So as a new mom (or really a mom at any stage), I am constantly looking for ways to learn things about my baby, while making things easier on me, and still allowing people to be a part of my baby's life even when they live far away.
With the technology we have around today, things like that are more possible and more available to us. So I wanted to take this blog post to introduce you to some of my favorite apps that I've used as a new mom.
APP #1: OVIA PARENTING
So as the name of the app hints, it's a parenting tracker, which means it does a multitude of different things. It's like the Mary Poppins of apps, the good stuff just keeps coming! I actually found this app while using another one. A friend of mine who was pregnant was using Ovia's Pregnancy app (which I also love and HIGHLY recommend, I'll link it here, if I can), and I loved the different stuff it showed so I also started using it when I got pregnant.
Well, as I got close to the end of my pregnancy, the Ovia Pregnancy app started pointing me in the direction of their parenting app. Once I downloaded it (and after Rose was born, because you can't navigate through it unless your baby is already here...which was hard for me because I LOVE to be prepared), I started looking at everything it had to offer me as a new mom. Turns out it was A LOT!
So down below, I've included a collage of different sections of the app. I tried different breastfeeding timers in the beginning, but this one is my favorite because you can put it in manually or you can set a timer while you're nursing. And other apps could do that (and did), but this app just has everything in one.
As you can see, you can track nursing, bottle feedings (which is helpful for us now), diapers (whether poopy or wet), how much sleep they're getting, and different milestones (which you can see they have a separate section for that goes from newborn all the way to 5 years, so far).
There's a community of moms all over the world who use the app that you can get advice from, simple answers from, or if you are just needing to vent. There's a section to go over baby's health where you can put in different things you've found out about your baby: allergies, health concerns, or if there aren't any. It's also where you can update your health and keep yourself healthy mentally, emotionally, and physically.
And this is my favorite part: the articles section. So this section gives you little paragraphs daily about things to think about that correspond to how old your baby is. I've been able to find different ways to handle teething, it lets me know if my baby has trouble sleeping what might be the cause or ways to help her, it gives me different ideas for activities and ways to play with her. But it also helps give me daily encouragement that I'm on the right track and doing things right. It helps to have that encouragement that even though I'm exhausted and feeling defeated, it's okay to feel that way. And when we're all going through a rough patch, they let you know it's not gonna last. Obviously you already know that, but sometimes you can forget it in the mayhem of life.
APP #2 FAMILY ALBUM
This is another one of my favorite apps. Just like the title suggests, it allows you to share photos and videos with pretty much anyone. You can share as many as you want and with the free version (the premium is $4.99 a month and if one person in your "family" -- or anyone that you've invited -- gets the premium, then everyone on the app gets it too!), you get to upload videos up to 3 min long -- or up to 10 min long with the premium!
This app also allows people to comment on the pictures and videos that you post or you can write a little something like a caption to go with your pics and videos. You can invite as many people as you want to share the app with and it works on both the computer and the phone!
Here are some screenshots of the different areas of the app.
So as you can see on the far left, you can add comments to your pictures (I love this one of our little miss...this was actually my doing, surprisingly enough). And here comes my favorite parts about this app: it creates photo books for you (that you can edit) EVERY MONTH! Anyone in the app, so family members is what they're considered, can purchase the photo books too and make them however they want! And with the free version, you get little 1 sec movies every 3 months (or 1 sec movies every month with the premium) that highlight some of your favorite moments! It works for multiple children, there's even a place to add kids and under the 'Pages' on the far right, it automatically sorts those pictures for you!
This app has been so great for our families because we don't live close to them. My family is about a 2.5 hour car ride away and the hubby's family is on the other side of the country with about an 8 hour plane ride separating us. But because of this app, my hubby's family feels so close to her and like they actually get to watch her grow up because they've been able to be a part of those big moments even though they are so far away.
Of course seeing a video doesn't replace being there in person, but it helps them all keep a connection to her (and any/all future kids) no matter how far away we are from them. I love these apps so much and they have been such a blessing for my family and our loved ones. I hope you give them a try or recommend them to those you know who are having kids, or already have them.
Thank you for reading!