For the 21st century parent, the apps world – accessible 24×7 – offers a flood of parenting information and advice starting from coping with pregnancy to expert guidance on child development, learning resources and tracking children’s progress in school, writes Zahid H. Javali No animal species on Planet Earth nurtures its young for a longer duration than homo sapiens. Worldwide, parents have to prepare themselves to nurture their children through infancy, early childhood, middle years and adolescence into adulthood. As parents of newborns chart a pathway to develop their progeny into well-balanced adults, they need to learn to transform themselves into homeschoolers and children’s advisors. In days of yore they learned parenting from family elders, relatives and friends who were the preferred fonts of wisdom. Later in the second half of the 20th century, parenting guides/books sold by the millions. In the new millennium, with the game-changing invention of the Internet, parents inevitably turned to the worldwide web for best advice on ways and means to nurture, motivate and develop children in the digital age. Now in the new age of pandemics, a forest of apps (computer application/software readily downloadable on ubiquitous smartphones)has become the flavour of the Internet era. India, which is emerging as the fastest growing market for apps worldwide, hosts over 624 million mobile phone/Internet users (January 2021) — the second largest number worldwide. Tens of thousands of parents especially working women, are downloading apps offering advice, information and support on a wide range of parenting issues. For the 21st century parent, the apps world — accessible 24×7 — provides a flood of parenting information and advice starting from coping with pregnancy to expert guidance on child development, learning resources and tracking children’s progress in school. With the high technology comfort level of parennials, apps are rapidly becoming popular and reliable sources of parenting advice. In this cover story, we present a guide to the best parenting apps of 2021. Baby Center (iOS & Android phones) This calendar app is for new and expecting parents. Besides guiding them on a daily and weekly basis, it offers actionable advice, from pregnancy tips, nutrition guidance to videos on foetal development. Baby Center presents expert advice by an in-house medical advisory board accredited by NHS (National Health Service), England. Added highlights include a baby name generator and bumpie photo diary. There is also a Birth Club where women can connect with other expectant mothers due for delivery in the same month. Moreover, after the infant is born, the app serves as a parenting guide during the first year of the newborn. Baby Center is a nifty well-designed app to track pregnancy and foetal development until delivery day. It has won several awards since 1998, the latest being the 2021 Webby People’s Voice Winner. Downloadable free-of-charge Cloud Baby Monitor (iOS & Android) A multitasking mother in a nuclear family needs an extra pair of eyes to monitor her bundle of joy. This Cloud-based Baby Monitor app enables new moms to supervise…
