The iPhone Mom

Baby Grow allows you to track your baby’s progress on the growth charts from the age of birth until three years old. You’ll enter in your baby’s length, weight and head circumference and the app will show you their percentiles based on the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and WHO (World Health Organization) charts. You can view the percentiles on a growth chart or see them immediately when you input the measurements. The app also allows you to keep track of more than one baby at a time.

Baby Grow does a nice job tracking a baby’s growth but the drawback is that it only tracks until the age of three. I know that after that point there are fewer well child checkups and the measurements slow down but it would be nice to have the option to continue to track progress. Also, the ability to add notes to measurements would be a nice addition as well.

Price when Reviewed: $2.99

See the app in iTunes

Seller: Andy Molloy

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

Last fall I reviewed the app Baby Connect. If you’re away from your baby it allows you to work with your child’s caregiver to keep tabs on what’s going on. Using the app or the website www.baby-connect.com the caregiver can make quick updates when your baby is eating, sleeping, etc. You can check the app to see what the status is throughout the day and even send messages back and forth. It’s a slick app. Now Baby Connect for iPad has been released and the concept is the same but the user interface is updated and I think it’s an improved experience on the iPad. Instead of moving from screen to screen on the iPhone you’ll see everything in one screen on the iPad. Updating the information takes only a few taps and it’s all right there for you to see. The iPad app still syncs up with the website so you can view and update information there as well.

I thought the original Baby Connect app was a great one for peace of mind and I think that the new iPad version improves on an already great app.

Price when Reviewed: $4.99

See the app in the App Store

Seller: Seacloud Software

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

Milk Monitor is designed to help you record and track your baby’s feedings. It also has the ability to record information on sleep, diapers and medications. The “Monitor” part of the app is very easy to use. The default is set to breastfeeding and to begin timing a feeding you simply tap on the L (for left) or R (for right) on the screen. This begins a timer and when you are done tap on the letter again to stop the timer. Once you’ve stopped the timer this feeding is automatically entered into a log. More about that in a moment. The monitor screen can also record bottle feedings but you’ll need to tap on “bottle” at the top of the screen to make the switch. This pulls up a graphic illustrating a baby bottle. You can adjust a slider on the baby bottle to mark how many ounces your baby drank. The bottle goes from .6 to 12.3 oz or from 10 to 350 mL. You can switch between the two measurements. Once you’ve marked the appropriate amount you tap “ok” and this feeding is also added to the log. The final thing that you can add in the Monitor section is notes. This button is also found at the top of the screen and it brings up a screen where you can type in your own notes. You can also use a wheel to mark if the notes are about sleep, diapers, medicine or miscellaneous. In order to add a note to the log you’ve got to tap in the text box – even if you don’t type anything. I found that if I didn’t do this the “ok” button wouldn’t show up. Once you’ve tapped “ok” the note is added to the log.

The “Log” button at the bottom of the screen brings up the log that I’ve been mentioning. It’s where you can view the feedings and notes you’ve recorded for baby. Tapping on a log entry brings up a screen with additional information. You can manually add in log items or delete them from this section. There is also a “Baby” button at the bottom of the screen. This is where you add in your baby’s name, sex, birthday and any likes that you want to record. You can also add a picture. Here you can also add in additional baby’s to keep track of. Once you’ve done that you can switch between them on the Monitor screen. Finally, you can tweet your last log event or email out the last seven days worth on the “More” screen.

Milk Monitor has a cute feel to it and is a simple way to keep track of basic baby information.

Price when Reviewed: $2.99

Seller: Milo Creative

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

Once upon a time I was certified in first aid and CPR. I went to the classes, practiced mouth to mouth on the plastic dummies and earned my little card from the Red Cross. Then I had kids and ironically, when I could probably use the information the most, I let the certification expire and forgot much of what I had learned. I’d like to think that the knowledge is still there and if I ever find myself in a crisis then it will come to me. But just in case that doesn’t happen, and I’m not naive enough to be counting on it, I’ve discovered a good app that details basic first aid for babies. Baby MedBasics gives you the basics in CPR, choking, fever, bleeding, burns and poison. It also features some “Safety Basics” that include information on SIDS, car seats, dog bites, falls and drowning. I’d suggest reading through the app when things are calm instead of opening it for the first time in the middle of a crisis.

Baby MedBasics does a good job walking you through how to perform CPR and deal with a choking baby. I appreciated the refresher course and learned some new information from the other areas too. I found this app to be helpful and think it’s a nice resource to have on my phone.

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

Seller: PicPocket Books

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

I’ve had an unusual app brought to my attention and I wanted to get the word out about it in case any of my readers are searching for this type of help. The app is called LifeForce Team Fertility and it’s designed to help those who are dealing with fertility issues. The App Store description says it provides information about the medical side to fertility as well as information about the spiritual side too. I’m constantly amazed at the variety of apps that are available and how they’re being used in all areas of life.

LifeForce Team Fertility costs $6.99 and I have not seen what the app actually does. If anyone out there has tried this app please post a comment and let us know what you thought. Is it helpful? Worth the money?

