5 Apps That Can Make A New Mom’s Life A Bit Easier
Tanni Haas, Ph.D.
Mother’s Day is on May 10, the perfect opportunity to focus on yourself and other expectant moms. There are a lot of apps out there that can make life a little bit easier. Here are the top apps for new moms, and they’re all free, so download an app – or three!
Ink Cards
Available at: Apple Appstore; Google Play
If there’s one thing you can always use more of as a new parent it’s time. How about downloading an app that lets you transform what you’re doing anyway (like taking lots of pictures of your baby) into something you know you really should be doing (like sending greeting cards to family and friends)? Ink Cards lets you do that. The app makes it easy to turn the best pictures of your baby into high-quality print greeting cards, whether you need to send out thank-you notes, holiday greetings, or cards for any other occasion.
Smiling Mind
Available at: Apple Appstore; Google Play
As a new parent, one of the things you’ll crave the most is a few quiet moments to just relax, and Smiling Mind offers just that. This app has hundreds of guided meditations that help you tune everything out and focus on your breathing while visualizing calming images. The cool thing about this app is that it also has meditations for kids age 7 and up, as well as mediations that parents can do together with their kids. As your kid grows up, you can do the mediations together.
Universal Baby Monitor
Available at: Apple Appstore; Google Play
Peace of mind depends not only on your baby getting a good night sleep, but also on whether everything is ok when you’re not there, in the bedroom, with the baby. Universal Baby Monitor is an app that lets to check on your baby while it’s sleeping, and it detects if your baby moves or wakes up and immediately alerts you.
WebMD Baby
Available at: Apple Appstore; Google Play
No app in the world can substitute for a real-life visit to your baby’s pediatrician. But in between visits, you may want to consult WebMD Baby. The app has lots of physician-reviewed information for new parents. You can look up medical conditions and treatments, get information on vaccines, and find contact information for local hospitals, physicians, and pharmacies.
Winnie
Available at: Apple Appstore; Google Play
Sometimes, what you crave more than anything else is just to connect with other new parents and get their advice on what to do in certain situations. When you get that urge, download Winnie. Known as the Yelp for parents, this app lets you interact with a large network of other parents to ask questions. The app also has a large directory of baby-friendly restaurants, parks, and shopping centers.
Bio:
Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders at the City University of New York – Brooklyn College.