There's certainly no lack of information available to new parents anymore. Any and all resources, studies, opinions, and helpful tips are accessible at the touch of a finger. There aren't any questions that aren't answerable within moments as long as you're within reach of your phone or computer. Everything has become streamlined, simpler... well, almost everything.
When I left the hospital after having my son, they gave me a book (actually, they let me have two, after I told them how much I really wanted to keep track of everything) in which I could record his diaper changes, feedings and sleep schedule. It was basically just an unorganized spread sheet for me to write on. I did the best I could with it, but there was no way for me to ensure that in the middle of the night, when my son woke up hungry, that I was going to have that booklet next to me, much less a pen, much less the clarity of mind to write down the exact times in which he had started and finished eating. I managed to keep up with it for the better part of two weeks, but there were too many other things going on to remember that on top of everything else. After I stopped, I realized I no longer had much of an idea at all of how many times he was eating night to night, and even had a difficult time keeping track of which breast I had fed him with last during the early morning hours. But I wasn't willing to start using the booklet again (I only had a few pages left available anyhow), and I couldn't find any other means of keeping track that I would actually use at three in the morning.
I got a smart phone when my son was three months old, and had the opportunity of playing with applications for the first time. Within the first week or so of having the phone, I started searching for some sort of baby application that would allow me to input my son's information as I went. I almost always have my phone within arms reach, and I thought finally I might have found a simple way to track when he was eating, sleeping, awake at odd hours, poopy, wet, etc. And yet, there was nothing. Nothing that was going to be easy for me to use, nothing that was any better than using that booklet from the hospital. A few weeks later, I made a comment out loud about how much I wished that I had the ability to hit a button on my phone - and not have to do anything else - and I could keep track of when I was feeding, changing, and staying up for three hours in the middle of the night with my baby; from that comment, this blog and this application were born.
I just want things to be easier, without having to sacrifice more of my precious moments of sleep; I think that's what all new (or even more experienced) parents want. That being said, once I had the idea, I couldn't stop thinking of other things that could be included to make it a one stop, make-your-life-less-complicated concept. Wouldn't it be neat if I could compare my son's information to other babies' information that were the same age as he? Is every baby sleeping this sporadically? Does every baby eat this much? How does he compare? Now, I know that all babies are unique, and my son can't always fit into the majority; but, I think most babies are pretty similar in their development. I just think that its hard to know enough babies personally to give yourself a good idea of where your baby is compared to other babies his/her age. Maybe I'm just a really nosy, curious mom, but I have a suspicion that we're all pretty nosy and curious, whether we want/mean to be or not. My hope is that this application and website make things incredibly more simple, as well as more informative. I sincerely hope that everyone truly is able to utilize and enjoy everything that this application provides. As much as I wish I'd been able to use it ten months ago, I'm looking forward to using it as much as I can now, and secretly am looking forward to using it with the next little one, down the road.
