The Best Apps for Parents
“There’s an app for that!” That saying is so true, especially if you’re a parent who uses a smartphone to stay organized, shop, and do the other millions of things you do each day. I personally use several helpful apps each day. I put together this list of best apps for parents to let you know about the ones I find useful and others that might help you save money, check on your kiddos, stay fit, and more.
Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash
Check out these best apps for parents and then scroll down to the comments and let me know about some of yours. I may add them to this list in a future update!
Best Apps for Parents of Babies and Toddlers
Try one of these apps to stay on track of your baby or toddler’s development, feedings, sleep schedule, and more.
BabySparks
BabySparks is the ultimate parent app for parents of babies and toddlers through age three. This app gives you tons of activities to do every day with your little one that cater to all areas of development, from cognitive to social-emotional. And, they’re all focused on your child’s age and developmental level, so you can make sure she’s only doing stuff she’s capable of doing.
BabyCenter
When my two kids were babies, I used the BabyCenter forums for answers to everything. Now, there’s an app available for all the baby development news and parenting tips you need.
Download BabyCenter on the App Store or Google Play.
Baby Feeding Log
Trying to keep track of feedings, diaper changes, and everything else when you’re a sleep-deprived parent can be challenging, to say the least. This app helps you log all that stuff. You’ll especially love it if you’re a nursing mama.
Download Baby Feeding Log here.
Cloud Baby Monitor
Don’t have a baby monitor available? You can turn your smartphone and another device into a monitoring system! Keep one device in your baby’s room and you can watch your baby from your smartphone wherever you are. This can also come in handy when you have a babysitter caring for your little one.
Download Cloud Baby Monitor here.
What To Expect
What To Expect is the holy grail for parents, so it’s no surprise that its app is chock-full of parenting info and tips that you can’t do without. Of course, it can also help you understand everything that’s going on with your pregnancy, just like the tried-and-true books do.
MyMedela
Get a personalized dashboard with all your baby’s developmental details on the MyMedela app. You can also have 24/7 access to a lactation consultant to help with any nursing troubles.
Best Apps for Health
If you’re anything like me, your health often gets placed on the backburner second to the health of your kids. But it’s crucial to stay on top of your fitness for your physical and mental health, and these health apps help you do that.
Lumosity
Lumosity is all about your mental health. Use it for daily brain exercises in the form of games that are designed to make you more alert, improve your memory, and more.
Heal
Heal lets you connect with real doctors when you have a health concern about yourself or your kiddo. There are also doctors who make house calls seven days a week.
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is my go-to for keeping track of my daily calories, macros, and workouts every day. It’s so easy to use, and it’s the most accurate one I’ve found for staying on track for my nutritional goals.
Talkspace
Parents are often the people who need to talk to a therapist most, yet the hustle and bustle of daily lives doesn’t usually let us do so. When you need someone to talk to, you can connect with Talkspace to speak with a licensed therapist on demand.
WebMD
WebMD is one of the most popular health resources on the web. Its app gives you that information and more, like a symptom checker, drug information, and first aid tips.
MommyMeds
Use MommyMeds if you’re breastfeeding to check on the safety of over-the-counter and prescription medications. You won’t want to rely on it solely, but it can come in handy when you’re waiting on your doc to call you back or get you in for an appointment.
Download MommyMeds on the App Store and Google Play.
7 Minute Workout
It’s never been easier to squeeze in a workout than it is with 7 Minute Workout. The workouts are based on high intensity circuit training (HICT) to give you quick, fat-burning exercises that you can fit into your busy schedule.
Download 7 Minute Workout on the App Store and Google Play.
Beachbody on Demand
I love working out with Beachbody. There are so many different types of workouts and amazing trainers on this platform, all at your fingertips whenever you’re ready to exercise. You can even do several of them for free without paying for a subscription each month or year.
Download Beachbody On Demand here.
Best Apps for Organization and Productivity
Magic happens when you feel organized, amiright? These organization and productivity apps will help you stay on top of things.
Oh, Pocket – what would I do without you? I come across so many articles online that I want to read, but I usually come across them when I don’t have time to read them. That’s where Pocket comes in. You can save the article to Pocket to read later from wherever you happen to be reading it. I also love it for curating some content inspiration for my blog.
