Wednesday, February 23, 2011

iPhone/iPod App Review: Similac Baby Journal

I try to live a fairly simple life, free from a lot of technology.  Having said that, my husband embraces technology and because of that, we ended up with both an iPhone and an iPod.  Since he no longer was using the iPod, he gave it to me.  The first thing I did was delete a bunch of apps he had on it and only left the ones that I found to be somewhat useful.  Honestly, I could live without any of them and be just as happy.  That all changed when I downloaded the new Similac Baby Journal.  Of course, my kids are too old for me to get a whole lot of use from this app, but if this existed when I my kids were infants, I would have gotten a whole lot of use out of it and maybe even a greater appreciation for the iPod as a whole.

About the app:
The app has ways for a new parent to track the length of time when your baby sleeps, how long they nurse and from which side or how many ounces they eat from the bottle, and how often they have wet and/or dirty diapers, you can also track the color and consistency of the dirty diapers.  The app also allows you to track your baby's measurements including weight, length and head circumference.  You can also add your own notes to each journal entry.  You can e-mail your journal entries to whoever you may want to share it with, such as dad or the pediatrician.  As time goes on, you can look at the patterns in your baby's activities and the program will help you estimate when the next feeding or diaper change will be, or when the baby will be getting tired.  There are also a bunch of tips for you regarding feeding, sleeping, diapers, milestones, and tips specifically for the mom or dad.  There is also 24/7 access you can call for expert feeding help.  For those of you who have multiples or babies really close in age, you can add additional babies after you finish setting the app up.

My thoughts:
I was not really sure what to expect from a formula company, especially regarding nursing, but I was thrilled with this app.  I would have loved to have had all the journal entries with me when I went to the babies appointments and having an easy way to remember which side the baby nursed on last is essential to building up a good milk supply on both sides.  I also found the tips to be helpful, especially for a first-time mom.  I am impressed with how helpful this would be to a new mom and the fact that it is a FREE app, is even better :)


***Disclaimer***
While my opinion is always my own, I was compensated by Collective Bias, a Similac partner, in exchange for reviewing this app.

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