Do you have a little one on the way? Or are you a recent first-time parent? Now is the time to update your phone with apps that are designed to make life with a baby just that little bit easier. With so many apps currently available it’s hard to know which ones are worth it! So here are just a few favourites from the Pepa & Co team that can help track feedings, sleep times, decipher developmental milestones and help you connect with other likeminded mothers out there!

The Nanny in your pocket by Nanny Louenna

From feeding, bathing and changing, to sleep routines, potty training and language development - whatever your question or concern there is simple and practical advice available at your fingertips 24/7 with the Nanny Louenna app.

A long time Pepa & Co friend, Norland Nanny and Maternity Nurse Louenna Hood has collated a whole host of information including first aid videos where you can learn how to save your child’s life in an emergency and advice into one handy app. We caught up with Louenna to find out more about her brand-new app:

What was it that inspired you to create your app?

I have been a Norland nanny and maternity nurse for the past seventeen years and worked with hundreds of children and families so I know how daunting a new baby can be! I also know how every parent just wants to get it right but there is so much conflicted advice on the internet so most parents don’t know where to start. My app came from wanting to be able to share my breadth of knowledge with as many people as possible.

As a maternity nurse, I realise the luxury that parents have being able to watch how I bath a new baby, wind them and change them - it’s little tips I’ve learnt that make a difference to how happy and relaxed a baby can be, and I want everyone to see this! Which is why I spent a lot of time making demonstration videos to include in the app, so that everyone is able to have a Norland Nanny in their pocket.

What will parents be able to learn from a subscription to your app?

Everything! I like to think of my app as the childcare encyclopedia. With over 130 chapters, it is filled with information on every topic I have ever been asked about by parents, covering everything from pregnancy to school age children.

There is a fantastic section of First Aid where you can watch video demonstrations and learn what to do in an emergency. In my child health section, I give my advice on how to make your child as comfortable as possible for all the common childhood illnesses - from chicken pox to earache, nappy rash to reflux. There are also printable routines for every age and stage, including immunisation schedules for you to tick off, children's packs to keep them entertained, eyesight stimuli for babies and much much more.

If you could only give expectant parents/new parents three pieces of advice, what would they be?

1 I truly believe that a relaxed routine from birth really helps babies thrive, as they get good quality awake and sleep time. A routine also allows you get some breaks in the day where your baby is sleeping peacefully where you can rest and not end up exhausted, meaning you can truly enjoy being a new parent!

2 Don’t put pressure on yourself, everyone will have a different opinion on how you should look after your baby, but you have to do what's right for your family. Whether your baby is breastfed, bottle fed, or a combination of both - as long as your baby is happy then that’s all that matters.

3 Enjoy and cherish their first year because it just flies by!

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Preglife

With a 4.8 stars rating on the app store, preglife is used by 90% of mothers-to-be in Sweden! The app was developed together with midwives, physicians and other specialists in Sweden, meaning this app guarantees that all medical information presented has been reviewed and verified by health care experts. Features include:

- Pregnancy Calendar & Tracker. The app guides you and your partner through the weeks of pregnancy. Monitor the baby's and mother's development while tracking your current pregnancy weeks and trimester and how many days remain before your estimated due date.

- Baby development Tracker. Once you enter your baby's date of birth, the app with guide and help you to monitor your baby's ten stages of mental development. The app also contains a vaccination table along with a weight and length curve.

- Guides, podcasts & videos. The app contains select articles on pregnancy and giving birth as well as guides about what comes next - such as dietary advice, stroller guides and sleep school. Check out the podcasts and exclusive videos under Play. Topics include pregnancy yoga, prepping for the birth and Birth Stories by Preglife, a video series that follows the unique births of four children.

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Peanut

Launched in 2017 by Michelle Kennedy to solve a need she'd experienced as a new mum: isolation. Peanut is about recognising a pain point millions of women encounter and providing access to community when they need it most. Her mission is to reduce feelings of isolation and empower women to connect, all over the world.

Connecting women across fertility and motherhood, this app allows you to meet, chat and learn from like-minded women. Dubbed the dating app for mums, it connects you to mamas near you, letting you swipe each other’s profiles.

Peanut provides a safe space where you are able to become part of a community. With many raving reviews, it has recently launched a new community discussion feature called Peanut Pages when you can ask questions and crowdsource the minds of other parents who have been there, as an alternative to Facebook groups and other social platforms.

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Baby Tracker

Designed by busy parents, for busy parents, Baby Tracker offers a simple, streamlined way to track your baby’s daily habits, health, and exciting “firsts” of those precious early days and months. Record feedings, diaper changes, and sleep patterns with a quick one-handed tap, then feel free to go back later and add details and even photos.

Baby Tracker makes it simple to track all of your child’s important information for doctors and caregivers, as well as share all the exciting milestones of his or her development with friends and family. Perhaps most importantly, Baby Tracker handles all the details so you never have to take significant time away from the joys of parenting.

Available on iTunes and Google Play

The Wonder Weeks

The Wonder Weeks is a worldwide bestselling baby app that becomes a personalised weekly calendar of your baby’s mental development that will keep you informed about the leaps and bounds and the fussy phases of your baby. It will teach you how to get the best and the most out of the magical leaps, and it shows you how you can support and stimulate your baby’s development. It also gives you all the ‘need to know’ information in the blink of an eye and allows you to easily look back on magnificent moments.

Key features include; tracking your baby’s mental development, learning all about the leaps and bounds and the fussy phases of your baby, a diary that enables you to track your baby’s milestones, their unique leap-alarm service.

Available on iTunes and Google Play