Have a wee one on the way or are you in the throws of life with a newborn? Now’s the time to update your phone with apps designed to make life with baby a little bit easier. They’ll help you track feedings, sleep times, decipher developmental milestones and build the most beautiful (and postable!) selection of photos—plus so much more.
Wishing you had more moms to talk to and hang out with? This app has been dubbed the “Tinder for moms” because it connects you to mamas near you, letting you swipe each other’s profiles. It also launched a new community discussion feature called Peanut Pages to ask questions and crowdsource the minds of other moms who have been there, as an alternative to Facebook groups and other social platforms.
Available for free on iTunes and Google Play
Whether you’re eager to find out what’s next, or looking for insight into why your sweet angel is suddenly a cranky devil (could it be a developmental spurt?), this baby app has got you covered with video explanations and over 500 facts about your baby’s cognitive development. The week-by-week updates are informative, fun to follow and a notes feature helps you learn at your own pace.
Available for $7.99 on iTunes and $8.99 on Google Play
All aspects of your infant’s care during the first year is covered in this one baby app. Keep track of everything from bottle feeds to sleep schedules and get valuable info about starting solids, developmental milestones and much more. Plus, get personalized parenting tips delivered daily.
Available for free on iTunes and Google Play
Want to track your baby’s feedings? There’s an app for that—and it’s free. MyMedela offers nursing tips and product suggestions, all while helping you track your baby’s key activities and growth. You can easily log diaper changes, pumping, feedings and sleep schedules, and get instant expert guidance using the problem-solver feature.
MyMedela, free, iTunes and Google Play
Photo: MyMedelaUse two Mac devices, like an iPad and your iPhone or Apple Watch, to create a baby monitor and receiver. Using the live streaming feature, you’ll be able to see and hear everything during nap time and overnight. It’s the perfect solution for a family vacation, or even quick trip to Grandma’s house because you can leave your monitor at home. (We all need one less baby gadget to pack!)
Available for $7.99 on iTunes and $4.99 on Google Play
Not only does this baby sleep app act as a white noise machine—creating high-quality sounds ranging from hushing to a vacuum cleaner—turn it to Listen Mode and your baby’s cry will automatically turn it on for soothing sounds. Plus, it generates colour-coded graphs so you can keep track of her sleep patterns.
Available for free on iTunes and Google Play
This is an all-in-one baby app that’s worth checking out. It makes it easy to track feeding times, bottles, pumping, sleep, baths and even diaper changes. And it keeps track of everything in a handy customizable graph that can help you figure out baby’s natural rhythm (helpful for figuring out a natural nap schedule, for example) and be a handy way of sharing all your little one’s info with a babysitter.
Available for free on iTunes and Google Play
Instead of an app designed just for lullabies or white noise, Spotify’s super popular music app has all the baby sounds covered—and more. Choose from a huge selection of sounds, from womb noises to waterfalls, fairy tales and classical music for kids. This app has all of baby’s audio needs covered. (Plus, yours too, of course.)
Available for free at spotify.com ($10.99 per month for the premium account)
This baby app will help your little one meet all of the milestones, from crawling to talking and beyond. Daily activity suggestions are designed specifically for your baby’s age and stage to support gross motor, cognitive, speech, sensory, self-care and social-emotional development. Watch baby grow and keep track of every accomplishment along the way.
Available for free on iTunes and Google Play (and $4 USD per month for the premium subscription)
If you somehow missed out on this go-to pregnancy app, it’s not too late to download it. Once baby arrives it will guide you through your little one’s first two years with expert advice and personalized support on everything from giving baby his first bath to the importance of playing pattycake with your nine-to12-month-old—along with much, much more.
Available for free on iTunes and Google Play
The symptom-Googling mom will be relieved to have such reliable info at her fingertips. In addition to emergency symptoms, this baby health app contains trusted info about vaccines, baby sleep and the latest health news. They say it’s like a “paediatrician in your pocket” and you can’t go wrong with that!
Available for free on iTunes and Google Play
Every new parent wants to document all the precious moments, and show off their babe to friends and family—especially on social media. Take your pics and posts to the next level with this photo enhancing app that includes dates to mark each month, stickers to embellish all of the “firsts” and other cute emojis and doodles.
Available for free on iTunes and Google Play
Read more: 10 best fertility apps 7 best pregnancy apps
Keep up with your baby's development, get the latest parenting content and receive special offers from our partners
Karen Robock is a writer, editor and mom of two whose work has appeared in dozens of publications in Canada and the U.S., including Prevention, Reader’s Digest, Canadian Living, and The Toronto Star. Once upon a time, Karen was even the managing editor of Today’s Parent. She lives in Toronto with her husband, school-age daughters, and their two dogs.