Remember The Milk
This is a simple, easy-to-use reminder app that notifies you of anything you need to remember, from picking up groceries to your kid’s early morning Saturday soccer game.
Download Remember The Milk here.
Cozi
Cozi is a family organizer app to track appointments, organize grocery lists, and more. You can sync your info with your significant other and kids to make sure everyone stays updated.
Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash
Evernote
I personally love my phone’s app for notes, but I’ve heard others rave about Evernote. This app keeps all your notes, deadlines, reminders, lists, and more, in one convenient spot on your phone.
Dashlane
Tired of having to reset your passwords for all the sites you’re registered with? (Been there, done that!) Try Dashlane, which saves your passwords, login information, payment options, and more, to let you navigate the mobile web quickly.
Artkive
I never get rid of any artwork one of my kids makes for me, but that can lead to clutter and tons of boxes of art piling up in storage. Instead, you can send everything over to Artkive using its app and the company will turn your child’s art into a book or framed mosaic for you to treasure forever.
Best Apps for Recipes and Meals
Whether you love or hate cooking, these apps can make meal creation way simpler.
Fooducate
If you’re on a weight loss journey, then Fooducate can guide you along by grading your nutrition as you go.
If you don’t have Pinterest yet, run there now and download it. I love this app for finding and saving all kinds of recipes to try later.
Download Pinterest on the App Store or Google Play.
AllRecipes Dinner Spinner
Browse the incredible selection of AllRecipes offerings for dinners right from your mobile device.
Download AllRecipes Dinner Spinner here.
Yummly
Yummly lets you browse tons of recipes for cooking inspiration and save them to your digital recipe box to use when you need them.
EveryPlate
I’ve been an EveryPlate subscriber for about a year now and I’m a such a fan. I love cooking but I sometimes run out of inspiration for new meal ideas. So, I order two or three meals a week from EveryPlate just to give us something different to try that I normally wouldn’t make. I seriously can’t say enough good things about EveryPlate!
The meals are easy to make and I have yet to try a meal I haven’t loved. And it’s so easy to skip a week, change your meals, and even change your subscription plan to meet your needs for the week or month.
The EveryPlate app is a helpful addition, allowing you to do all that stuff with your phone instead of jumping on the computer to do it. You can also track your deliveries and see the full instructions for each recipe.
–>Want to try EveryPlate for yourself? Sign up with this link and get a $20 credit toward your first box (you’ll give me one, too, so thank you!).<–
Download EveryPlate on the App Store or Google Play.
Best Shopping Apps
To me, the best kind of shopping trip is one that saves me time and money. The below online shopping apps help me do both whenever I shop.
Ibotta
Ibotta is, hands down, one of the best shopping apps you’ll find. I’ve used Ibotta for a while now and I consistently earn money every single month on it just by grocery shopping. You can also use it for online shopping and grocery delivery or pickup, too!
One of my favorite things about Ibotta is that you earn even more when you get your “team members” to save money with you. As long as they’re redeeming offers, you can earn team bonuses to ramp up your earnings.
Download Ibotta here and use my referral code TWMLGFB to sign up as a member of my team!
Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash
Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix is my go-to when I need to add a few cute tops or bottoms to my closet. My stylists have been amazing at listening to my style preferences and sending me stuff I’ll actually wear that I probably wouldn’t have normally picked if I was shopping. You can read my full Stitch Fix review here.
Stitch Fix also has an app that lets you contact your stylist, schedule fixes, checkout, and more.
Download Stitch Fix here and get $25 to try Stitch Fix just for signing up with my referral link (you give me $25 to shop, too, so thank you)!
Woot!
Woot! is an Amazon company that lists the company’s daily deals that can save you money on everything from household goods to electronics. The app is perfect for scrolling and shopping on the go.
Basket
Basket compares prices of things you need to buy between grocery stores near you that you shop at, so you’ll never again wonder if you’re overpaying.
Boxed
Boxed is a wholesale shopping club with no membership needed. Get bulk stuff for low prices, and you can do all your shopping in the app.
Instacart
Find grocery stores near you that use Instacart, and get your groceries delivered to your home in as little as two hours. I use this app all the time to buy from my local Aldi!
