Category: Health »

Game Time Limit for Parents is a new app for iPhone and iPod Touch that limits the length of time these iDevices can be used, enforcing rules and limitations set by parents in terms of screen time.

Brilliant in its simplicity, this app is easy to use, much like setting an alarm on one’s iPhone. When the timer runs out, your child is interrupted by a message telling him that time is up. A password is needed to restore function to the child’s device.

I think this is a great idea that many families will find useful, especially those with older children. I like that you can set an alarm to deal with your children chanting “just five more minutes,” but you can also set it for three hours if you choose, so they have their devices after dinner but will be locked out at bedtime, or maybe during school hours.

This app would be especially useful when siblings share an iPod Touch or iPhone, as a fail-proof way to ensure that each kid gets the same length of screen time.

For right now, I have had no problems simply telling my 2.5 year old that I need my phone back when I want him to be finished. My son is surprisingly gracious about this, but if this changes, I will start using this application.

Mommy to Be is an iPhone pregnancy planning and tracking app. Five screens are available: Today, You, Your Baby, Tips, and Notes. "Today" shows the amount of time in the pregnancy accomplished and left to go, a small blurry ultrasound image of the fetal stage, a due date range, a countdown to the due date, and dates of ovulation and last period. This screen can be emailed. "You" contains a text description of physical, hormonal and emotional changes for the week, with some graphics. "Tips", of course, provides tips such as remembering to take a video recorder to the sonogram, and info on when gender can be discerned. "Notes" is essentially a test editor with a few prompts to start (Day of first visible bump on your belly; Day of first baby movement recognition), and can also be emailed.

My complaints about this app include: the pages are poorly laid out and are not optimized for the mobile screen, the text is too small, the content is not very detailed, and the graphics are too small, blurry, and hokey (such as a hand with a banana near text with nutrition information.) This looks like a poorly designed website that was converted into an app without much thought. There are much better pregnancy iPhone apps out there for your money.

“Your Pregnancy Week By Week” is an application designed to give both basic info and to aid in keeping others informed about your pregnancy. I did like the fact that once you add your dates, this app will keep count of what week you are in and give you some info week to week about the changes your baby is undergoing, and there is a calendar function that could be useful. There is also a blog which allows you to social network and a "Baby Alert" feature that lets you notify a list of contacts when you enter the hospital.

I did have some problems with the information section of this app. The info section is divided into topics. Each topic is illustrated by a photograph, and there are times that the text, (which is white) scrolls over a light section of the image, making it hard to read. The topics were both oddly arranged and chosen, and I also found myself saying “yeah...but” while reading much of the information, sometimes being confused, and sometimes disagreeing with what I was reading. The interface of this app in general was less than intuitive.

Ladies who are very invested in keeping friends and family up-to-date in their pregnancy may enjoy this app. I also like the fact that this app is pro-breast feeding.

Are you the kind of prenatal patient who likes to be a step ahead of the doctors, showing off how much you actually know better than they do? Have you been carefully drafting your birthing plan, reading up on the pitfalls of all of the prenatal, labor, delivery and postnatal interventions so you are prepared to argue against them in a quest for the perfect birthing experience? Then "A Practical Guide to Managing Paediatric Problems on the Postnatal Ward" is for you!

OK, kidding aside. This app is not intended for patients but for doctors, nurses and midwives. It contains a plethora of data and tools for dealing with every manner of postnatal issue, from an Apgar Score calculator to a Weight Converter. An ebook is included with detailed overviews of the newborn exam, abnormal findings, and clinical problems. Included video and audio clips show examples as well.

If you are a doctor, nurse, or midwife, I would certainly hope you would have internalized the information contained within this app and that your hospital would have supplied you with the requisite tools for calculating things like Apgar scores and phototherapy requirements by the time you meet a woman in labor. If you are a medical student or midwife apprentice, this app may be useful to you in your studies.

If you are a prenatal patient, educate yourself by all means, but please relax, enjoy your birthing experience, however it turns out, and leave the medicine to the medical practitioners.

