In this day and age, it’s rare to find someone without a smartphone or tablet. With technology all around us, it would only make sense that apps have come out to help pregnancy and parenting run much smoother. However, there are tons of apps to scroll through before finding the one you want to download, which makes it harder to know which apps are actually helpful and which ones are not. Check out these apps that are ideal for those going through a pregnancy or already have infants, toddlers, and young children of their own.
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For Pregnancy: What to Expect’s Pregnancy & Baby
We have all heard of the well-known pregnancy book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, which is probably what your mother read when she was pregnant with you. Now, the trustworthy brand takes it digital with their own pregnancy and baby app. Guiding you through your pregnancy day-by-day and week-by-week (even hour-by-hour!), you’ll receive personalized content based on your due date. Plus, you’ll get the latest parenting news and health information as well as access to a close community of other parents and moms-to-be. Free, available on iOS and Android, whattoexpect.com
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For Pregnancy: Expectful Pregnancy
The Expectful Pregnancy app is your go-to app for all things meditation. Even before you are pregnant, the app offers guided meditation to increase fertility. Once you are pregnant, there are a variety of meditations for each trimester that can help you sleep, reduce stress, connect with your baby, your partner, yourself, and more. Plus, each audio is available in 10- and 20-minute formats for quick access wherever you are. Free, available for iOS, expectful.com
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For Pregnancy: BabyName
Everyone understands the concept of Tinder–swipe right if you like someone and if they swipe right too, it’s a match. Now take that and apply it to baby names! You and your partner can swipe left or right on a variety of baby names and if you both swipe right on a certain name, then it’s a match. Take the stress out of picking a baby name with the BabyName App, helping you come up with the perfect name for your child. Free, available on iOS and Android, babyname-app.com
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For Infants: BabyTime
With the BabyTime app, you get the opportunity to track all of the essentials of raising an infant from a single tracking screen. From nursing/breastfeeding and bottle feeding to a sleep tracker (it detects patterns and trends too!) or even how many diaper changes in a day, BabyTime App tracks it all so you can see how your child is doing. You can track as you go, or if you forget to track it at the time, you can easily add info later. Plus, the app is designed for one-hand operation, since your baby will obviously be in the other hand. Free, available on iOS and Android, babytimeapp.com
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For Infants: BabySparks
Track your child’s growth and development with the BabySparks app. Every day, you will receive eight to 10 age-appropriate activities to support the critical components of your child’s development. Each of the activities are designed to help your child reach those key developmental milestones while also having fun and bonding with you. As you use the program, the app automatically measures your child’s progress. Plus, you can get simple, clear snapshots of your child’s progress at any time. Free, available on iOS and Android, babysparks.com
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For Infants: Tinybeans
Keep track and remember your child’s life story with Tinybeans, the modern family album app. You can share photos with your family so they can watch your child grow (helpful if you have family near and far!) and keep all memories organized in one safe space. You can even print photo books, prints, and more from the app. Plus, you will receive reminder emails to post to make sure you don’t miss a single day once your child is born. Free, available on iOS and Android, tinybeans.com
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For Toddlers: Disney Junior
Bring your child’s favorite Disney Junior TV Shows and characters wherever you go with the Disney Junior app. They can watch full-length episodes of their favorite shows on demand, or they can play interactive games that feature their favorite characters. Your child will be entertained for hours. Free, available on iOS and Android, disneyjunior.ca
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For Toddlers: Endless Alphabet
With the Endless Alphabet app, there are endless opportunities for your child as they learn their ABCs and build their vocabulary with the Endless monsters. Your child will be able to learn over 70 words as they play interactive games with talking letters and a short animation illustrating the definition. Plus, the Endless Alphabet app was designed with your child in mind so there are no high scores, failures, limits, or stress–they will be able to use the app at their own pace. $6.99, available on iOS and Android, originatorkids.com
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For Toddlers: Peekaboo Barn
Have your child learn the names of animals and hear the sounds they make with the Peekaboo Barn app. They can open barn doors to find a new animal animation as your child learns about cause and effect and becomes more familiar with animal names and sounds. Plus, the app comes with 12 different language options as well as a Record Your Own Voice Record feature (iOS only), where you can record the animal names in your native language. $1.99, available on iOS and Android, nightanddaystudios.com
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For Young Kids: Artkive
Chronologically store, share, and print your child’s artwork or schoolwork with the Artkive app. You won’t have to feel guilty about throwing away artwork your kids bring home, and plus, you get rid of the clutter and actually get to enjoy your child’s work. Plus, you can turn your Artkive into a picture book or other products that the app allows you to choose from. Free, available on iOS and Android, artkiveapp.com
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For Young Kids: Trekaroo
Find kid-friendly venues, such as parks, playgrounds, museums, and more using the Trekaroo app. Plus, they even offer a list of restaurants and hotels that are child-friendly. Read opinions from parents just like you on how friendly the wait staff is at a specific restaurant or the availability and cleanliness of restrooms at a park, and even the proximity of public transport at all of these locations. Free, available on iOS, trekaroo.com
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For Young Kids: Crazy Gears
Introduce your young children to this problem-solving game that will have them thinking critically, problem-solving, and even exploring physics and other STEM topics. With no instructions, this allows your child to experiment as they figure out how to solve the problem on their own and enables gameplay to be fully accessible to all kids, no matter what language they speak. $2.99, available on iOS, edokiacademy.com
