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The best apps for new parents!

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Give or take — and rising every day — there are about 2.2 million Android apps and 2M+ Apple store apps. Remember the initial marketing of the Apple Store? “There’s an app for that?” Well, by this point we have apps for virtually every major moment in life — from training for a marathon to seeing how productive your meetings are to planning your wedding. We have apps for new parents too, right? Of course. Here are some good ones to consider.

Baby Connect
This is an easy way to track data about your newborn. Don’t get freaked out by the word “data” though. We’re not talking about stuff other people will track. We’re talking about all-in-one information on height, weight, growth, sleep, mood, activities, medicine, photos, etc. You can also have several authorized users for each child, including teachers, daycare staff, nannies, doctors, etc. Because the app is backed up in the cloud, all the data people access is real-time. It’s a good way to connect the different vital parts of your child’s first few years. (This app does cost money; it’s about $4.99 per month.)

The Bump
This serves two purposes: if you download it while you’re pregnant, it’s a daily pregnancy tracker — and then, once you give birth, it’s a great real-time parenting guide in terms of milestones. The app has a lot of expert advice and community features. Being a new mom, even if it’s not your first time, is often scary. (What if your second kid has habits that your first one didn’t?) The community helps a lot with that. (This app is free.)

Cozi Family Organizer
This is a bit less about being pregnant or having a newborn, and a little bit more about what happens to your overall family once you have kids. In short: it gets a little bit crazy, and more and more schedules need to be juggled, especially as your kids get older. That’s what Cozi Family Organizer does. Bonus: it just got an Apple Watch sync going on, so if you use that watch (or plan to), you can see everything in real-time on your wrist. (Free.)

Eat Sleep
Probably the biggest sources of drama or confusion for first-time parents are eating/sleeping schedules. This is one of the simplest apps for keeping track of your baby’s all-important eating and sleeping habits. You can do it in some of these other apps mentioned, but because the singular focus of this one tends to be around eating and sleeping, it’s sometimes good to quickly open and have a discussion with your partner. (Free.)

White Noise Baby
Speaking of sleeping … this helps get your newborn to sleep. Noises include car ride, vacuum cleaner, and types of animals. You can also set it in Baby Mode so that naptime won’t be interrupted. ($1)

Baby MedBasics
Here’s a true story from one of my friends: when he was a newborn, his dad went to a college reunion and his mom was home alone with him for the first time. What did my newborn friend (now in his 30s) do? He ate something under the sink. His mom went nuts. She had no idea what to do! Well, that was 1981 or so. In 2016, she could download Baby MedBasics, which has tons of information on poison facts, baby sleeping postures, and what to do in hundreds of situations. ($4-$10.)

What other must-have apps have you tried, either while pregnant or after having your child?

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