5 apps every mother and father should download

Being a parent in the twenty first century can be super-cool! Technology has made things possible that, before the beginning of the knowledge age, had either been a manual pen and paper exercise or, for that matter, just did not exist. The number of tools, toys and taps available to parents today is incredible with apps now second nature when it comes to everything about mom-ming and dad-ding. Here are 5 very useful online resources that do just that.

1. What to Expect is probably one of the most useful, insightful and most often referable apps that every parent should have on their phone. It tracks, advises, illustrates from getting pregnant through to fetal development, pregnancy, birthing, parenting during the early years through to toddler care. It is articles, pictures, life-stage measures and community forums provide a wealth of information, tips and advice that has become an invaluable bible to first time parents and even those well-versed in nappy drills.
2. While it is not an app per se, but rather a Facebook community, Mamahood for moms and Dadventure for guys are two must-belongs. Dadventure has well over a hundred thousand guys from all over the world sharing feelings, thoughts and advice in a legion of conversational threads. It is a safe place where guys open to one another to provide emotional, experiential and collective wisdom. So too, is Mamahood for moms. A forum to exchange ideas, tips, feelings and practicalities of everyday life. Mamahood is more localized than Dadventure, and many women forge new friendships and organize playdates in this group.
3. Baby Monitor is an Android app that works exactly like, a baby monitor. It alerts you when your baby is crying either via an alarm set on your phone or via a text message or a phone call. It also takes a pic of the crying infant and sends it to your phone, keeps a virtual sleep diary and features advice from experts about sleep patterns, how to get your baby to sleep and many other useful parenting info bytes. 
4. Yummly is an awesome resource. It has a powerful search engine that has catalogued over 2 million recipes and dietary information for every kind of dietary challenge. Whether it is on how to cook for allergies, menu ideas and nutrition, Yummly is an incredible resource for families. It also allows for upfront personalization and ergo inbound results will be algorithmically customized to the specific needs of you, your spouse and your kids. Best is, it creates shopping lists, too.
5. The Mediclinic Baby app is a South African app that, like What to Expect, but not as vast, takes parents through the entire journey of pregnancy, important date trackers, expert tips and advice and importantly, a vaccination informational and reminder section that allows tracking and appointment listing. There’s post-natal information and it is customizable to track baby-weight for the first 12 months of their earthly welcome. What is great is also a packing tips list for moms and dads, a check-list for the hospital run as junior’s imminent arrival nears birthing.

Make sure, when looking for useful parenting apps, that you check user reviews and whether there are in-app purchases, upfront payments or recurring subscriptions against your credit card.

Some sneaky developers can end up costing parents their monthly nappy budget in data or subs, while others like Tom the Cat, flood screens with annoying coin-earning games every few minutes. Choose your apps wisely, and they will enhance and enrich the parenting experience with knowledge and experience-based information from around the globe.