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Parenting

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Best baby tracking apps?

51 replies

charcb · 04/06/2021 10:53

So many to choose from! Experienced mums: Which one would you recommend?

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ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba · 04/06/2021 20:05

I hope you find one you like but I don't see you using it for long.

I only needed a reminder to which boob I bf the last time for a short time with each baby.
I don't see why you'd need a poop tracker, just use your nose!

GreenRedBlue · 04/06/2021 20:15

Also used Babytracker app, the free one. Found it useful for my first especially when I was in such a haze I had no idea how often I was feeding or he was napping etc. Used it less for my second but still found it useful to know which boob I last fed from

8dpwoah · 04/06/2021 20:21

Huckleberry great for sleep and since the HV stopped doing face to face clinics (and still seem to be in hiding, round here) we've used it as a loose tracker for height and weight.

I kept a tally of nappies while we were under midwife care but we got signed off at the first opportunity and then I never got into recording anything else as too much faff. I did find the sleep thing invaluable though once patterns/routines were starting to settle.

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Sls668 · 04/06/2021 20:23

We use Huckleberry for naps and for feeds. Mostly because my memory is terrible and I have to feed a little more regularly than when baby just demands as her weight gain is not good. It’s such a shame they’ve started charging for it though, my baby is nearly 7 months now though so we’re not too fussed but at 3-5 months the sweet spot feature was a god send!

DressingGown87 · 04/06/2021 20:35

I used Baby Tracker which was great, and then moved to Huckleberry for help with naps when DD was a bit older. I found it very useful to monitor her feeds FF, and nappies. It also helped in the first few weeks, when she was being diagnosed with CMPA. As I could have a clear record of how many dirty nappies each day, and milk intake and how unsettled she was.

TurdCrapley · 04/06/2021 21:18

I used baby tracker too. I found it so useful. I tracked his bottles, sleep and nappies. In those early days, I would forget things so it was really handy to be able to log it. My DH just put it in notes on his phone but I liked having an actual app for it. Maybe it was just for novelty purposes but it made me happy😊

AccidentallyOnPurpose · 04/06/2021 21:33

@charcb

Oh interesting to see most don't think these are needed. Thought would be useful as I was told midwife will ask about feeding and nappy changing frequency but maybe I can keep a note on a pad instead for those first days.
The midwife won't ask for the exact number , at most they'll ask for an average or if they're eating well/filling nappies regularly.Even when they do, it's mostly if you or her have any concerns about the baby. For example if the baby is not gaining weight, is constipated, is unwell, crying a lot etc.
BakewellGin1 · 04/06/2021 21:45

I wouldnt use one as I know I would become a nightmare with it.

I'd of been demented with my first as he was a none sleeper awake on the hour kind of baby. I liked to kid myself I slept more then that... But seriously use your instinct it's better then any app.

MW will ask if wet/dirty nappies are regular... Approx how many oz of milk and how often ish... Only will be a concern if baby is dropping weight or you feel feeding is an issue. I honestly would go with what works for you but that's just my opinion. Obviously some people like them.

TBH I've been more relaxed with baby no2 and he's settled a lot better then when I tried to push a routine onto no1

3cats4poniesandababy · 04/06/2021 21:57

Huckleberry really helped us with sleep. It just changed so that that getting the seat spot sleep helpers a oat for Product but I would 100% pay for it. Help me and baby so much.

Those saying why track ypu will just give yourself anxiety. My baby was diagnosed with 'failure to thrive' I had to be able to say how many nappies, how much feed ect ect. For us it was so important as I had medical questions. So much better than a piece of paper which I then had to find, then find a pen and then remember to have to had for the doctors. You may not have had a problem but failure to thrive is not some thing from the 50s it is something many mothers till have to deal with today.

AccidentallyOnPurpose · 04/06/2021 22:02

@3cats4poniesandababy

Huckleberry really helped us with sleep. It just changed so that that getting the seat spot sleep helpers a oat for Product but I would 100% pay for it. Help me and baby so much.