Price when Reviewed: $6.99

Seller: Back Door Productions & Management

A little while ago I reviewed the app Baby Connect. It was an app that really impressed me and I think it could be extremely helpful for mom’s who work outside the home. Now the developers have a new app called BabySitter Connect. It’s very similar to the original BabyConnect except it’s only $.99 and doesn’t have quite as many features. It does however still integrate with the Baby Connect website, send push notifications, allow the babysitter to record information for food, diapers, sleep and activities. BabySitter also comes with a timer and a cost calculator you can use to figure out how much you owe the sitter. For more detailed information on the app you can read my review of BabyConnect or  visit www.baby-connect.com.

I’ve been given two promo codes for Baby Connect and two for BabySitter Connect. To enter please leave a comment telling me which app you’d like to try. I’ll keep the contest open until Tuesday night – 10 pm MST – and then I’ll choose four random winners. Good luck!

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Seller: Seacloud Software, LLC

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that the ICE4me app had gone pink in support of breast cancer research. They’ve done the same thing with their family version, ICE4family. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this special version will be donated.

Here are my thoughts on the pink ICE4me app.

And my thoughts on the original ICE4family.

Finally, thoughts on the original ICE4me (also known as EMS Alert).

Lots of thoughts for a good cause. I have a promo code to give away for the pink ICE4family app. First comment wins.

ICE4me was created by the maker of smartICE 4 Family and smart-ICE. The only real difference between ICE4me and the original EMS Alert app, which turned into smart-ICE, is the pink color. This is an app that stores all of your key personal information, medical information, emergency contacts, etc. Everything that you’d want someone to know in case of an emergency. The ICE icon is widely recognized and the idea is that emergency personnel would see it on your iPhone and know that the app contained your key information.

ICE4me has a pink background for an important reason.  A portion of the revenue from sales of the pink ICE4me app will be donated to help with the fight against breast cancer. I’ve been told that a pink edition of smartICE 4 Family is also on the way. Donations will be made from it’s proceeds as well.

I’ve said it before but I’m going to repeat myself. These are the type of apps you never want to use but if they’re ever needed you’ll be so glad they were on your phone.

Price when Reviewed: $.99 (a portion will be donated to help fight breast cancer)

Seller: EMS Options, LLC

Total Baby is designed to help you keep track of everything that comes along with a new baby. Eating, sleeping, endless diapers and hopefully lots of growing too. When you first begin this app it walks you through setting up your baby’s information. Once you’ve finished that you’ll see a summary-like screen. At the top of it will be five buttons. Tapping each one brings up a screen where you can record different information. The diaper icon = diaper changes, bottle = feedings, pillow = sleep schedule, duck = baths and the question marks = an “other” event. (The “Other” event has some built in choices like medications, spit up,  and temperature.) What I like about this setup is the fact that you can see the most recent entries underneath the icons. They’re easy to spot when you want to quickly see the last time you changed baby’s diaper.

Underneath this section is a summary of the things you’ve recorded for the baby on that day. It seems to be the same information but in a different format. Tapping on one of these entries will bring up additional details that you recorded. If you tap on the section at the very bottom of the screen, where it shows your baby, you’ll find even more places to record information. At the bottom of this screen are four icons. Tap “Diary” and you can enter in notes about your baby and add a new photo. “Milestones” is the section where you record all the firsts from your baby’s first year. “Doctor” gives you a place to take notes at doctor visits, record your baby’s growth, vaccines and allergies. According to the iTunes description Total Baby allows you to track and log over thirteen different types of baby information.

I liked the ease of use in Total Baby. It was easy to record different baby things throughout the day. Just a couple of taps is all it took. I also like how this app gives you places to record milestones and doctor information. It’s also nice to have all the weight and height measurements in one place. We’re going through babyhood with number four and without apps like this the record of her first year would probably be pretty sketchy. All the first time moms out there are now horrified but those with multiple children know exactly what I mean.

Price when Reviewed: $4.99

Seller: ANDEsigned

Alright all of you mamas who have to be away from your kids – this app is pretty darn slick. Baby Connect allows you to see updates on your baby almost the moment they’re made. All you need is for you and your child’s caregiver to have access to the internet and/or the Baby Connect app.

Here’s how it works. You set up an account through either the app or www.baby-connect.com. Once you’re logged in you use the app to enter in updates on baby. Updates can be in the areas of food, drink, diapers, sleep, mood, activities and  temperature. I couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was to do updates. You just tap on the appropriate icon and then either enter your own description or choose one that’s already set up. Then tap the “Post” button. Right after you do this the update can be seen on the Baby Connect website. It shows up in an update list that’s similar to the news feed in Facebook.  You can also do this in reverse – enter in updates on the website and then view them on your iPhone. The app/website allows you to send messages, upload photos and display your location.  In the settings you can turn on push notifications so you’ll receive alerts about status updates when the app isn’t opened. You can choose which updates give you a notification.

This is an absolutely fantastic tool for learning what’s going on with your baby (or older kids) when you’re away. The trick will be working with your caregiver to get them to make updates throughout the day.  The nice thing is you don’t need an iPhone to make updates, you can do it using the internet. But having the iPhone app allows you to always know what’s going on. And it’s a quick process, something that’s key when you’re watching little ones. The “real time” feature is wonderful. In my testing the updates came through right after I made them. If you’d like to watch a demo on this app click here.

If your child care situation is one where your caregiver is able to use the internet or an iPhone (or iPod Touch)to make frequent updates then I think this app is a must have for a mom’s peace of mind.

Price when Reviewed: $4.99

Seller: Seacloud Software LLC