Given that I’m a mom of multiples, I've had to get VERY creative with how to care for both of my babies in efficient, simultaneous, and organized ways. In making sure we have good twin “survival gear” around the house, my iPhone has (surprisingly) become a key player! Considering there’s an app for EVERYTHING, I’ve come to find there are some great apps that can also help a twin mom out (and maybe you, too!). All you have to do is lift one finger. :-) A nice change, huh?

Here are the 4 apps that I primarily use to care for my babies:

1) Sprout Baby App

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This one I use THE MOST because I love documenting (which is probably a side effect of working in pediatrics the past decade....ha! ). That said, when I first had the twins, I downloaded several baby apps and evaluated all of them. None of them had everything I needed, so I ended up deleting them all... EXCEPT the Sprout app, as it captures everything I need in one place! When you have two babies going through the same things at once, it’s nice to keep everyone’s information separate and organized. The Sprout app allows for the input of multiple children and great for tracking several things, such as:

Developmental milestones:
Each month you fill out a questionnaire on the app about what each of your babies are up to and the app will tell you for which milestones your babies are early, on time, or delayed. This information helps you determine which developmental areas need a little more attention.
Feeds/Pumping:
If I don’t write down when a feed was done for the babies and how much each baby took, then I’m prrrrrrobably going to forget in 5 seconds. My twins are a little over 3 months old, but we still document when and how much they’re taking at each feed. Noting this information helps me stay ahead of the game with knowing when their next feed is due and helps me plan out the day better. Plus, when the doctor asks at their next well visit how much everyone is eating, I have all of the raw data to share right there on my phone.
Diapers:
Was it Baby A or Baby B that pooped yesterday? Can’t remember? Problem solved! Personally, I don’t use this feature because my babies are very “regular” with their output. However, for those mamas with twins that have a little constipation here and there, I imagine this feature would be very helpful.
Growth:
Every time I get a measurement of the twins’ lengths or weights (whether at home or the pediatrician’s office) I input the values and the app plots it on a CDC growth chart for me to trend. As a pediatric nurse practitioner, I’m VERY big on data points and I like to pay attention to progress over time, so this feature is particularly my favorite. You’ll also like this feature if you’re a visual person.
Doctor’s visits:
This part is helpful for when you have sick visits and can’t remember exactly when it was that your baby’s cold symptoms started or when you can’t remember when that last DTap vaccine was.

2) 4Moms App for MamaRoo Seats

In the middle of pumping but your twins are across the room wanting to be held and rocked for the millionth time? My 4Moms app fixed this problem countless times for me. We have the 4 Moms MamaRoo chairs that you can connect to the 4Moms app and you can CONTROL THEM FROM YOUR PHONE! Amazing. I can be sitting on the couch and turn on the chair to swing, change the swinging motion, or select different sounds to play by clicking a button on my phone. Needless to say, it’s saved me time and energy when I don’t have much left of either.

3) Nest App

There are several other great cameras and apps to use to watch your babies from afar, but we happen to have the Nest App for our Nest cameras. There’s something reassuring about being able to be in a totally different room and just look down at my phone to see and zoom in on each napping baby. It allows me to multitask with more confidence!

4) Photos App

Sharing is caring, right? When there are twice as many baby photos on your phone and your close family and friends want to see it all (but you don’t want to blow up your social media), this is an easy solution. My husband and I used our iPhone “Photos” app (the one that already comes pre-programmed on the phone) to create a shared album. We then invited our family to subscribe to the album. Whoever joins the album will get a notification on their phones each time a new baby picture is posted. It’s private, only viewable to those that you invite, and multiple people can contribute to it. Plus, it’s been a family favorite for those that don’t live nearby and don’t get to see the babies often! If you have an iPhone and you don’t know how to create a shared photo album, then here are some instructions from Apple:https://support.apple.com/kb/ph12068?locale=en_US

Let me know if there are any other good apps to download to ease the twin life! :)