Our Favorite Apps for Busy Parents
SmartPhone aren’t just a way to Instagram pics of your tot. Take a trip to the app store, and you’ll find tools that track your appointments, dole out allowances, and even translate your baby’s cries. (Seriously! It’s called Cry Translator. $5)
With so many to choose from, we polled our fans to find out what apps they used the most on their smartphone. Here are 10 great apps for busy parents. Happy shopping!
Cozi
Manage everyday life and keep your whole family in the loop with Cozi. It lets you manage your family calendar and set reminders. You can add appointments and share them with others on your Cozi acccount. Appy Award Winner for Best Family App, BMA Gold Winner for Best Mobile Calendar and named the “must-have app for a better life” by The TODAY Show.
FBI Child ID
Created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this app lets parents store their children’s photos plus other identification (height, weight, hair and eye color, age) for quick access if a child ever goes missing. The information is stored on the iPhone only until parents need to send it to authorities. Notable features include safety tips, checklists for what to do if something happens to your child, and shortcuts to dial 911 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Parents also have the ability to email info immediately to law enforcement agencies if the unthinkable occurs.
Kroger Co.
Tammy loves the Kroger app. “It has my lists, sales paper, coupons, etc.” Kroger shoppers can download the app and sign in to their Kroger.com account, or follow the steps in the app to create an account. Register your Plus Card and select your local store to take advantage of all the great features! Save instantly when you load digital coupons to our Plus Card. Refill your prescriptions online in just seconds.
Life360
If you’re the parent of driving children, like Catherine, you’ll appreciate the Life360 app. “Life360 is the best. Tells me where my children (or at least their phones) are.” Life360 runs on your mobile device to allow you to view your family members on a map, communicate with them, and receive alerts when your loved ones arrive at home, school or work.
Cloud Baby Monitor
Cloud Baby Monitor turns your iOS or Mac devices into an easy to use, reliable, and secure Video Baby Monitor. Keep one device with your baby and watch live video and audio on your other devices.
OurGroceries
Keep your grocery lists instantly synchronized on all the smartphones in your household. Features include multiple shopping lists, a web interface, and recipes. Alana says, “Grocery/store lists sync up between phones. Can have several different lists- Dollar Tree, Winn Dixie, etc.”
SitOrSquat
Never worry about the state of a public restroom again!. Charmin® has put public restrooms on the map. Literally. Download this mobil app and locate clean public restrooms all over the country. Rate and share the restrooms you like (sit) or note if the bathroom could be better (squat) by adding them to the map. It provides changing table information as well.
Home Routines
If you’re a fan of the FlyLady, you’ll love Home Routines. This app allows you to manage your chores by breaking them down by days of the week and time of day. You create lists of jobs that need to be done around the same time, or on the same day. These appear to remind you when you need them, and when you mark each task as complete you get a gold star.
iRewardChart
iRewardChart is an app that brings the traditional reward chart onto mobile device, with a customizable, interactive interface. This app helps parents keep track of their child’s good behavior, and reward them appropriately.
WebMD Baby
This app is designed for parents of children ages 0 to 2-years-old. It features content developed by WedMD including pediatrician-approved health and wellness information to track everything from your baby’s growth to development, a wellness tip that is sent every day, and a baby routine and record keeper that allows parents to record and share baby’s routine (feeds, diaper changes, sleep). There is also a baby book that allows parents to capture baby’s memorable moments including baby’s “firsts” with videos or photos taken on the spot or pulled from your iPhone library.
Have you been using any of these apps? Let us know what you think. Please share your recommendations in the comments below.