Those saying why track ypu will just give yourself anxiety. My baby was diagnosed with 'failure to thrive' I had to be able to say how many nappies, how much feed ect ect. For us it was so important as I had medical questions. So much better than a piece of paper which I then had to find, then find a pen and then remember to have to had for the doctors. You may not have had a problem but failure to thrive is not some thing from the 50s it is something many mothers till have to deal with today.

Yes but that is a specific medical need and you probably were asked or advised to keep a record/diary. Whether you did that on an app or on paper it's irrelevant. It was something that your baby needed you to do.
3cats4poniesandababy · 04/06/2021 22:03

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba try have an ill baby and being asked when they lady had a dirty nappy. Maybe 'useless and pointless' for those of you bless with a baby who happily gains wet with plenty of dirty nappies but not all of us are.

bump2677 · 04/06/2021 22:43

I'm surprised so many people don't use apps. My little boys almost 3 weeks now and I love the baby+ app. It lets me time breastfeeds and what side I've used. There's no way I'd find it easy to remember how long it's been/which side I used last.

I keep a note of nappies too, but it's the feeding timers that I love.

Parkandride · 04/06/2021 23:02

I thought they'd be overkill for the reasons mentioned above, but was asked so many times how many feeds and wet nappies if those sleep deprived early days. Got huckleberry and like it. I don't track naps yet as they have no pattern and would probably depress me!
Do use it for tracking weighing baby at home too as covid stopped the clinics.

ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba · 05/06/2021 07:58

[quote 3cats4poniesandababy]@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba try have an ill baby and being asked when they lady had a dirty nappy. Maybe 'useless and pointless' for those of you bless with a baby who happily gains wet with plenty of dirty nappies but not all of us are.[/quote]
@3cats4poniesandababy

huh?? when did I say useless & pointless?
and what do "when they lady had a dirty nappy" & "happily gains wet" mean?? I don't understand your sentences.

I don't know why you are so defensive over an app or why you think it's appropriate to come at me the way you did.
you have zero idea what issues I had with each of my 7 kids when they were babies.
so chill dude.
have a nice day

Seeline · 05/06/2021 17:26

None of these things existed when mine were little.
You learnt very quickly which cry was a hungry cry, and which cry was a dirty nappy one. You watched the baby to work out when they were tired. You fed them until they stopped feeding. You knew which boob you'd used because they felt different, or you tied a bit of ribbon to your bra strap.

missmopple · 05/06/2021 18:47

Yep. Think it's about £5 a month now for the sweet spot tracker thing

People are willing to pay £5 a month for an app which guesses predicts when your baby is due a nap?

Bonkers.

FTMinLondon · 05/06/2021 19:49

I think some people posting here are missing the point of these apps. Mums these days can still interpret their baby’s different cries (hungry cry, dirty nappy cry, etc.) - the apps don’t prevent this. They are for making life easier for those who get along with them - like using an electronic calendar, or a recipe organiser app, or an electronic stopwatch/timer instead of your wristwatch and memory. These are probably bad examples. But they aren’t any reflection on the type of parent you are or how closely you can read your baby. So don’t knock it til you try it ye olde folk! (I had no idea I felt so passionately about apps! Grin But actually, I just don’t think anyone needs to feel inferior for using them.)

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 05/06/2021 19:54

I've had 4 babies, 3 that were prem and I had no idea what a baby tracker was. Are they a new thing? I thought you wanted to put some sort of tracking device on your baby 🤣

AccidentallyOnPurpose · 05/06/2021 19:56

@FTMinLondon

I think some people posting here are missing the point of these apps. Mums these days can still interpret their baby’s different cries (hungry cry, dirty nappy cry, etc.) - the apps don’t prevent this. They are for making life easier for those who get along with them - like using an electronic calendar, or a recipe organiser app, or an electronic stopwatch/timer instead of your wristwatch and memory. These are probably bad examples. But they aren’t any reflection on the type of parent you are or how closely you can read your baby. So don’t knock it til you try it ye olde folk! (I had no idea I felt so passionately about apps! Grin But actually, I just don’t think anyone needs to feel inferior for using them.)
Definitely. No one should feel like that.

At the same time mums also shouldn't feel they're necessary,or a must have or that they're somehow lacking/failing if they don't.

