Appy Baby

Appy Baby is a comprehensive app for expecting mothers. It covers everything from weekly developmental information to baby names to birth announcements. There is a great deal to this app and I think the easiest way to introduce it is to cover it one section at a time.

Weekly Info - The weekly info section is a summary of what’s going on with you and your baby during that week of your pregnancy. You may easily jump ahead a week or back if you want to revisit something.

Daily Info - This is a quick blurb about what you might be experiencing during that day of your pregnancy.

Photos - Here you can add in a personal photo to document the current week in your pregnancy. You can add a photo every week and capture your tummy as it grows.

Kick Counter - The kick counter can be used to monitor and track how often your baby is kicking in the womb. Tracking is as simple as tapping a button every time you feel a kick. The app then records the number of kicks and the time each one occurred.

Contactions - The contraction counter works similarly to the kick counter. Tap a start button when you first feel the contraction and then tap the stop button when it has passed. The app records the start time, duration and intervals of the contractions.

Baby Names - Appy Baby includes a list of baby names. They may be sorted by gender, alphabetical order or popularity ranking. Names can easily be added to a favorites list and stored for later. There is no information about name meanings.

Appointments - The appointments section displays a monthly calendar that shows the number of weeks and days pregnant you are. Here you can easily add in OB/GYN appointments. They will show up as a small icon on the calendar and you’ll be able to view the details at the bottom of the screen.

Community - You may register for the Appy Baby community and then connect to forums hosted at appybaby.com. Forums deal with common pregnancy questions and allow parents to connect with each other. Unfortunately the app crashed on me several times when I was on the community screen.

These are the eight sections that can be accessed from Appy Baby’s main screen. There are additional sections that can be found on an “Extras” screen. On this screen you can select a theme for the app’s background, enter in your baby’s name and due date. In addition to what I mentioned above you will be able to see the additional sections. Here’s what you need to know about each of those.

Pregnancy Events - This gives you a list of major events you can expect during your pregnancy along with the date you could experience them. Events include the date the fetal heart beat can be heard, when trimesters begin, when you should have a glucose test and more.

Fetal Images - The fetal images are drawings of the baby in the womb. They give a general idea of what things look like but I prefer photographs.

Weight Monitor - With the weight monitor you can track your pregnancy weight gain.

Newborn Items - This is a checklist of the items you’ll need for your newborn. It’s a very thorough list but you can add in additional items if needs be. Items may be checked off as you collect them.

Nutrition - The nutrition section provides a simple tracker to ensure you are getting enough good things to eat. Each time you have a serving from a food group you can tap a box and check it off. This lets you see how you’re doing and which food groups need more attention. You’re also able to track your water intake in this section.

Announce Birth - By simply entering information into a few fields you’ll have a birth announcement ready to go. You may add in a picture and then connect to your email, Twitter or Facebook account and spread the happy news.

I was pleased with how many different tools are packed into Appy Baby. For as much as it contains the app is easy to follow and navigate through. You won’t find yourself lost in screen upon screen, unsure of how to get back home. Each section has it’s own information button that provides info about that screen only. I found this very helpful because I got what I needed without having to scroll though information that didn’t apply to where I was in the app. The only things that I think could be improved are the fetal images and the name section. There are plenty of names to choose from but I’d like to see name meanings incorporated somehow. A journaling feature would be nice as well, a place you could chronicle events and feelings throughout your pregnancy. All in all, I had a pleasant experience trying out Appy Baby. It does a fine job covering all the bases.

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

See the app in iTunes

Seller: Ryan Goodman

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.