The iPhone Mom

FoodEssentials Scanner version 2.0 has been released. There’s a smorgasbord of new features in this new update, all improving an already great app. I didn’t think I could do the update justice so I’m sending you to the FoodEssentials blog to read all the details.

FoodEssentials has also been generous enough to give me five promo codes to give away. I’d love hear from readers who could use some extra help checking food ingredients because of allergy issues. Read my original app review to see if FoodEssentials can help you out. If you think it will then please leave me a comment. The first five comments will receive a code. Thanks FoodEssentials!

Price when Reviewed: $4.99

Seller: FoodEssentials

50,000 Baby Names is a free baby naming app. You can browse through their list of names or search for a specific one. When you’re looking at names you can filter them by gender and sort by alphabetical order or popularity. Tap a name to read about it’s meaning. Here you’ll also be given a list of similar names.  The app uses something called “Sound Print technology” to create the list of names that sound like the one you’re viewing. I thought this was a great feature. You can also view “obscure” baby names and these can be sorted by their ethnic origin. Names that you like and want to remember can be easily placed on a favorites list . I was impressed with the amount of content in this free app and especially with the lists of similar names. If you’re hunting for THE perfect baby name try this one out, you can’t beat the price.

Price when Reviewed: FREE

Seller: Total Ecommerce LLC

Get Running (Couch to 5K) is a training app that will take you from walking off your couch to being able to run for 30 minutes without stopping. The program covers nine weeks of workouts with a run three times a week. The runs increase over time so you won’t be biting off more than  you can chew.  When you do a run the app will literally talk you through the workout. It gives you audio cues of when to warm up, when to walk and when to run. The screen shows a clock that counts down the amount of time you have left in each segment. You can listen to your iPod music while you use the app but you have to start the music before you open the app. Your music will play and then fade in and out before and after the app’s audio cues. Having the music is a key feature for me. I can’t run without my tunes.

I already run on a regular basis so I’m not the best user to put this app through the full nine week test.  I tried a run last night and thought the app was easy to use and because I run with my iPhone on my arm (and can’t see the screen) I appreciated the audio cues. My husband has recently started to run a little bit each night on the treadmill and when I mentioned Get Running to him and he was excited to try it out. I’ll let you know how he does. Here’s hoping we can do a 5K together in a few months.

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

Seller: Splendid Things

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

FoodEssentials Scanner is the best app that I’ve seen for those suffering from food allergies and intolerances. It allows you to scan the barcode of a food product and it will then display all sorts of information about the food. You get your nutrient information (calories, fats, sodium, etc.) but you also get information about allergens and additives. The app will pull up the possible allergens and flag them as not listed, possible and listed. You can tap on the allergen and find out exactly what ingredient is the culprit. The same is true for the additive list. There’s no need to scan the label on your food and then search for the five syllable ingredient or additive on your own. The app does it for you. If you’d rather not use the barcode you can also search by product name. The same label information will be displayed.

When FoodEssentials finds your food it also pulls up products in the same category. I asked the developer how they choose these products and as of right now they’re pulled up in no particular order. They’re working on enabling sorting of these screens so you can see the most popular products first. That will be a nice improvement. You can flick between these screens to compare what’s in each one and this will be very useful when you can narrow the screens down to foods that are really similar. You can also scan in similar products and then shake your phone. Now all the similar products that you’ve scanned will show up on screens that you can access with that sideways swipe. This is a great way to compare what’s in different breads, cereals, ice creams, you get the idea. The app also saves everything you’ve scanned or searched for in a list.

Now here’s the part that I thought was pretty darn fantastic about this app. You have the ability to customize what you see on the labels it pulls up. You can go through each section – nutrients, allergens, additives – and turn on/off what you’d like to see. For example in my house we’ve got some dairy issues and I’d absolutely make sure that was turned on to show up. But we never eat fish and I don’t need to see that allergy so I turned it off. I think it’s terrific that you can expand (or condense) the list of what you see.

According to the FoodEssentials website a big update is coming around March 29th. They’ll be doubling the list of products and will soon be adding additional allergies.  The update should also give you the ability to select an ingredient (from more than 30,000) and make it a custom ingredient that will show up on your labels. I’ve been told that the success rate (accuracy) of the scanning is going to jump with the next update which will be fantastic.

