Technology: Smart apps that can help make parenting easier

BabyBerrySends vaccination alerts and builds a digital health record that can be shared with anyone anytimeWhile being a good parent is a learning curve with its shares of trials and errors certain issues especially related to health such as vaccinations are sacrosanct You wouldnrsquot want to miss an appointment at any cost Now if only an app could offer constant alerts for the vaccination dates your life would be a lot more easier right Thankfully you can download the app Babyberry to do just that and more This newage parenting app allows you to stay updated about the needs of your childrsquos healthcare needs including receiving timely vaccination alerts on your phoneShare health records The app is available for free download and also doubles as a digital storage space for your childrsquos health records that could be shared with anyone anytime with the tap of button So next time when you go out of town for work and you have your family or a nanny to take care of the child you can use the app to make all the health records of your baby available to them in case of an emergency This facility can be very handy if your child has specific allergies or a health conditionRecord milestonesThe app allows you to upload health records of all your children without any limitations You can also upload test results prescribed medicines and their dosages for future reference The app also allows you to record growth milestones of the child including weight and height The app comes with a growth chart based on WHO World Health Organisation standards to help you keep an eye on hisher growth The chart can be used for newborn children to sixyearolds It also offers details of nearby healthcare service centres as well as features an online shop for baby care productsAVailable on Android and iOS devicesPrice FreeLog on to babyberrycomTinkertipHelps discover activities for your kids categorised by age group and interestsWhen 34yearold Santacruz resident Neha Talesara wanted to engage her threeyearold son Shaurya in an activity during his free time she couldnrsquot find a platform that would help her discover age and interestbased activities in her neighbourhood ldquoMany of my friends who are parents also struggle with the idea of choosing activities for their kids While they come across many activity centres and promotional Facebook posts itrsquos difficult to find something thatrsquos suitable to their kidrsquos age gender and interestsrdquo she shares This concern led her to develop Tinkertip an app that helps parents discover activities for kids between two to 14 years of age And that she is an interaction designer from Ahmedabadrsquos National Institute of Design made the appbuilding process easierOrigami to aeromodellingAvailable for free download for Android users the app currently packs in 50 activities and 250 centres in areas like Powai Andheri Juhu Goregaon Malad Khar Bandra and Santacruz After you log in to the app you need to reveal your kidrsquos age and pick three or more interests from categories like Abacus Adventure Cooking Language Gardening and even Midbrain ActivationBased on your selection the app curates a list of activities that include camping skating ballet origami quilling robotics and aeromodelling ldquoBased on my research and conversations with many mothers I was convinced that I wanted to build an app where the user gets a personalised experience Say if I have a fouryearold daughter I wouldnrsquot want to browse through aeromodelling classes that are meant for eight to 12yearoldsrdquo says Talesara who is in the process of expanding the database to other areas of the cityRating mattersWhat we particularly liked are the details provided under each activity These include the facilities for instance if pick up and drop is available or if the instructor can come home to conduct sessions as well as studentteacher ratio It also entails reviews and ratings on parameters like proximity and valueformoney ldquoThe ratings are provided by parents who have their kids enrolled for classes with these centres Based on a survey that I had conducted with a sample size of over 50 I found that kid friendliness valueformoney the kind of instructors and proximity to their home were the most important factors that parents consider before enrolling their kids in an activity centre So I wanted to ensure that we reflect these ratings for the listed centresrdquo she says Currently the app lists only useful content but soon the users will also be able to book activities through it ldquoAs an extension parents can buy a set of Tinkertip cards from us and try out different activities at any of the activity centres we have partnered withrdquo she addsAvailable on Google Play store To buy a Tinkertip card Call 9619154092