Does the app help reduce the mental burden of a new parent?

It was the most spiritual mental arithmetic I’ve done since school.

The numbers weren’t complicated, but there were many. They were difficult to track down. When was the last time our new boy slept, and how long did he sleep? When was the last time he fed? What time did you last change his diaper?

As I learned when I brought my son out in the summer of 2021, becoming a new parent is overwhelming in many ways.

In addition to sleep deprivation, emotional upheavals, and almost incomprehensible overhauls of everyday life, there is also a long list of information that needs to be tracked in the head.

We were first recommended Huckleberry When our boy was about 4 months old. I was skeptical at first. The app that records your baby’s daily habits sounded great on paper, but the colorful display full of various boxes and information that’s hard to read without squinting reminds you of an Excel spreadsheet. I did. How do you find the time to actually log everything? If you’re having a hard time remembering how long your baby has been taking a nap, how do you record your baby’s sleep and wake-up times?

The question I immediately noticed was unfounded. When I started using Huckleberry and got into the rhythm, it turned out to be incredibly useful. Will it help my wife immediately remember which side she last ate at midnight, or when will it help me understand? My wife was sleeping, he will probably need the next diaper change. And it didn’t take long before I realized that there were many other parents on the same path.

So how common is it to use such an app? How do they really help? And do they work for everyone? We spoke with parents, Huckleberry, and the Postpartum Depression Awareness and Support Foundation (PANDAS) for more information.

Examples of various huckleberry displays.
Credit: Huckleberry

A 32-year-old from Hampshire, England, Beth Hawkins became the first mother during a pandemic. She told Mashable that she got lost before using the app.

“Before I had a baby, I was very happy with the flow, but I was a new mom and I was trapped in my house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the pandemic (at that time we were for exercise). It was time for me!), I felt trapped and wanted to enter. Some form of routine to help us all spend the day a little easier and with less tiring tears, “she said. Explained. She said, “I read a lot about how important baby routines are. The Huckleberry app was a great start to show me at 11am today. need to do it Hot coffee was freely available and mentally it helped me assemble our day. “

Hawkins used this app to track when he put his son to sleep, how long he slept, and when he woke up again.

“These apps are a great way to collect all this information, figure out what your child is doing from food and sleep, and know that they are doing a great job as a mother. But I recommend it. “Hawkins said.

“But for those who feel that just keeping track of these times, given all this information, doesn’t know what to do or how to improve sleep and eating as needed, loneliness. I advise you not to feel. To ask for help. “

Hawkins was finally able to contact a sleep consultant and use the data recorded in the app to create a better sleep routine for his son. With her experience, she left her marketing career, trained her to become a sleep consultant for her child, and set up her own company. Baby at night in the starry skyTo help other moms.

Along with sleeping, eating was another big topic when I talked to my parents.

“When you’re not sleeping and desperately trying to calm your crying baby, it’s surprisingly easy to forget if you gave your baby medicine.”

Ian MacAllen, a 40-year-old writer and graphic designer from Brooklyn, New York, used the $ 4.99 / month app. Baby Connect To track the food and medication doses of his first child.

“At the two-week health check, the pediatrician was worried that the baby wasn’t gaining enough weight,” he explained. “Baby ate only breast milk, but preferred bottled milk. Tracked the amount of milk the baby was drinking and started using the app to feed as often as the pediatrician wanted. rice field.”

When a pediatrician advised to replenish breast milk after 6 weeks, McAllen and his wife used the app to track the amount and time of breastfeeding, as well as whether breastfeeding or infant formula. Did.

“I tried to track the bait with a pen and notepad for a few days, but the notepad was never in the same place as the bait. It was easy to forget to record the bottle. It’s much more likely that you have a smartphone. It’s more expensive. You can put it in your pocket rather than a notepad and sync the data on everyone’s phone so anyone can feed. “

A regurgitation medication prescribed to prevent the baby from vomiting after breastfeeding was also recorded in the app.

“When you’re not sleeping and desperately trying to calm your crying baby, it’s surprisingly easy to forget if you gave your baby medicine,” McAllen said.

Elena Veleva, an IT consultant living in Sofia, Bulgaria, BabyTracker..

“When my eldest daughter was born, I had a hard time breastfeeding and was trying to track the amount of milking, the amount of milk powder and milk she drank, whether she was gaining weight properly, and the number of diapers. I kept recording it in my notes for my phone app, but it took too long and it wasn’t easy to analyze the data, “Veleva said.

“BabyTracker helped me easily track my daughter’s breastfeeding and gradually relieve my anxiety that my daughter wasn’t getting enough nutrition. Eventually, I stopped prescribing and breastfeeding. I grew up on my own. This was my goal. “

As you probably know, the use of such apps is quite widespread among parents. Huckleberry spokesman told Mashable that their app serves more than 1.4 million families worldwide, with the most popular features depending on the age of the child (parents said in the newborn month. Use the app “like a second brain”, but sleep will be a bigger focus later).

Of course, using Huckleberry means entering a lot of data. How this data was processed and where it was sent was at the forefront of my mind the more I used the service, especially given the following frequency: big scale hack Needless to say in recent years leak When Misuse of data between technology companies..

A Huckleberry spokeswoman said, “We use industry best practices to protect data in transmission and storage, including using the latest encryption standards. Use in-transit, in-save, and asymmetric encryption. I am doing it. ” “Authentication is tightly controlled for users and internal teams. We will not provide personal data to third parties or service providers without the consent of the user. App. Data is a more personalized experience. And used to provide recommendations to users. “

Data questions aside, is an app that can track every detail of your baby’s life always useful? Is there a risk of getting hooked on numbers or trying to adapt your baby to a routine that isn’t ready yet?

Sally Bunkham, Communication and Development Manager PandaA British support organization for parents with perinatal mental illness emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

“A well-researched and well-thought-out tracker app can help you gain valuable insights and timely information reminders about your baby’s behavior and needs. As long as the information is provided, to avoid it. We can provide a useful framework, with the understanding that it’s just that, not a complete list of what your baby should and shouldn’t do. ”

“Every baby is different and grows at different times. Trackers tend not to allow this. Parents are more likely to fall into the trap of reading everything their babies” should “by age, which is the cause. You may be worried about it. it’s not. We teach parents according to their instincts based on knowing their baby and follow their routine (if they have / choose) to build their own confidence in the practicality of parenting. I want it.

“The app is not designed to take into account additional health and nutritional needs that may be advised by health care professionals. Sleep and diet patterns are different for all babies. It is important that this is a parent or caretaker and baby. Guided to ensure that their needs are fully met and not only dependent via digital apps. “

I will continue to use huckleberries, at least for the time being. Like most decisions I’ve made regarding my new son, choosing the right thing is never easy.But the app at least makes everyday routine Everything that is easier and can offload it — most new parents probably know everything well — can’t be underestimated.