NEW Mumsnet Baby Bundle app sponsored by Nurofen for Children feedback thread: see how testers are getting on NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the MN testers who are trying out our snazzy new app for all things new baby.

The app is available in iTunes here

"Helping new parents through the first two years of parenthood, Mumsnet Baby Bundle sponsored by Nurofen for Children is the mobile toolkit that has it all! Mumsnet Baby Bundle is a one-stop app for new parents looking for information, support and a place to keep track of everything to do with their baby, from feeding patterns and nap times to measurements and doctors’ appointments. It’s packed full of free features to make your first experience of parenting as stress-free as possible."

There are several elements available for free on the app - and the pro version is available for a free trials for 7 days - after this free trial period ends, users would have an automatic enrolment into monthly auto-renewable subscription at £1.49/month (can be cancelled at any time)

Testers - please share with us below:

What aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app did you find most useful?
Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
What else would you like to see in the app?
How easy or difficult was it to use?
Any other comments?

All testers who take part and who add feedback as requested, will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will get a £300 John Lewis voucher. Don't forget to also add your review here

Thanks and good luck

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

What aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app did you find most useful?

I found the tracking of naps and nappies quite useful, it would have been very useful in the first few weeks. I don't tend to track these very often at five months though. The healthcare section was limited in scope but useful in content. I liked the areas where mumsnet users were quoted.
Would you recommend it to other parents?
I would recommend the basic version to parents
Why?
For first time parents in the early stages there are some useful tracking tools and they would be well used.
What else would you like to see in the app?
I would like to see more on developmental aspects and more for the older baby. Information about baby massage techniques or relaxation would be good. A story section might be nice, encouraging reading to babies is always pushed by the health visitor and this could be a good place to do so.
How easy or difficult was it to use?
It was a very easy app to use, however I had to go looking for where I could change the units from the standard. I also found the baby monitor continually froze or dropped so would find it wasn't reliable enough.
Any other comments?
It would be better to allow the unit of measurement to be changed within the form. I was almost put off filling it in at that point. I did not like the two options for the additional user being parent or nannie. Parent or other would have been fine. It wasn't obvious why you would quantify it. The section on immunisations and development checks was a little simplistic and general, it didn't feel well researched.

I was picked by MNHQ to review this product/ service, which I received for free. This review is in my
own words and reflects my true opinion.

Just found a slight glitch, not sure if developers need to be aware, on one of the news articles (about what to pack in nappy bag) the end bit of text appears to be missing

What aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app did you find most useful?
I really liked the feed, sleep and nappy tracker. It was detailed but simple to use.
The graphs created by the growth tracker were very clear - it didn't induce the panic that the red book centiles graph does!
The catalogue of information on illnesses was useful.

Would you recommend it to other parents?
Yes.
Why?
There's good information for first time parents, and it's handy to be able to track your child's development and day-to-day habits AND for it to all be in one place.

What else would you like to see in the app?
It would be great if you could add more pictures of your baby and then tie them to particular dates or information about them, creating a digital scrapbook of them.

How easy or difficult was it to use?
Very easy.

Any other comments?
N/A

What aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app did you find most useful?
I like the health checker, and the parenting guide. Useful to all have in one place, easy to read, easy to understand.

Although I wouldn't use it for my 7 month old, I love the idea of one place to record feeds/sleeps etc. I used my notes feature on my phone, having this in an app is a great idea.

Would you recommend it to other parents?
Yes, for the above. Why? It's helpful to have all that information in one place. I also like the idea of the monitor, although I haven't tested it.

What else would you like to see in the app?
I think there should be the ability to put in babies measurements separately. Weight is measured often, head circumference and length is not. Because of this I wasn't able to use this feature, it would be great if the measurements could be input separately.

Additionally, in the Heath reference, it would be helpful if the search was improved, or if you were able to search by symptom. For example, I put in 'rash' to see what it showed.... No results. Although heat rash is clearly one of the headings. This could be more user friendly.

How easy or difficult was it to use?
Very easy to use.

Any other comments?
Great overall idea. Would be very useful, especially for new parents. Needs a few tweaks to improve the user journey.

'I was picked by MNHQ to review this product/service, which I received for free.
This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion'

First of all I would like to thank Mumsnet for making me a part of testing this great and helpful app. There are so many parenting apps out there but most require to install multiple apps because they don't have all the features in one.

What aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app did you find most useful?

The Health Reference and Parenting Guide section I found most helpful. It gives you feedback from other mums. I find myself googling a lot and it takes forever to find the right answer. This is so much handier.

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?

Definitely especially for first time parents. The first year of parenting can be very tough especially when your kids are sick or start the weaning journey. Keeping track of the nappies and bottle feeding is handy to have.

What else would you like to see in the app?

When medication was given and how many times.

How easy or difficult was it to use?

Very easy. I didn't find anything wrong with it.

Any other comments?

The only annoying thing I find is that the weight is going a bit too details with 30,31,32,33,34 gram etc.