Download Instacart here and get $10 off your first order (you’ll give me $10, too, so thank you!).
Best Money-Saving Apps
As a mom, I love to save money however I can. I use these apps to keep a little extra cash in my pocket and my savings:
Rakuten
Rakuten is the former Ebates, and it works just as well as Ebates did. Use the site to visit other sites, make purchases, and get cashback into your Rakuten account. It’s the perfect way to save money every time you shop.
Download Rakuten here and earn your first $10 for FREE when you sign up.
Digit
Do you struggle to save money? Digit makes it ridiculously easy by analyzing your income and expenses and figuring out exactly what you can afford to save. Then, it does it automatically for you.
GasBuddy
There’s no need to drive around and waste gas to find the best gas prices when you have GasBuddy. No matter where you are, you can see the prices of all the gas stations near you to plan your trip and fill-up.
Acorns
Acorns is my absolute favorite savings app. Hook it up to your regular spending account and it’ll invest spare change leftover from your purchases. You can choose your investments or have Acorns pick what’s likely best for you based on your preferences.
Varo
Varo offers an online savings account with high-yield interest to help you make money on everything you save. The app keeps you in control of your account whenever you need to access it.
Best Travel Apps
Traveling gives you memories to treasure forever. Let these apps help you plan your family trips.
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor is the ultimate planning tool to find hotels, restaurants, and activities where you want to travel. Use the app for booking your stays, saving trip itineraries, and mapping out your routes.
Roadtrippers
Roadtrippers lets you add your travel destinations to your itinerary and then will map out your route for you with detailed navigation.
Momondo
Momondo comes from Booking.com to help you find the cheapest flights for your trip. You can also check car rental and hotel prices.
Localscope
Localscope shows you attractions, stores, restaurants, and other places to visit near you, so it’s the perfect addition to your family vaca.
Best Chore Apps
There’s no denying that getting kids involved with chores at an early age promotes a sense of responsibility, good financial habits, and more. Keep track of family chores with these apps.
Homey
Homey not only organizes the chores for your family, but it also lets you transfer allowance to your child’s account when they earn it.
BusyKid
This app lets your kids collect their allowance from chores and invest it how they want to, including sharing and spending money.
Kiddie Kredit
Kiddie Kredit is an awesome app for teaching kids the value of money. Use the app to “pay” your child in credit when he or she completes a chore. They can then use that credit for screentime, playtime, and other rewards.
Best Cell Phone Monitoring Apps for Parents
Not all parents agree with monitoring their kid’s phone usage, but others swear by using a parental control app to keep their child safe. Instead of wondering how to monitor your kids phone, try one of these best safety apps for parents that help you keep an eye on things.
Kidguard
Kidguard reviews from happy parents show that this app is one of the best of its kind. You can use it to monitor text messages, view calls, and see what apps are installed on your child’s phone.
Bark
Bark is an award-winning option for parental control apps. The app lets you manage the amount of screentime your child gets each day, which apps they can access, and who they can communicate with. You’ll also get alerts when potential issues arise.
MamaBear
If you’re looking for the best free parental control app, try MamaBear. There’s a free version with ads that lets you monitor social media, see your child’s location, and more.
Best Apps for Parents to Connect
Whether you need some mom friends in your life or a sitter you can count on, these apps can find what you need through meaningful connections.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Peanut
Peanut is like a networking app for moms. Find other women who are similar to you in their parenting styles, work habits, and more, and build lasting friendships.
Wolf + Friends
Wolf + Friends is a networking app specifically for moms of kids with special needs to get advice, support, event information, and more.
Tinybeans
Do you have family and friends who live far away? Keep everyone connected with the Tinybeans app, where you can share photos, memories, and stories with anyone you want to share them with.
SitterCity
Type in your zip code and find reliable babysitters – all of whom have been vetted for you – in your area. You can even access their background checks.
What’s on Your List of the Best Apps for Parents?
Do you use any of the above apps already? Which ones do you want to try most?
I’d love to know what apps you’d include in your list of best apps for parents. Leave me a comment below and let me know!
Amy is a mom of two, freelance writer, and blog manager who works with family-focused businesses to improve their content strategies. You can find her published work on Reader’s Digest Online, MSN, Niche, Frugal For Less, and other lifestyle publications.
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