it too, but kids these days tend to develop and mature a lot faster. And while it’s not recommended letting small children spend long periods of time interacting with smart devices like tablets and smartphones, exposure to such gadgetry might help them develop their budding learning skills quicker.
A small child’s brain is like a sponge for information, so giving your toddler access to an educational app for a few minutes a day should not interfere with his/her natural growth cycle. So we have complied a list of child-friendly application for kids ages 1 or younger which have been specifically designed to help parents assist their little bundles of joy acquire lots and lots of useful information.
Even Monsters Get Sick
01-even-monsters-get-sickHere’s an app which was designed with an ingenious idea in mind. It’s always hard to get kids to take their (yucky tasting) medicine, so the folks behind the app thought children might relate to the characters in this storybook who like children get sick and need medicine to fight off the sickness.
The Even Monsters Get Sick e-book features full-color illustration, interactive animations and a custom soundtrack. The story can be read out or children can read by themselves, but parents of smaller children will probably go for the former variant.
Baby Zoo Piano
02-baby-zoo-pianoParents who would like to see their child develop an interest in music, could try loading up the Baby Zoo Piano app on a tablet or a smartphone with a larger screen. The app gets kids acquainted with piano music accompanied by sounds of various domestic animals. Baby Zoo Piano is a bright and colorful game with an intuitive interface that’s easily accessible by any child beyond the newborn period.
Baby Zoo Piano will introduce your toddler to the realm of music by presenting him or her with three claviers with eight colorful keys each. All children have to do is press the keys to hear the sound, so it’s quite simple to get started. The app is free for download form the Google Play Store.
Fisher-Price Shapes & Colors Music Show
03-fisher-price-shapes-colors-music-showFisher-Price is a household name when it comes to children entertainment, so of course they are offering a few baby apps. Like the Shapes & Colors Music Show which is completely free for download from the Play Store.
The first things a child learns when it comes into the world is how to identify shapes and colors. The app teaches the little one all about shapes and colors though interactions with animations, sounds and sing along song.
Fisher-Price offers a large selection of baby apps, but some are paid. Check the whole collection here, if you are curious.
Baby Sleep Instant
04-baby-sleep-instantThis is not an education app, but one that will prove very useful for parents of really small children. Unable to get your baby to go sleep? This app will help the child fall asleep instantly by playing a classic monotonous sound (lullaby) proven to be effective in these situations.
According to the creators of the app, sounds made by a shower, fan, music box or hairdryer are more effective than tones, music or sing. To get started, put the phone in vicinity of the baby’s crib, choose one of the available sounds and set the timer. Goodnight, baby!
Nursery Rhymes
05-nursery-rhymesOk, so maybe the Baby Sleep Instant app did nothing for your infant. Then it’s time to go back to good old nursery rhymes. The Nursery Rhymes app delivers a collection of classic nursery rhymes including Old MacDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Itsy Bitsy Spider (in video format). The fun videos will teach children the basics of ABC phonics, first words, numbers, fruits, animals and much, much more.
However, keep in mind that only 24+ nursery rhymes and toddler games are free. If you want to unlock more features and games, you will need to purchase a subscription to the app.
Baby Phone
06-baby-phoneAnother way you can teach your child nursery rhymes and lullabies is the Baby Phone app. The application will turn the parent’s Android smartphone into a kiddie-friendly handset to teach the child about numbers, animal sounds, songs and lots more.
The game aims to develop important skills through musical stimulation such as development of memory, motor skills and linguistic capabilities.
If you like Baby Phone you can go ahead and explore all the apps offered by App Quiz. Most of them are free, however you might want to be careful because some titles support in-app purchases.
Baby Night Light
07-baby-night-lightDon’t let your child develop a fear of the dark with the Baby Night Light app which accompanies your kid’s descent into slumber. The app lets you choose between 14 different nightlights complete with a cute, animal companion of your choice.
Baby Night Light turns your smartphone into a night lamp that makes your child feel safe. Parents can adjust lighting effects, rotary motions and light intensity to give create the perfect sleeping environment.
Conclusion
At this age (1 year old and under) your child is forming the neuronal pathways that will help him or her perceive and understand the world. And technology could be used as a great tool to nurture the child’s learning processes. But remember: young minds shouldn’t be exposed excessively to tablets and phones, so giving your toddler access to a game or visual storybook for a few minutes a day should be enough. As you can see, the apps in our list are quite simple and don’t necessitate prolonged exposure anyway.
Conclusion
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