Hello

Thank you for letting me text this app. I think it was really good. Easy to use and understand. I like the part with the medical issues especially illnesses such a chicken pox ben is my third baby but I would of found this information really useful if he was my first, giving symptoms. I installed the baby monitor which I loved

I found various aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app useful, particularly the Health Ref, the family sharing option and the ability to track and record feeds/changes/sleep. I would recommend it to other parents because it gives you the tools to be able to work on your routine. The app motivates you to log things and as they are recorded you are not guessing which in turn allows you to really work on setting the perfect routine for your baby.
I would love it if the app rewarded you for inputting information, maybe a virtual reward like a cup or a medal, once you've completed a successful week of logging everything. This would encourage me to use it even more.
the app is very easy to use, it is well laid out and I love the way activities can be logged. I did find it irritating that to log the sleep I had to work out the minutes in the hours, an option to input hours would be better.
I haven't come across anything like this before and I would happily pay £1.49 for it. Before I tried this app, I wrote everything down and it worked well in terms of achieving an excellent routine for my son but it was hard work writing everything down. This app is a much better way of recording things and recording everything is really one of the most essential steps if you are serious about establishing a routine and getting lots of sleep at night

'I was picked by MNHQ to review this product/service, which I received for free.
This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion'

What aspects most useful?
The health reference and parenting guide were quite good and presented in a relaxed, easy to read style. I think that the tracker function would have been good in the early days but now my daughter is 5.5 months, I'm not really keeping tabs anymore.

Would you recommend it to other parents?
I would recommend getting the basic version for references and to track things in the first few weeks.

Why?
I don't think the pro features are worth £1.49 a month - the check up planner and growth tracker seem a little pointless as its all in your red book. I wasn't able to test the baby monitor function so couldn't say whether this would be worth buying the pro version.

What else would you like to see in the app?
I think the developmental / milestone information could be more extensive and researched a little more. Maybe with ideas for games etc to encourage each skill set. Also, I think there should be the option to record feeds in oz rather than ml.

How easy difficult?
The app is very user friendly, easy to use and navigate.

I was picked by MNHQ to review this product/ service, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

I wanted to try the baby monitor feature but the invite won't work and I can't connect with my DP's phone, any ideas?

What aspects most useful?
I like the parenting guide and it's been helpful as a reminder third time around about what is going on. I really like the traffic light system in the health reference section although luckily not had to refer to it yet. Seems a great idea to know when to escalate.

Would you recommend it to other parents?
I would recommend getting the basic version for references. The pro features would be worth it with some refinements.

Why?
The check up planner and growth tracker whilst all in your red book is helpful to have abbreviated and accessible as there's book is not always available. But the check up planner misses the 8 week vaccinations I think and would be helpful to have common side effects. The growth tracker is annoying that you have to scroll through to find the right weight rather than just entering. Would be helpful if it showed which percentile the baby is not. Also I don't often have his length and head circ down but it seems all three measurements need to be added. I wasn't able to test the baby monitor function as I couldn't get a link to work on my husbands phone. but I think it would be great if it did work.

What else would you like to see in the app?
As mentioned above more info on percentile for growth tracker. I think the developmental / milestone information could be more extensive and researched a little more. Maybe with ideas for games etc to encourage each skill set good idea.

How easy difficult?
The app is very user friensly.

I was picked by MNHQ to review this product/ service, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

What aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app did you find most useful?
I liked the health reference and checkup planner sections. I found them really useful and have referred to them a few times.
Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
I used an app like this when DS was tiny and it was brilliant, although didn't have as many features. I would definitely recommend it to new mums as w better alternative to the one I used.
What else would you like to see in the app?
Tracking babies mood to see if there's a pattern depending on sleep, time etc.
How easy or difficult was it to use?
Very easy to use
Any other comments?
I would have used this app to death 6 months ago, however now that DS is 11 months I have no need to track his feeds, sleep etc. I certainly wouldn't pay £1.49 per month for the extra features. I would pay a one off fee of a couple of pounds, but not a monthly subscription.

I was picked by MNHQ to review this product/ service, which I received for free. This review is in my
own words and reflects my true opinion.

What aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app did you find most useful?

I find a lot of it useful, for me though the growth chart to track my babies growth is helpful, especially as she has some issues with weight gain.
I also find it helpful to have the feeding timer so I know how long she's feeding for each time.

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?

I really would, especially to first time parents. It's an all in one app so you can do everything and find everything in one place rather than having to search the web for information that may or may not be accurate and you,don't anne to use a separate app for feeding times, nappy times, growth charts etc if you want to record everything.

What else would you like to see in the app?

I'd like to see a place I can add photos of my babies milestones and a timeline of photos so I can see how she's grown and changed as she's got older.

How easy or difficult was it to use?

Very easy to use, no issues at all. Really straightforward and not at all clunky.

Any other comments?

I think it's a great app, for parents who like to have information and to make records that are readily available in one place and quick to access then this is the app for that.

The health info and parenting guide were interesting but I'm not sure they offer anything new. As for the feeding and sleep log functions, there are better apps available which do this that are much cheaper. Overall the app isn't something I would use.

I was picked by MNHQ to review this product/ service, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

What aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app did you find most useful?

