Expressive Moms: Useful Tools

I love apps. It began as a slight infatuation that grew to an obsession and culminated in a hoard. At last count, I had over 500 apps installed on my iPhone. Sure, I don't use all of them regularly ... but that doesn't mean I won't ever need them ...

It took some time and sorting, but I've found several that will make your life easier as an Expressive Mom. Below in no particular order:

1. Baby Connect ($4.99): the single most useful app I own. Seriously. I use it every single day. The daycare we chose introduced us to Baby Connect as it is their means for delivering daily reports (sidebar: for all the apps I own, I've never spent more than 99¢ on any one and the vast majority were free ... so I would have never purchased this on my own). My husband and I both downloaded the app so we could track and monitor our son's day and input our information in it to have a wholistic view of his feedings, diapers, sleep schedule, etc. This app is incredibly user-friendly and has every kind of functionality I could want, including line and bar graphs for the business nerds in all of us. You can easily log your pumping sessions by minutes and volume. You can also track bottle feedings and nursings, if you use both / either. The interface makes it easy to follow if you're pumping enough milk for how much your baby is consuming on a daily / weekly / monthly basis (!) This alone is worth the investment!! I could go on and on ...

2. SitorSquat (free): Momma, face it, sooner or later you're gonna need to pump in public. And if you're in a pinch, you'll need a bathroom fast. This is a great app for locating where you can go, if you'll need to pay or buy something and what the opening hours are. This will also be handy when your little one is learning to go potty, too!

3. AroundMe (free): another favorite - useful for finding whatever you may need. Drugstore? ATM? Gas station? You can opt to search by category or by name location. Need to pack up your milk to ship it? Search for Airgas locations!

4. Baby Buzz (free): offers pre-packaged advice from The Bump, but the most useful piece is the open forum for moms. Have a question? Post here and moms and mums from all over the world will reply within minutes. It's pretty amazing. I found myself checking in often for updates to my questions but also to participate in the forum and offer my own advice. Sometimes it's just a good place to vent, other moms are listening and can offer support. Be warned, these are moms, so they can get bitchy and catty.

5. Baby Einstein ($4.99): I downloaded this app on special (it was free), so I don't know if I have a limited or full version. Includes 3x videos. I am a bit anti-TV for baby, but I don't mind snuggling and watching a three minute Baby Einstein video on my iPhone together. It's actually very sweet to see my son's eyes light up with wonder over the videos. And if I'm trying to watch him while I pump, I need something that can distract his attention away from my pump (which he thinks is the best toy ever!)

6. USPS (free): If you're packing up your milk and shipping it, you'll need this to help you find a post office nearby.

7. UPS (free): And if the USPS won't work, try this app for a nearby UPS location. Better than the FedEx app, which requires a login to use.

A few other apps I've downloaded that weren't as useful include: iBreastfeed, Pump@Work, Parenting, Parenting 101, and What to Expect Baby. In theory, these all seemed to be great, but they lacked depth, functionality and usability for my tastes.

BONUS! TANGO (free): Video calls that use your data plan and don't require WiFi. Also, it allows you to use your iPhone to talk with anyone who has ANY smartphone ... my mom has an Android, I have an iPhone and we video chat all the time. Be warned though, if you don't have an unlimited / generous data plan, this may not be for you. Not necessarily going to help you as an Expressive Mom, but I absolutely love this app, so I feel compelled to share.