PORTLAND, OR, United States – As the father of two young daughters, I’ve grown to utilize my phone as more than just a messaging and Internet device. As a Dad, my N8 is a memory saver with it’s video and imaging capabilities and a digital distractor when we need to calm our child in public places, and a sharing device for curious grandparents. So, for new parents, what applications are a must-have for your Nokia device? This helpful list will hopefully give you some solace as you fit in to your new role as a parent.
Everyone knows that the number one issue new parents face is sleep deprivation. It is unfortunate because just as this young child comes into your life needing your attention and care, the little bundle of joy with her crying and constant feeding schedule makes it virtually impossible for mom and dad to get a good night’s sleep.
Tracking baby events
Making the sleep situation worse, as parents, we need to keep track of all sorts of information regarding our babies. Baby Feed is an app that helps you track ongoing tasks as feedings, medicines, diaper changes and naps. This attractive application lets you track up to ten (!) babies at the same time in case you have twins or triplets. You can easily identify each baby with a picture taken from the phones camera. Spouses/partners can be notified whenever you give medicine to the baby via SMS.
Lastly, statistics charts can track feedings, weight and weight over time to provide first hand graphs to you on your phone. Baby Feed is available in four languages including English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Help baby sleep
Our world is a noisy place. Between honking horns, loudmouthed neighbors and ringing phones, it’s sometimes hard to get baby in a place where she can sleep. Sometimes, parents just need a consistent low-range noise to lull babies to sleep. Enter White Noise, an application that uses your phone speaker to emulate the ambient sounds of the environment. Available sound simulations include an air conditioner, airplane, beach waves, light rain and so on. A sleep timer can be set so the sound is put off for a period of times.
Create spectacular photo memories
If there’s one undeniable fact about your little baby, it’s that change is constant. Be sure you catch the perfect moments with the perfect image. Yes, the Nokia N8 has a great camera, and by adding CameraPro N8 to your phone, you can ensure you capture a great image. As most early photos of baby will be indoors and in poor lighting conditions, CameraPro may prove to be valuable as it allows you to set manual ISO, take photos with anti-shake and will also make it easy to take macro shots. The newest version also lets you upload to Facebook, Flickr and Picasa all within the application, making it easy to share photos.
Distracting older siblings
In addition to a newborn, I also have a three year-old who needs to be distracted from time to time. Whether it’s during a diaper change or a break to feed our newborn, older siblings can’t always be expected to entertain themselves during these moments. For this need, I have Fruit Ninja Lite on my N8. With Fruit Ninja, I can challenge my daughter to a game and she is entertained for the entire duration, no matter how long the downtime may be.
What apps do you manage parenthood with? I look forward to the replies below.
Photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography
