Soon after Zayden was born, a friend told me about the Total Baby App for iTouch and iPhone. The application allows you to record data on all aspects of your baby’s life. While I didn’t use every feature (I don’t want to micromanage my baby), I did find this app helpful for several different things.

Learning my baby’s patterns: At first I used the app to record dirty diapers, length of feedings and amount of sleep. Not only does the app record the event itself, but it also keeps track of how long it has been since it last occurred. I found it really helpful when Z would start fussing because instead of going through the laundry list of possibilities (tiredness, hunger, wet diaper, boredom), I could quickly check the main screen and easily identify the most likely culprit. I quickly learned that he needed a nap every 2 hours or so, that he wanted to nurse every 3-4 hours and that he rarely got too upset about dirty diapers.

Testing Cloth Diapers: The application allows you to track diaper leaks and make notes about them, which we found helpful when we were trying to decide which cloth diapers worked best for us. We quickly learned which diapers leaked too much and which provided the best fit.

Tracking improvements in sleep patterns: As I have mentioned before, I found it helpful throughout Zayden’s life to keep track of how much he was sleeping. I didn’t do this everyday, but would do it from time to time, usually for no longer than 3-5 days. I would keep track for two reasons: 1) to double check that Z was getting the recommended amount of sleep in a given day and 2) to give my sleep-deprived self some concrete reassurance that things were indeed getting better. This app made keeping track of his sleep super easy, especially at night when I didn’t want to fumble around in the dark for a pen and paper to jot down his awake times.

Solid Foods: When we first introduced solids, I used Total Baby to record his meals, so that whenever we introduced a new food we would have a record of it in case of adverse reactions. Once again, I found this more convenient than trying to keep track on a piece of paper that could easily get misplaced in the aftermath of Hurricane Zayden.

Customizable Timers: I’ve used this feature a couple of times. When Z was very young, I would use it to time the amount of tummy time he was getting in a day because he usually wouldn’t tolerate it for very long, so I would try to make sure that he got frequent small amounts of tummy time and used the timer both to remind me to do it and to calculate the total amount of tummy time he got each day. More recently I have used it with sleep training to track his amount of crying, once again wanting to reassure myself that things are improving.

Features I Never Used: The bath time timer–I’m still not sure why someone would want to time the amount of time their child was in the bath, unless maybe people who don’t bathe their children everyday want to keep track so that they don’t forget to bathe them for a month or something. The diary function–I record milestones and other important events in his baby book, but I could see this feature appealing to tech savvy parents. Tech savvy parents might also like the doctor feature, which allows you to electronically track baby’s appointments, immunizations, etc.

Overall, I’ve found the Total Baby App to be well worth the $4.99.