Technology has changed our lives in so many ways. It has made it easier to connect with the people we care about, to find information, to read and watch TV, and play games. Parenting is no exception!

We’ve heard many grandparents say that they’re jealous of all the technology available to parents today. So while of course it’s important to set limits and monitor your children’s “screen time,” it’s also okay to embrace the ways technology makes life easier for moms!

There are a ton of apps out there that make it easier for moms to manage everything they’re trying to juggle, from feeding schedules to play dates and school projects to sports schedules. Any parent will also tell you that technology makes it easier for them to find some quiet time when the kids are occupied with their favorite game!

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite parenting apps here at Great Mother Heart.

Artkive

Ask any mom how much paperwork and art their kids bring home from school and you’re bound to hear one common answer – it’s SO MUCH PAPERWORK! And while we love seeing all of their hard work, if we kept everything we would soon be buried in it! Artkive takes care of that problem for you.

Artkive allows you to take a picture of your children’s work and store it in the app. You can organize the pictures by child and by age. You can even grant family members access to your account so they can see all of your kids’ masterpieces. Artkive Concierge gives you the option of having a hardcover, professionally digitized book printed of your children’s artwork!

Netflix

Okay, okay, we know this isn’t technically a parenting app. But Netflix is such a great resource when you need just a few minutes to make dinner or get through a long wait at the doctor’s office with a sick and tired kiddo.

Netflix has the best of children’s programming available. You can create a Kids profile so they can’t access anything inappropriate. Some of our favorites for little kids are Veggie Tales, The Magic School Bus, and Baby Einstein. My older kids enjoy the Air Bud movies, Home, Minions, and Fuller House.

Sprout Baby

My “baby” is almost seven, so it’s been along time since I’ve had an infant. I can remember wishing there was some super-easy way to track how much she was eating and sleeping and all of the other milestones that are so important.

Sprout Baby helps new parents track it all! You can track sleeping, feeding, milestones, and even immunizations and medical records. You can also document your favorite memories and share them with family and friends.

YouTube Kids

I was very slow to allow my kids to spend any time using YouTube. I made sure I was in the room with them when they were searching for things to watch and even then they occasionally managed to land on videos that weren’t quite appropriate. But YouTube Kids is such a great app! It allows kids to search only for age-appropriate videos and filters out anything not appropriate for kids.

Mobicip

Just as I was hesitant about YouTube, I was also worried about my kids using the internet. Even with the safety settings in place on our devices, it was still far too easy for them to find inappropriate content. Mobicip saved the day!

Available for use on phones, tablets, and computers, Mobicip is a search engine, just like Google Chrome or Firefox, but it filters out any inappropriate for kids. Parents have a tracking app on their phone that will send you alerts about your kids’ internet usage and if they try to search anything inappropriate.

Epic! Books

My kids love to read so I’m always on the look out for ways to foster that love of books. We’re on the go a lot and I don’t always remember to grab a book for them to read in the car. E-books are a great resource and we love Epic! books.

Epic is a bank of e-books and audiobooks for kids. There are 20,000 titles available, including many popular titles. Epic! Tracks how much time your kids have spent reading and sends you a report tracking their progress.

 Cozi

Some days it feels like parents have about one million things to keep track of – games, practices, doctors appointments, school work, the list goes on and on. It can be even more difficult to coordinate your schedule with your partner. You have to know who is picking the kids up from school, who is taking them to practice, etc.

Cozi allows you to track everything, including your calendar, to-do list, grocery list, even recipes. You can also use the Family Journal feature to track your favorite family memories.

 

We want to hear from you! What is your favorite app?