Top 7 Apps for Parents That Will Save Your Sanity

By Vanessa Davis, Mom and Writer

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Being a parent is definitely a full-time job, and having to do it while pursuing your career at the same time can be really challenging at times. Anyone that even attempts to delve into such a situation might as well be a superhero, because you’re going to need some superpowers in order to get through it all with your sanity in tact.

Fortunately, technology can help you out quite a bit with a lot of the various aspects of being a parent, and because everyone has a smartphone or a tablet nowadays, this technology is widely available to you via apps. I personally don’t know how I would lead my life without these apps, and today I want to share some of my favorite ones with you. These apps will help create more organization, provide you with resources, and simplify your life.

1. OurPact

No matter how useful and entertaining it can be, staring at a screen for extended periods of time is definitely unhealthy, both for you and your little ones. The problem is that your smartphone or tablet is filled with exciting games and apps that can entice your children to no feasible end, and it’s good to have a way to control how much tablet and screen exposure they get.

For that purpose, I find that OurPact does the job fantastically. OurPact is essentially a parental guidance app that, when installed on your device, gives you the ability to block certain apps and limit the time for which they can be used. As parents we can’t always monitor as closely as we would like; OurPact is definitely useful for those kids that just love to spend all of their time with technology and not make any eye contact with another human being for extended periods of time.

2. WyzAnt

Your kids’ education is very important, and though you might do your best to help them with their homework, there comes a time when you could really use some professional help. This may be because you lack expertise in the field in which they need assistance or you just can’t find the time; if this is a problem that you keep running into, you should probably check out WyzAnt.

WyzAnt is an online community that connects parents with professional tutors for whatever subject your child needs help with. So far WyzAnt has facilitated over 1 million lessons, and judging from the reviews of the clientele the tutors seem to be doing a very good job. Additionally, WyzAnt has a pretty sophisticated screening process which helps you find tutors according to your specific needs and requirements, further lowering the chances that you’ll run into inadequate help using this app.

3. Care.com

If babysitters are hard to come by in your area, you might want to give Care.com a shot. This app can help you connect with a massive community of caregivers and babysitters, as well as housekeeping professionals and even pet sitters. With Care.com, you’ll never again have to worry about ditching a night out because you just don’t have anyone to look after the kids.

4. Home Chef

Cooking is sometimes a real bother because it’s a process that requires a lot of planning ahead and prepping before you even get to turn the oven on. To help you out with this, I highly recommend that you get a hold of a meal service app like Home Chef as it really has the potential to make your life easier.

With Home Chef, you get instant access to a number of very simple recipes, and then it actually lets you order all the ingredients you need for the meal in perfectly sized portions. No more throwing away food, gauging whether you’ve put in too much garnish or any of that stuff – now all you have to take care of is the act of cooking itself!

5. The WonderWeeks

Heads up for the newbie parents! The WonderWeeks is an app that you can use to track your baby’s mental and physical development in great detail. It provides you with valuable information that you can share with your pediatrician or just use as a general reference of your little one’s overall health.

Plus, it makes it easier than ever to make note of all those precious moments that you’ll remember and reminisce over for years to come, and that’s really what it’s all about.

6. Relax and Sleep

Let’s face it, sometimes you just need a break from it all. You’ve finally put your kids to bed, did all the chores, all the dishes are clean and now it’s time to focus on yourself.

Relax and Sleep is a database of ambient sounds that have proven to have a very positive impact on relieving your stress at the end of the day. Whether it’s rain, thunder, sounds of the ocean, white noise, or whatever else helps you relax, chances are that you can find it inside this app and access it at the push of a button. So go ahead, lay back and plug those headphones in, because it’s time to unwind.

7. Cozi Calendar

Cozi Calendar is a best-selling organizer app for the whole family, incorporating a shared calendar, various to-do lists and even a recipe box that everyone in your family can connect to and access in mere seconds, so that all of you know what needs to be done and when.

No longer do you have to depend on refrigerator notes and reminding each other about events; now you can have all your notes with you at all times. The best part is that everything can be edited in no time at all if you need to change your plan, and everyone has access.

Technology can be great when used to your benefit; while there are thousands of apps that might be useful, I hope you enjoy some of my favorites. What apps do you love?

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Vanessa Davis is a 32-year-old fitness enthusiast, mother of two and content writer at www.diet.st.

She’s originally from Long Island, New York, and when she isn’t cooking up some new health and fitness article, she enjoys doing yoga and figuring out new, delicious organic-based recipes for herself and her kids.