I have a few reasons that this app is going to be a big help for me. First for my baby. I’ve mentioned before that we’ve been dealing with acid reflux and food intolerances pretty much since the day she was born. We’ve got the acid issues handled but the reflux is still out of control some days.  We’ve begun venturing into the world of baby foods but it’s slow going and we’re still on elemental formula and cereal plus a limited number of other foods. We try a new food and then cross our fingers that it’s not going to end up on the intolerant list. She usually lets us know it’s a no go when she has a big reflux flair up the next day. I’m hoping (really hoping!) that the day is coming where we can begin to try regular baby cereal and some other things. But realistically I know we’ll be dealing with her food issues for some time to come. FoodEssentials is going to be a huge help when I get the G.I’s green light to start introducing “normal” food. Especially when the new allergies and ingredients are added to the app. I’ll be able to find out (while I’m in the store) if something is safe for her or not. My second reason is personal. I’m one of those lucky (oh so lucky!) people who get migraines. It seems like I’m constantly learning about my triggers but I know with certainty that several additives/ingredients are guaranteed to make my head explode. I would love to see some sort of migraine trigger list incorporated into the app. At the very least I am hoping that MSG and aspartame make the 30,000+ ingredient list.

Sorry for the lengthy diatribe, I probably just shared much more than you’d want to know about my family’s issues. Especially all that talk about baby spit up. Right now FoodEssentials costs $4.99 and that covers a one year subscription to the app. Personally, I think the ease of use and the straightforward way the information is presented would make the price worth it for me. The updates that I’m hearing about are really going to set this app apart and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

*I really only touched on the allergy prevention potential of the app. If you’re concerned about cholesterol, saturated fat, etc. then there’s plenty of information here for you too.

*Another note – I’ve received word that the developers monitor the searches that return no results and then work on including those foods. For me those empty searches were for some store brand products. It’s good to know that these empty searches are monitored.

Price when Reviewed: $4.99

Seller: Food Essentials

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

Nursing Notes is a very straightforward app for tracking your baby’s feedings.  You begin by entering baby’s name (you can track more than one if you’ve got twins, triplets…). Then it’s just a matter of tapping the plus sign to add a feeding, spinning a time wheel to set the time and then tapping left or right. It’s really just a matter of a few taps and swipes to record the feeding. If you like you can add in the minutes that it takes for your baby to eat.  The feedings show up in a list as you add them in. You can’t enter in bottle feedings and amounts, the app only tracks breastfeeding.  My favorite feature from the app is the push notification system. You can set them up and receive a notice when it’s time for your next feeding.

There are no extra bells and whistles to Nursing Notes, it’s meant to only keep track of breastfeeding. Personally, I’m okay with that. I don’t need to analyze and track everything else my baby does. But I’ve got four kids and my attitude became more lax with each one. If you’re looking for an app to track every baby detail this isn’t the one for you. But if you only need to track your breastfeeding then it does a fine job.

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Seller: J.D. Was Here

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

My Grocery Master is a shopping app for those on specialty diets. It lets you search for foods falling into Kosher, Kosher for Passover, Gluten Free and Lactose Free diets. First you select a classification (that’s what they call the diets) and then you can choose a category (baking, candy, deli, etc.) or leave it blank. You can also nselect more than one classification and category. Enter in your address or have the app use your GPS location and select how many miles out you want to search. Now enter in a key word and the app will search grocery stores located nearby to find products that fit the classification, category and key word. When you tap on one of these product names you’ll see the store where it’s been located at. Tap on that and you can see a mapped location, get directions or call the store from the app.

It’s also possible to save your searches so you can pull up the information later on. Finally, there is a section that allows you to enter in an OU Kosher ID and verify if the product is certified by the Orthodox Union.  The app features inventory from some big name grocery chains – Albertsons, Safeway, Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Walmart to name a few.  For my area only Walmart and Albertsons apply so the app was somewhat limited in what it could do for me. Those of you who live in an area with more shopping choices will have more success searching for products.

If you’re on a specialty diet and you don’t want to drive from store to store looking for groceries then this app could be a big help. Right now the My Grocery Master database features over 100,000 products, more than 360 of them are name brands. The developers are planning to update the app to include Diabetic, Vegan and Organic diets too. This will give the app an even broader appeal. My only advice before you spend the $4.99 is to check out the store list and make sure you have a few nearby so your searches pull up results.

Price when Reviewed: $4.99

Seller: Nosh Maven, LLC

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

Light the App allows you to post dedications and “light candles” for those you know who have been affected by leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. You can add your “lights” by entering in their name, state of residence and a dedication. The app lets you view only your lights or all the lights/dedications that have been done through the app. There is also a search feature. The app also allows you to make a donation to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Price when Reviewed: FREE

Seller: GlobalMagic

After you’ve used Contraction Master and you’ve had your baby you might find yourself in need of Nursing Master to help you manage the feedings that will soon become a blur. Sleep deprivation is not to be messed with. The app lets you track when you start nursing your baby and the length of the feeding. You can also record which side you left off on. (Sorry menfolk readers for the inevitable TMI.) I like the fact that this app lets you record information for more than one baby. I know that if I had twins I’d seriously need help keeping track of who I fed when and what and how and maybe even why.

