Hey guys,
As I'm out of the newborn phase now, I thought I'd share with you my favourite apps for babies. Now most of these are based around sleeping as that's the main thing we all want to help our newborns do! Some of these apps really did help out so much and I don't actually know what I would have done without them during the early months. Thank God for technology eh?
So here are my top 5 apps for newborn:
1. The Wonder Weeks App - £1.49 or $1.94 - This is the only app I'm listing that is a paid for app, and as it goes it's cheap and worth the money! Now this app is pretty amazing at helping you understand why your baby is being so difficult!! You put in your babies date of birth at the start, then it explains if your baby is making a developmental leap or going through a growth spurt. Now the great thing about this app as well as telling you why your baby is being so difficult, is that it tells you the new things your baby will accomplish after this leap is over. For example, being able to smile, saying some words, grabbing for things, crawling. So far for me it's been pretty accurate, and it's always exciting reading ahead and knowing what my baby will accomplish next. Now my boys are out of the newborn phase I don't look at this app so often, however in the early days it really did help me understand my babies a lot better, and I will definitely be using this again if we have more kids! There is also a book which explains everything in more detail, and it really does make you sympathise with your babies. I've read reviews for this app online and people are complaining that it wasn't very informative. I have to say I would recommend getting the book to accompany the app, as the book definitely has a lot more detail, the app tells you the basics. To us this world is so ordinary, but to our little ones everything is new and maybe one week everything is a blur and the next they can see things so clearly and it's scary for them. If you're having a difficult time with your baby and you're not quite sure why, I definitely suggest you get this app pronto!
2.
Baby Sleep Aid - FREE - Now this app I used for hours when my boys were first born. The app plays a hairdryer noise, and a lot of sounds I tried with my boys wouldn't get them to sleep. I remember going on YouTube and searching for hairdryer noises (or any other womb like noises), and they wouldn't work for my boys, or they just didn't sound like what they were meant to. However, the Baby Sleep Aid app really does sound like a hairdryer, my boys would sleep soundly with this on.
The only downside to the app is that if you have an incoming text, email, or a call, the app goes quiet or switches off. Also even though the app is free at first you can only play an hour of the noise and then it'll stop, you can pay for the app which will allow you to play the sound longer. But if you read my next favourite you'll see that you don't need to spend your money to get a good sound app.
3.
Baby Sleep Sounds - FREE - So this app is absolutely amazing! As I write this my 8 month olds have it on (it was my last attempt to get them to sleep, and it worked!) The great thing about this app is the noise options you have, a hairdryer, washing machine, fan, water tap, hoover or womb sounds. Not only is this app great for the variety of sounds, but it's free! It also lets you play them continuously and when you get any incoming texts etc to your phone, they do not disturb the app! If you do get a call I think the app will stop, but you can always switch your phone into aeroplane mode to avoid that.
4.
My Baby Music Boxes - FREE - This app plays a lovely music box lullaby, and you can either set it to play continuously or add a timer for however long you choose so that the app can eventually end. This isn't one of those annoying lullaby songs, and I could quite happily have this on and listen to it myself as my babies fall asleep.
This was also perfect when my boys were crying and I'd put this app on and they'd stop to listen, (not always but sometimes!) For a free app it's a good one, and I still use it now and they're almost 9 months old!
5.
Baby Center My Baby - FREE - Baby Center is a brilliant website filled with information for you as a parent to learn more about your baby. I'd be surprised if you haven't already stumbled across their website whilst searching for something to do with your little one. Well now you can take an app around with you and all you need to do is put in your babies date of birth and you'll be given an update of issues you may face around this time, and an insight into where your baby is at in development. There's even an online 'birth club' you can join for the month your baby was born in which is a little group forum where other mums go to talk about their babies and you can ask for advice.
I would say the only issue with this app is that if like mine your babies were born premature, you may need to adjust their birth date in the app in order to get accurate information on their development. So my boys were born a month early on the 5th December, but in this app I put that they were born on the 5th January as they are a month behind others developmentally.
I hope this helps you in your quest for apps to help you through those early months of parenthood. These were my top 5 apps I used on a regular, if not daily basis. I will also be writing a post on my top pregnancy apps so if you're pregnant and wondering what is good to use stay tuned for that.
If you have any suggestions of apps you loved when your babies were newborn, let me know in the comments below :)
Lots of love,
Samantha Dawn
xoxo