A lot of the stuff aimed at babies/mothers prey on women's insecurities, the love for their child ,their desire to be the best mum they can be etc. The message often if they can't be / do that without this or that tool/gadget/app.

BertieBotts · 05/06/2021 21:24

If you have been asked to monitor feeds and or nappies, then these apps may be useful.

The problem is that they are written without a thought as to how breastfeeding works. If you need to monitor bottle feeding, then it does make sense to note down how many ml or oz baby has taken. But for breastfeeding you do not have this information. So all of the apps (I don't know of any which work differently) ask you to monitor minutes breastfeeding instead.

This is confusing. It doesn't give you any useful information, because babies don't feed at some kind of uniform rate. A baby may be attached for ten minutes at one feed, and for sixty at another feed, and may receive the same volume of milk. This is because milk transfer speed can vary depending on how sleepy the baby is and how full your breasts are, but also because it's common for breastfed babies to pause and have little breaks throughout a feed, whereas sometimes they will just keep going until satisfied and then conk out. Or one baby may feed frequently whereas another has long gaps. Some babies have one side at each feed, others two, some three, many vary from feed to feed. The most likely scenario is that a breastfed baby, particularly a newborn, will feed with absolutely no discernible pattern at all. That's fine if you know this and expect this, and it really helps if you are not clock watching. If you are looking at an app which creates a chart for you of your baby's feeding patterns, then this lack of a pattern is extremely likely to cause anxiety or at least confusion and stress. New mums already struggle enough with the unpredictable nature of breastfeeding without it being highlighted by an app.

Then if you compare with your friends' feeding logs or Google how long a baby's feeds ought to be you'll end up in an even worse mess because this will just confuse matters even more.

Generally if you're breastfeeding and being asked to monitor feeds it's more a case of make sure you wake the baby if necessary and offer the breast at least every X hours. The length of the feed is not important. Having it suggested as something to monitor in an app suggests that it is important information that you should be paying attention to, which is a myth that is likely to be harmful towards breastfeeding by introducing doubt and confusion and a sense that you're getting things wrong, when really everything is perfectly fine and normal. Some (most?) apps don't even let you log breastfeeds at all without using the timer feature! Apps logging sleep and feeding become confusing if your baby has fallen asleep while feeding and is still latched on during sleep (this is very common).

New mums are already battling loads of myths and misinformation and unhelpful comments and such about breastfeeding. I really think the way these apps work add to this and that can be harmful.

I don't think any breastfeeding tracking app would be useful but at a push if somebody did want one, I'd say the useful things to note would be

Time of start of feed
Comfort for mum (any pain or weird or uncomfortable feelings)
Last boob used
Comfort for baby (whether they are settled, need winding, sick etc)

That's it really - no tracking of minutes spent per boob. That doesn't help anyone.

(Also ideally loads of good quality info about normal breastfed baby behaviour, patterns or lack of, info about safe cosleeping, latch tips and links to all the helplines etc! Well I can dream :o)

Maybe I should write my own app!

megletthesecond · 05/06/2021 21:29

An app must be far easier than the messy notebook I kept for breastfeeding.

PixieDust28 · 05/06/2021 21:30

I never used any, purely for the fact I'd probably forget to log it all!

FudgeSundae · 05/06/2021 21:42

Baby feed timer. It’s paid but worth it. I used it with both my babies for the first few weeks until I got a grip on stuff. When you’re sleep deprived you have no idea when they last woke/fed/pooed and it helps you see patterns.

DappledThings · 05/06/2021 22:05

I logged number of feeds on a scrap of paper for about the first week of DC1's life. By then everything was all established and he was gaining weight so I stopped bothering. Never started with DC2.

I wouldn't bother tracking anything unless there's a specific concern you've been asked to track. Just totally unnecessary otherwise.

alicestone · 07/06/2021 10:01

I use Onoco. It's great, because when my baby settled into a routine I could create a daily schedule to share with caregivers. When I am at work I receive pics from them and we plan activities together. This app saved my sanity! It's also compliant with the EYFS (Early Years foundations framework) that all nurseries in the UK use.