“I love Potty Training” is an application designed to help kids learn to use the toilet. It consists of an eBook for kids, game, and tips for parents, as well as an interactive calendar page to motivate and chart results. A diploma can be mailed when the child has been fully potty trained. There is a version of the eBook for both boys and girls and can be watched in both English and Spanish.

The eBook is well done in parts, but some of it is overwhelming and not necessary for the average child.

I did not like the game "Potty Drop" for my son. The idea is to let the toilet paper fall into the toilet but to avoid the non-flushable items such as teddy bears or sets of keys. I would never put the visual of a teddy bear going into a toilet into the mind of my mischievous son, so I will not let him even look at this game.

The “tips and tricks” section for parents is general in nature, but may be helpful to parents with little information on potty training. More well-read parents may find this section lacking. Personally, I disagreed with some of the advice given. I do give credit to the author for showing the discrete use of the potty in the eBook. I think this is something important for a child to see.

Scotty & Lulu are a British children's musical duo and have been performing together since 1994. The app for iPhone and iPod Touch features some of their best-loved songs, which encourage kids to get up and move with high-energy beats, extra twang, and lyrics describing specific dance moves. Cartoon figures of Scotty & Lulu accompany the songs, providing instructions on the dance moves, such as Wriggle & Twist and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Text for the lyrics scroll up the screen as the song progresses.

The app also has a game mode (one- or two-player modes available) for couch-surfers, in which Scotty & Lulu enter a jumping competition- the player touches the character to get him to jump. I found the response time to be slow and frustrating.

The songs are definitely catchy and inspire children to move. My two-year old had fun wriggling and twisting. However, the graphics in the app add little to the experience and I tend to think it may be a better bet just to load the Scotty & Lulu songs to your iPod or watch the myriad Scotty & Lulu videos on YouTube. For a quick hit of kiddie dance fun, however, this app fits the bill.

This pricey pregnancy app packs a wallop in terms of content and utility- it includes virtually everything a novice prego needs to track, record, and plan for each unfolding detail of the miracle of life growing within. The mom-to-be sets up a profile which includes the name and sex of the baby (I Don't Know is an option), as well as a due date. The My Baby section features a weekly photo-realistic, computer-generated image illustrating fetal appearance, complete with text descriptions of key aspects of development. Several of the images include 3D rotation functionality, allowing mommy to turn and spin baby to view from all angles with the flick of a finger.

The Doctor Says section provides detailed textual overview of development and tips for self-care for the given week of pregnancy. An organizer section is also included, featuring an M.D Visit Planner, To Do list, Newborn Essentials shopping list, and, of course, the inevitable Hospital Bag packing list (do people really pack these bags??).

Possibly the niftiest component of the app is the suite of tools included- a weight tracker (much slicker than the Excel spreadsheet I used), a kick counter, and contraction timer. The kick counter in particular I would have found useful during pregnancy: just hit start and touch the kick button every time that little bundle of joy elbows you in the ribs. When done you have a nice dated report of kicks for the given time interval. Doc will be proud.

The app integrates a great deal of functionality for the pregnant mom into a single clean and streamlined interface. If I were to have another child I would definitely use it.

Ok, it’s time to get a little selfish.... here is an app for Moms. Have you ever been frustrated with your hair and wanted to change either the style or color but were too chicken? Have you ever cut your hair all off and regretted it? Well, I did. I cut my hair off to a short hair-style after the birth of my third child. It was easier to take care for but I didn't like the style and I cried for days. If I only had this app! “Hair Style” is a risk-free way to see what you would look like with a change of style or color. Within the app you take a photo of yourself, line it up and choose a style length - short, medium, or long. There are 45 different choices per length. You have several options on color but the quality is a little off and the tones are not realistic. It does give a good general idea of the shade you may want, though. Save the picture with and bring it to your salon. Touch the “about” button on the style choice and all the information is there for your stylist to achieve the look - the hair type , face shape, styling products used, styling technique, and styling time. I have tried this app out on friends and we were laughing in moments and found new styles for everyone. There are styles for men as well. If you want to see what your man or yourself would look like in a different hairdo then I recommend the app.

