There's plenty of love to go around with a new baby: cozy snuggle sessions, adorable pictures filling your camera roll, the chance to watch your little bundle grow before your very eyes.
But there are also plenty of things to keep track of: how much your baby is eating, how many diapers you're changing, how often you're pumping, how long your little one is sleeping, and other aspects of your new "normal." You (and the pediatrician) will likely want to know this info to make sure your little one is growing and thriving in those early days.
It's also a lot to remember, especially when you're running on (very) little sleep and balancing everything else that comes with new parenthood. Fortunately, a baby tracker like the one in the What to Expect app can help.
What is a baby tracker?
A baby tracker does exactly what you'd expect — it helps you document all the details of your little one's eating habits, diaper changes, sleep, tummy time sessions, and even your pumping sessions if you have them, plus other details of your little one's daily routine.
A typical baby tracker includes:
- A way to track breastfeeding sessions, bottle-feedings and pumping breaks, including a timer to record how long they take.
- Feeding and sleep history over time, so you can look back at patterns and see how they change as your baby gets older.
- A way to track diaper changes, including when each one happens, what's in the diaper, and the total number of diapers changed in a day.
- A place to record details related to your baby's feedings, diaper changes, sleep patterns, tummy time, and any other facets of her daily routine you want to keep track of.
How to use the What to Expect Baby Tracker
Searching for a baby tracker tool but have no idea which one is the best? The What to Expect Baby Tracker has all the features you're looking for.
All you need to do is download the free What to Expect app from the App Store or Google Play (if you don't have it already). Then tap "tools," and then "Baby Tracker."
Once you're in the tracker, you can use all the tool's features, including:
- A customizable homefeed so you'll see only what you want to track — whether it's feedings, diaper changes, pumping sessions, sleep, or something else — right from the homescreen of the baby app and parenting feed.
- A timer to clock how long your feedings last. If you're nursing, you can record how much time you spend feeding from the left and right breasts. Plus, the timer keeps going while you check out articles or Community posts, so you can keep using the app while you're feeding your baby or pumping.
- Feeding, pumping, diaper, and sleep information for the last day, week, and month so you can look for recent eating, sleeping, and diapering patterns.
- Details of each of your baby's diaper changes, including the color and consistency of your baby's poop and what it might mean.
- A way to track tummy time sessions, solid food diet when you get to that stage, and other details of your baby's routine and development you want to remember, which will then appear in your timeline.
You can also easily access the What to Expect tracker via a widget that appears right on your phone's home screen.
Benefits of using a baby tracker
There are a lot of upsides to using a baby tracker. It can help you answer common questions like:
- What time did my baby's most recent feed start?
- How many times has she eaten today?
- What breast should I offer next?
- When did my baby last nap?
- How many ounces was that last bottle?
- How much milk did I pump yesterday?
- How long has it been since the last change?
- How many diapers have we gone through today?
- How many minutes of tummy time did my baby do?
- When does my baby typically go to bed?
Recording your baby's feedings, diapers, sleep, tummy time, and other details in a tracker like this means you also have all the important info in one place. That way, you can identify patterns in how your little one is growing and developing, and adjust if necessary with your pediatrician's guidance.
Panicked thoughts like "Wait, how long has it been since she last ate?!" can quickly go away thanks to this tool. A well-baby visit also becomes instantly easier when all you need to do is open an app to tell the doctor how much your baby is eating, how many diapers you're changing, how long she's sleeping, and how tummy time is going, rather than trying to rack your brain for all the minute details.
Ultimately, a baby tracker like What to Expect's makes your life as a new parent a whole lot simpler.
Give What to Expect's new baby tracker a try, and let us help you organize your little one's feedings, diaper changes, sleep, and more, along with your pumping sessions, so that you don't have to. You'll be able to enjoy that special bonding time with your baby with less worry! You can download the free What to Expect app (and use its baby tracker) for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
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