As a new parent you have little time and energy. Below are the apps that are worth it, filtered for usefulness and honesty.
Tracking feeds and sleep
Baby Tracker (Sprout Baby / Huckleberry)
In the first months you sleep so little that you no longer remember when your baby last fed. Apps like Huckleberry (sleep analysis) or Baby Tracker keep track for you. Huckleberry has a free version and a paid version with tailored sleep advice.
Ovia Baby
Follows your baby's development week by week. Explains growth spurts and milestones. Free, in English.
Photos and memories: where it goes wrong
Most parents take dozens of photos a day but don't keep them anywhere in an organised way. That's the category you'll regret later.
Ouderliefde (recommended for parents in the Netherlands)
A Dutch app for photos, milestones, drawings and school reports. A co-parent can contribute, and the grandparents follow along through their own secure link. There's a free starter plan for parents who want to begin without paying straight away. Read more in our article on free baby diary apps in the Netherlands.
Tinybeans
Popular internationally (4 million+ users), but entirely in English. Free basic version with ads. For Dutch parents an app in their own language is often more pleasant. See Tinybeans alternatives for parents in the Netherlands.
Health and care
Mijn Groei (GGD / JGZ)
The official app of the Dutch youth health service. Growth charts, vaccination schedules, appointments. Free, reliable, in Dutch.
Dosing tools for ibuprofen and paracetamol
Not a separate app, but the calculator on the Lareb or KNMP website (the Dutch pharmacovigilance centre and the Dutch pharmacists' association) does something no bundle of apps does: dose correctly by weight for fever or pain. Bookmark it in your browser.
Apps for pregnancy
Ovia Pregnancy / Zwanger van Pampers
Week-by-week information about the pregnancy. Ovia is in English; the Pampers app is in Dutch and free.
Pregnancy diary
Want to keep a structured record of your pregnancy? Read our article on keeping a pregnancy diary.
Nursery communication: you don't get a choice
Famly / KidsKonnect / Parro
Many nurseries and after-school clubs use their own app for daily reports and messages. Which one is up to the nursery. Parro is widely used in Dutch primary schools. Just install whatever they ask for.
Self-care: for new parents too
Apps like Headspace (meditation) or Sanvello (mood tracking) are for parents who find the transition to parenthood hard going. Both are available free in a basic version.
Start with three apps
The app you actually use always beats the app you install and forget. Start with one tracker for feeds and sleep, one app for memories, and the GGD app for health.
The memories app is the choice that lasts the longest. You'll use it for the next 15 years, long after the first year. Choose one that your co-parent and the grandparents can easily get into.
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