“Family Care” is an application that allows you to track the medical and preventative care of your family members. You can create a profile for each loved one and include such helpful resources as health provider address and contact info, health insurance, medications, lab values, and medical expenses. My favorite features include the reference information that’s provided (e.g. immunizations and age specific preventative tests) and the ability to plan and track my Flex Spending Account balance. The application is an easy-to-use, informative, and comprehensive organizational tool that helps centralize vital information for preventative health care. “Family Care” is especially helpful for those in the Sandwich Generation who are caring for both their children and parents.

**I advise anyone using this app to implement the iPhone password protection feature as an added privacy measure.**

When we travel, I always make certain we have access to a white noise device to make sleeping easier and to help drown out all the unfamiliar sounds. I’ve purchased a few soothing sounds off iTunes and I loop them on my iPod. With “White Noise Baby”, I have 17 different sounds at my fingertips and instead of looping them, I listen continuously using the timer for as much time as I’ll need. There are various sounds offered with some being repetitive (grandfather clock, heartbeat) and some monotonous (hair dryer, air conditioner, car ride). This app also offers a few extra features like “baby tips” for sleeping and safety, and a mesmerizing baby rattle. I like that I can play this application while it’s docked to my speaker set, or I can play it at sufficient volume independently. I noticed that the Apple Store reviews for this app are polarized and users seem to either love it or hate it. “White Noise Baby” is a functional, simple, and straightforward app that offers several white noise sounds that will help soothe a young child. If this is what you’re looking for, then this app will most likely work for you.

Pediatric SymptomMD is a physician-endorsed reference tool that caregivers can use to identify and treat their children’s health problems. It has five main categories including a symptom identification index, a “seek help” telephone directory, a pediatric medication dosage table, an option to connect with your pediatrician’s phone number, and a section with special pediatric topics. I’m impressed by the intuitive design and wealth of information offered in this application. It thoroughly defines each health problem (sometimes including visual images), then prioritizes each symptom by advising when and what help might be needed. I’ve successfully used this application twice now – each time following the care advice given – and it worked beautifully! Of course, Pediatric SymptomMD can’t replace the guidance of your health professional, but it’s a helpful resource for overwhelmed caregivers struggling to decide “what do I do next?” It’s a small price to pay for such peace of mind.

This application can accurately be described as a “pocket doula” and “childbirth class in a nutshell”. iBirth focuses mostly on preparing for the childbirth experience by providing videos clips with different positions-of-labor, a prenatal nutrition guide, and tips and lists to get ready for a baby’s birth. It fits a unique niche and nicely supplements most pregnancy application resources I’ve experienced that mainly contain information spanning the months prior to delivery. I especially appreciate the spiritual, enlightened tone to this application with soulful insights and positive affirmations that help to build confidence in mothers and their partners before and during labor. I also value how the publishers are open, supportive, and respectful of different birth plans and embrace a women’s choice or necessity for different modes of childbirth (from natural to medicated).

Baby Geek allows parents and caregivers to track baby-related events such as breast feeding, diaper changes, sleep, growth patterns, immunizations and developmental milestones. As a new parent I’ve struggled to keep myself organized and I’ve yearned for a platform to do all of the above. I can appreciate the convenience of recording all this information in one easily-accessible place like an iPhone/Touch but believe this is not a tool for the average parent. Baby Geek will appeal most to the meticulous, scientific-minded user who has the time and desire to record every minute detail of their baby’s beginnings. The first version of this tool seemed to have a lot of glitches but the latest update appears to have rectified many of these shortcomings and shows great improvement.

Touted as an “all-in-one pregnancy app” – BabyBump delivers – with key features including a journal, calendar, photo album, weekly baby and body information, a kick counter and contraction counter. A recent update even allows you to share your baby’s kick counts and contractions via Twitter and Facebook! Baby Bump gets high marks for intuitive design, well-conceived content, and innovation. We all want to capture the magical aspects of pregnancy, and this app makes it manageable and convenient. Most certainly, with my next pregnancy, this app will be in heavy rotation.