I've done a lot of research on all of the things I'm going to share with you on this blog. When I say research I don't mean scholarly articles. I mean asking and listening to other moms and scouring the depths of Instagram and Tiktok. Today's post takes us to book, app and Instagram recommendations.
Speaking of research, my girl Emily Oster does all the ACTUAL research for us. She has a parenting series of books. I have read the middle, Cribsheet, and plan to read the latest The Family Firm one day. She also has an Instagram account that she answers questions on and shares parts of her blog, ParentData . Her blog has awesome advice and powerful reads. I only subscribe to the free version at this time and have really enjoyed it. The thing I love about her most is that she presents you with all the facts but none of the pressure. She has never made me feel that I should do something a certain way - but has always made me feel informed to make my own decisions. Highly, highly recommend her stuff!
I discovered her after I had already had Charlotte and was significantly pregnant with Mackenzie, so I didn't read Expecting Better but I did read Cribsheet and LOVED it. However, I will preface this with if you aren't someone who functions best with all the information, some of these topics could give you anxiety instead of relief. That all depends on you, so think about that before you read Cribsheet ahead of having your baby. If you think you may be the anxious type, I'd still recommend you purchase the book and have it on hand when you do encounter the stages she discusses. The layout of the book is great for opening to the section you are at in your pregnancy / parenting.
Happiest Baby on the Block has a lot in common with Taking Cara Babies. More on Taking Cara Babies later, but Cara references his research a lot. Happiest Baby on the Block isn't a "must read" but I did enjoy it and learn a lot from it. Likely you'll get that same information elsewhere when learning how to parent - but if you like reading, give it a try.
Baby and Toddler Basics was gifted to me by my good friend who's a pediatrician. The thing I love about it is it's formatted in the form of the questions you'd ask your pediatrician. Looking things up in this book has saved me many many phone calls to my doctor that would have made me feel real dumb. 🤣
So if you're looking to save some face with your doc, check it out.
Now the apps. The picture posted here is a screenshot of my "Baby" folder on my phone. We'll go through them one by one.
Cluster: This is how I share pictures and videos to family and friends who aren't on social. It's a free app that nicely organizes your pictures and videos for viewing. Family and friends have to be invited to your folder to view, like, and comment on your images and videos. If you don't want your kid(s) all over social, this is a great alternative.
Baby Tracker: A free app you can use to track feeds, diapers, sleep and other activities. We only use it for the first two. You can share the information between devices so you and your partner can update from your own phones. When Char was born we had family watching her for the first 7 weeks before I was on summer vacation and we set the app up on an iPad for them to update during the day too. It may seem unnecessary but it really helps to track feeds for two reasons. The first being if you're working on weight gain, you can tell your doctor exactly how much and often your child is eating. The second, it's so easy to lose track of how much time has passed since the last feed. To avoid a full melt down, you can check the app when your baby gets fussy and see "oh yep it's already been 2 hours, you're probably hungry!"
Pump with Elvie: This is the app that goes with the Elvie pump, more on this in a different post...but the wearable pump was so helpful with going back to work.
Hatch Sleep: The Hatch is definitely a splurge baby item but it is totally worth it! The app is also great because you can change the sound and volume right from your phone. I can't tell you how many times that's come in handy when we've had people over past bedtime and we want to up the sound just a bit to not wake the kids :)
The Wonder Weeks: This is a controversial one...some people get freaked out by following The Wonder Weeks -- which helps you identify if your child is going through a developmental leap. The app shares some things your child should be doing during different weeks of their life. While I wouldn't take this information as law, it is helpful to get a clue as to why all of a sudden your baby could be acting totally different. This app was like $2.
Contraction Timer: When we get to my birth stories, you'll see why I needed this! I didn't have it with Charlotte but it was super helpful with Mackenzie. It was also like $2, but I recommend it. When you're having contractions you are too consumed with that to use good ole pen and paper to track what's going on. This is great. It also shares information about different stages of labor. More on this another time :)
Hello Everybody: This is the app that goes with the music classes we do. The app holds all the songs for each curriculum. When you enroll in the class you get a QR code to add more to your app. If you are looking into baby/toddler music, I highly recommend the Music Together program. You can find locations on their website. As a teacher I appreciate that it's researched backed and very family inclusive. There is a true curriculum and they follow some basic learning principles that set a foundation for all types of learning - not just musical. The repetition, movement, and family involvement are a great foundation to the rest of learning to come!
Disney+: Obviously. Screen time isn't a babysitter but let's be honest sometimes Mom and Dad just want to eat at restaurant in peace...
Skylight: For Christmas last year we got my Grandma a Skylight photo frame and it's very easy to share updates of the great-grandkids via this app. She loves it! My grandma is pretty high tech for 80+ but if someone in your life is less tech-savvy, I highly recommend something like this.
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