Love that it becomes a journal of babies days really. If the had tiny new born it would be perfect to track the feeding etc. I did have an app for that but found it tedious. This appears to be all in one place simplicity !

Would you recommend it to other parents? Definitely to new mums Why? It can help organise and calm an anxious mum

What else would you like to see in the app?
Going to use a bit more and see!

How easy or difficult was it to use? Very simple to set up!

What aspects of the mumsnet baby bundle app did you find most useful?

I found the feed monitor the most useful, it was good being able to keep track of how long he breastfed for and which sides were used. Took the guess work out of trying to work out the next side to feed from. Also as I'm weaning him it made it quite obvious that now he was eating breakfast the 9.30 feed just wasn't needed anymore.

I also liked keeping track of his naps, however it took a while to work out how to add sleeps that weren't in real time.

There was also good parent advice on weaning which I'm going through now.

Would you recommend to other parents?

Yes I would it had some interesting features

Why?
Helps keep track of feeding patterns. Useful advice in one place.

What else would you like to see in the app?

Can't think of anything else

How easy or difficult was it to use?

Whilst it is great realtime I didn't always have my phone to hand especially in the night. Working out how to add sleeps/feeds after the fact was quite difficult, you had to start a feed/sleep save it and then go back and edit it. A bit of a hassle.

Any other comments

Some useful features but could be easier to use. I couldn't really see the point of the growth charts as you have these in your red book.

What aspects did you find most useful?

The food/nappy tracker is the most useful part of the app, particularly with a newborn and whilst you're establishing breastfeeding. I also like the growth tracker.

Would you recommend?

Absolutely - mostly for newborns. My DD is four months old now and I don't feel the need for tracking as much as I did before.

Why?

It's handy to have this info, I used a pen and paper but using an app that records info would be much easier when sleep deprived and establishing feeding.

How easy or difficult to use?

Really easy.

Any other comments.

I would have liked to try the baby monitor feature and sharing but I couldn't get it to work. It would be useful to automatically see what centile the weight/height equates to on the growth tracker. More developmental info would be good too, the Ovia app is a nice example of useful age appropriate info.

I was picked by MNHQ to review this product for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

What aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app did you find most useful?

The activity tracker.

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?

Maybe. Although the most (only?) useful element of it is free, it is overly complicated for most people/most of the time. In the very early days of having a newborn it might be helpful if you wanted to track feeds in details (the duration of feeds and which side in particular), but once you are past that stage you only need to know how long it has been since the start of the last feed (and maybe which side you started on) and using this app for that involves so many more button presses than just setting the timer going on your phone. In particular, you have to record the end of a feed before it will tell you how long it was since the start of it. That's a whole extra thing that you don't need to do with a timer and it (plus the confusion mentioned below) was enough to make me stop using it straight away.

What else would you like to see in the app?

I can't think of any additional functions that I would like to see included. I would prefer it if the "Home" screen listed all of the "Last" feed, sleep etc. in a single view so that you didn't have to scroll through to see it all.

How easy or difficult was it to use?

Fairly easy. I was a bit confused by the difference between "Close", "Save" and "Hide Panel" when you are entering a feed/sleep etc. I also have only just realised that you can see the time since your last feed on the home page. I thought this information would be in the activity section and thought it wasn't available which basically caused me to stop using the app almost straight away as that is the most important (and pretty much only) bit of information I need.

Any other comments?

No.

What aspects of the app did I find most useful?

I like it all and wish I had this app when my 10 month old was first born. It would have been fabulous to be able to record everything down as during the sleep deprived first few weeks -months- it's hard to remember your own name let alone what time you last change baby's nappy.I am due to have another baby in September and will defo be using this and my husband plans to download it too when/if it's available.
I love how you can have two children on it too. It will make my life much more organised.

Would I recommend it to other parents?
And why?

Yes absolutely for all the reasons I have mentioned above.

What else would I like to see in the app?

I'd love development milestones to be added!

How easy was it to use?

I found it really easy one I'd got the hang of it and the initial issues were resolved.

I still can't get this to work, please could you resend me the invite thank you.

I was supposed to be a tester of this but it wouldn't let me sign up. It kept telling me my email address was invalid, but it isn't!

Hi, AndNowItsSeven and Bazza2, sorry to hear that you are having problems, I have sent you both a private message, and I am sure that we can sort these issues out quickly.

If anyone has any questions about the process, we will try to respond to you by private message, but feel free to email [email protected].

Happy Testing!

What aspects of the Mumsnet Baby Bundle app did you find most useful?
At 5 months old, I still like to monitor my baby's feeds, nappies and sleeping habits so the Activity Tracker is very useful for me. I also like that I am able to track my baby's growth and tick off his check-up appointments.

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
Yes! Even if you don't track your baby's activity, the app includes many useful aspects (such as a health reference guide and a baby monitor) which parents may find useful.

What else would you like to see in the app?
It's pretty good as it is!

How easy or difficult was it to use?
Very easy to use.

Any other comments?
I love having all of this, all in one app.

“I was picked by MNHQ to review this product/ service, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.”

Struggling to get the app to work. It downloads fine, but then entering the application and using it is a challenge!