Mobile Mamas: Using Smartphones to Prepare for Baby

What did expectant parents ever do before smartphones? I know books and actually talking to experts were options. How old school. It may not be absolutely vital, but when preparing for your child’s arrival it is handy to have access to so much information in the palm of your hand.

Here are our tops picks for Pregnancy and Parenting Apps:

Pregnancy App, Reader Pick
Pampers Hello Baby: A cover-it-all App to keep you updated on what is happening with your body as well as your baby. Development charts include photos, plus a “womb translator” of what you supposedly sound like to your baby. Free.

New Baby App, Reader Pick
Baby Connect: Record feedings, naps, diaper changes, even baby’s moods. You can sync the App between your and your partner’s phones so you both can stay on track with your little one. It offers entries for multiple children, favorite games, photos and more. You can even set up the App so a babysitter could access all this information from the web or her own iPhone. $4.99.

 Pregnancy/Baby Combo App, Readers Pick
What to Expect: From the iconic pregnancy book by Heidi Murkhoff, the What to Expect Apps are a series that start with a fertility tracker and tips, move to the stages of pregnancy, and end with a first year App that has schedule trackers for your infant. All three Apps are free.

 For the Dads Pick
M Pregnancy- For Men with Pregnant Women: All the growth and development charts are included, just adjusted for a man’s perspective. Like comparing your baby’s size to a beer bottle cap or a football. $2.99.

Best Local Pick
Central Baptist Hospital Baby Names App: Users create “baby blankets” with various combinations of baby names. You can pin the blankets on Pinterest, Tweet them or put them on Facebook so your friends can vote on their favorite name. You can search name categories such as athletes, biblical names, music stars, Disney names or celebrity names. Free. Visit www.centralbap.com or www.cbhbabynames.com for download instructions.

Editor’s Pick
Wee Mail: Every day you receive a message “from your baby.” You still get the informative stuff, like growth and development updates. You also get some humor with the messages from baby, such as “Great. 9 months of solitary for something dad did.” Free.

Just for Fun Pick
Pimp My Ultrasound: Upload your ultrasound picture (or new baby photo) and add a variety of props. Put a hat on your little fetus’ head, add a baseball bat or a pink bow and share the image with your friends. It’s silly fun for 99 cents.