When I was asked to review the new Parents Sense App, I was super excited! The timing couldn't be better what with it being Lockdown and new mamas being forced to stay at home, unable to go out and buy the actual book!
Let's be honest, I think every mom in South Africa has heard of the book, Baby Sense. There are actually 8 books written by Meg Faure and all of them have contributed to raising thousands of children around our country.
Books are great, but let's be honest. We are a technology-loving generation. We want the information to be at our fingertips - not a book gathering dust on our nightstand. Books also don't speak to each mom and baba individually - whereas with the app it has made this possible.
What I love the most? It has been designed to accommodate prematurely born babies! When Nunu was born, I found most books and apps useless as they asked for Nunu's birth date instead of his due date which was a 7 weeks difference. I battled as a mom, thinking my baby was always behind in his milestones when really it was a badly designed app that didn't allow for the natural development of prem babies. For me, it makes this app a winner.
There are four sections to the app- sleep, feed, health and play.
Sleep - This shows clearly awake versus sleep time and is individual to YOUR baby - how amazing is that? The app can assist you in developing a sleep routine by logging the times that your baby sleeps.
Feed - This would've been incredibly helpful when I had Nunu! It gives a guide as to when to start solids and there is a toggle to choose between breast and bottle. It also gives the quantities in wide ranges so that you know what the accepted range is because, once again, our babas are unique and not all of them will eat or drink the same amount. No more guessing if baba is getting enough!
Health - Life changer. The app lists all of the vaccines your baba needs and prompts you when the next one is due! There is also a weight chart.
Play - This includes a developmental milestone chart and you can record each event as it happens. No more guessing or looking through the baby book - all the info is easily accessible. There are stimulation ideas to do at home as well as important topics such as positive boundaries.
A second release is planned for July! The app will suggest feed ideas including snacks and easy meals.You will be able to share the app with your nanny/day mom so they can see the routine too!