You’ll have the option of adding in your baby’s photo, name and gender. I was pleased to see that Nursing Master also lets you keep track of bottle feedings. You’ll be able to record what’s in the bottle (breast milk, formula, even soy formula, etc.) and how large the bottle is.  My baby was put on elemental formula when she was around two months old. For awhile I had no idea if I was feeding her too much or not often enough. Keeping track of those details probably would have saved me some trial and error. I’m not a statistics person but if you’re interested in looking at the overall feeding statistics you can do that too. You can even compare two babies. I almost forgot, you can also manually enter in feedings that you didn’t time with the app.

Nursing Master was just updated yesterday and now allows you to continue timing a feeding after you shut down the app. I think this is a great addition. There are times when I’m feeding my daughter with the bottle in one hand and my phone in the other checking email. So being able to continue to use the app while I’m doing other things is important to me. The other new addition is a number badge for the app’s home screen icon. The number shows how many babies have a feeding timer running.

I’m all for anything that makes managing newborn details easier. I haven’t tested it for weeks on end but Nursing Master seems easy to use and it kept track of all the details that I’d personally be interested in. I don’t need a ton of fluff. Just a record of how we’re all doing and whether my baby’s on track to becoming a nice, healthy chunk.

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

Seller: Bill Snebold Design

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

Contraction Master is for expectant mothers out there who are preparing for the big Due Date. This app can help you time your contractions and figure out when it’s time to head for the hospital. Literally, all you need to do is tap a button. When you feel a contraction beginning you tap the start button and when it stops you tap the button again. The app tracks the start and end time of your contraction and tells you how long it lasted. When you have another one you tap the button again. Now the app will tell you how frequently your contractions are coming. The history section of Contraction Master will lay out all the information for the contractions that you’ve recorded. This way you can see if they are coming closer together, or (let’s hope not) farther apart.

Contraction Master was very easy to use which is key in an app that you’re expected to use when you’re having contractions. Who wants to try and figure out a complicated system when they’re in labor? Unless it’s some new fangled distraction technique aimed to help you forget you are in labor but I highly doubt there’s an app that can make you forget that. Personally, I think Contraction Master beats having to watch the clock and record times on paper. I also liked the fact that all the information is on your phone, a phone which will probably come with you to the hospital. So when you get there and your contractions magically stop the minute they hook you up to the monitors you’ve got proof for the nurses that it wasn’t just gas.

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Seller: Bill Snebold Design

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

Shop Healthy! lets you look up nutritional information for foods you’ll find in the grocery store. The idea is to use the app to help you make healthy, informed choices about your groceries. At the time that I’m writing this review there are over 100,000 products included in the app’s information.

It’s a good idea to read through all of the information on the “Info” screen when you first use Shop Healthy! When it comes to searching for foods you can look for them by name or see them sorted by grocery store aisle. To look up a specific food tap the “Products” button and then type in the name of what you’re looking for. The app pulls up everything it’s got that fits your search. Next to each name on the list are three apples. The apples are colored green depending on how healthy the food is. Three green apples is the best rating. You can tap on the product’s name to see more information including serving size and calories per serving. There is a button that shows you nutrition facts like those seen on a product’s package. Another button says “view factoid info” and this tells you some basic information about the type of food product you’re viewing. Back on the product’s detail page you are given a list of other products to consider as an alternative to the one you searched for.  So if what you searched for had a dismal 1/2 green apple rating you could browse through the list of suggestions and make a better choice.

You can also view foods based on their aisle in a store. To do this tap on the “aisle” button at the bottom of the screen. Now you’ll see four columns – Fruits & Veggies, Breads & Grains, Beverages and Canned Foods. In each column are different types of foods, represented by a picture. Tap on the picture and you’ll get a list of foods, each with a green apple rating next to it. Tap on the food to see the same detail information that I mentioned above for the products button. I really liked the detailed pages for the fruits and veggies. You pick a fruit or vegetable to look at and the app tells you how to select the best one, how to store it and some fun facts about it. I find that information very useful myself. The only change that I’d suggest here is to add a way to navigate back to the fruits or vegetables list after looking at a detail screen. There’s no arrow to get back to the list, you have to tap “Aisle” and begin again. There are arrows for the other foods, but not for fruits and veggies.

As you’re browsing through foods (and probably learning more about what’s in them than you might like to know) you can mark them as a “favorite”. These items will show up on a list that can be found via the “Favorites” button. The app is easy to move through and the layout is clean and makes the information easy to follow.

I thought that Shop Healthy! was a nice tool for comparing different foods that fall into the same category. It’s not going to do you much good if you want to compare fruit juice to ice cream, but if you’re trying to decide between different types of juice (or in my case, ice cream) it can help you make an informed decision before you load up your grocery cart.  Personally, I always set out for the store determined to make healthy choices and especially to avoid the sweets. But by the time I survive shopping with my kids the sweets have become a mental health necessity. Perhaps Shop Healthy! can help me choose between the lesser of my sweet evils.

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Seller: SmartNow.com

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