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Over the past 10 years, phones have become the de facto kid distractor as in: you’re out in public and don’t want your kid to start whining, so you give them your phone & they can watch The Amazing World of Gumball or some such show that will keep them occupied while you shop for groceries and what not. But there are other uses for your phone that are even more helpful as a parent! Here’s a list of nine apps designed specifically for parents and kids that are super helpful at home & while out and about!

Qeepsake

From the moment your baby is born, you’ll be taking photo upon photo, texting them to friends, and trying to keep them all organized in your photo library. After a few years, you won’t remember the time or place you even took most of them. When did they get their first tooth? What day was that first step? That’s where Qeepsake comes in, an app that lets you create a journal entry about each photo and even store the text threads so you have keepsakes of what friends and family said about the photo. From these entries you can create custom photo albums or just have a way to look back on how your baby grows up! (Phone apps not enough to celebrate your bundle of joy? I know! You should host a party! Here’s our Super Secret Party Guide to help get you started!)

Charmin’s Sit Or Squat

Okay, I LOVE THIS ONE! I wish it had been around when my kids were younger and we were traveling long distances by car. (Ummm, yeah, when you have kids, long distances are basically anything over 30 minutes in a vehicle because that’s when everyone starts to lose their mind!) This free app shows you where there are decent bathrooms along the route you are traveling so that when you have to pull over for a potty break, you won’t find yourself in a disgusting gas station bathroom that has who-knows-what smeared on the walls and zero toilet paper or soap! Download it immediately! You can give any bathrooms you visit a rating and leave comments for other users.

Bank Of Mom

“Mom, can I have twenty bucks?” How many times have your kids asked you that?! You may not want to know! So, where this next app is concerned, I issue this WARNING! You may have a nervous breakdown when you see just how much money you dole out to your kids each year! With the Bank of Mom app, you can track the cost of having kids in numerous ways! But it’s really designed for you to set up a “virtual” account (think: an allowance) to track how much your child earns for doing chores each week, plus how much they spend and what they spend it on. Again, this is a virtual assistant. You don’t actually put money into an account for them. But it gives you an idea about how much money you’re giving them each week so that you can develop a financial system that reminds them “money doesn’t grow on trees!” $2.99 on the app store.

Chore Bank

Chore Bank is a similar type of app that allows parents to create a virtual bank account for each child. You can set up a chore list and assign a monetary value to each chore. For instance, scrubbing the toilet may pay more than setting the table for dinner! As your kids complete their chores, you “deposit” money into their “bank accounts” that they can use to buy toys and treats. Unlike Bank of Mom that lets you customize and create detailed entries about what you give your kids money for, this app is strictly a chore/allowance tracker. $1.99 on the app store.

Creature Garden By Tinybop

Tinybop has won all sorts of technology awards, parent magazine awards, app store awards… so, i.e. they rock! The Creature Garden app lets kids flex their creative muscles while learning about different subjects. Science, animals, geography, and marine life are just some of the topics they can explore as they “draw” different pictures using premade graphics. (I love the artwork they offer!) Kids can even create their own make-believe creatures! Of all the time kids spend tethered to a phone, this is one way to not feel guilty that your kids are looking at a screen! $2.99 on the app store.

Cloud Baby Monitor

If you have a baby, chances are you have a baby monitor. What do you do if you’re visiting friends and relatives though? Of all the countless things you must remember to pack up when going on outings with the baby, the monitor is usually not on the list. Not to worry! Cloud Baby Monitor lets you use your phone (you’ll need to use your friend’s too) to monitor your bundle of joy while napping away from home. The app provides a secure web stream and sends notifications of motion or sound changes in the room where your baby is sleeping. It also has optional lullabies, white noise, or Talk to Baby features. $6.99 on the app store.

Dormi – Baby Monitor

Have an old Android phone buried in a drawer because you just didn’t know what to do with it? Well, dig it out and dust it off because this is a great way to save some money. You’ll find all of the how-to info right here at Joy of Android. Get the app on Google Play. It’s free to use for the first 4 hours of monitoring every month. For a fee you can get unlimited monitoring, but it’s still way cheaper than buying an actual baby monitor.

Find My Friends

Though it probably had more innocuous beginnings, Find My Friends is a GPS location tracking app that’s also some pretty cool spyware! Sure, the app tells friends and family where you are, but it also lets you know where THEY are! Curious to know where your husband is when he says he’s working late? Want to know if your teenage daughter really went to her study group or if she’s boozing it up at some bash instead?! This app tracks people’s whereabouts! Well, that’s providing they have their phone with them, AND that they’ve agreed to let you track them! If you (or they) don’t want to be tracked, you can switch off the locator. Free for iPhone only.

Admittedly, spying on family members is a tad creepy and intrusive, but if you have young kids who make their own way home after school, or teens who have been known to break the rules, this app gives you peace of mind when they don’t check in as scheduled.

Life 360 is another free locator app that’s available on both iPhone and Android and it contains a lot of other features besides location data. In addition to being able to “check in” with a single click and avoid endless text messaging, this app has a driver protection function that notifies if your family members are in a car accident, broken down on the road, using the phone while driving, or driving recklessly.

GoNoodle Kids

GoNoodle touts over 14 million kids using their movement regimen in schools and homes throughout the U.S. Best of all, GoNoodle dance moves convert phone/screen time into active time using fun, kid-friendly dance moves that encourage flexibility and movement, all of which is said to promote better behavior and productivity! Sounds good to me! Free (woo hoo!) on the app store.

Baby Breastfeeding Tracker

This is a good one for nursing mommies. The Breastfeeding Tracker app lets you keep track of how long your baby sleeps on any given day, how many diapers where changed, how many ounces they drank from the bottle, or what side you nursed from last. While logging in poops per day may not be the most scintillating information, having a record of this info is helpful for doctors visits, particularly if your little one is having colic or you’re having trouble nursing. Works for multiple babies as you can create an account for as many as you have in your brewd!

Well, now that you’re up-to-date on the best apps (And make that 10 of them since we recently added one!), does your iPhone case need to be updated? Be sure to check out Velvet Caviar! They’ve got a great selection of super cool cases that we highly recommend!

We’ve got so much fun stuff planned in the coming months! You won’t want to miss it! Until then, check out our Super Secret Party Tips Guide – it’s FREE!