10 Essential Apps Every Mom Needs

Last Updated April 28, 2020

We all know that life as a mom is busy. There’s always so much to remember and to do and trying to keep track of it all while wrangling children isn’t the easiest task in the world. So why not find help where you can?! These are 10 apps every mom needs and that I have used for entertaining, keeping myself and my kids safe, and keeping everything running smoothly with kids in tow.

Baby Sleep Site – free (for iOS and Android)

Baby Sleep Site was one of the best apps ever for this mom when trying to find a solution for my terrible sleeper who was also fighting GERD. I was able to purchase a customized sleep plan from their website to help us get him on a good schedule.

But my favorite thing they offer is the free app, which allows you to find the ideal sleep schedule for your baby or toddler.

I’ve used and adapted their sleep schedules many times with my both of my sons!

Milestones – free (for iOS and Android)

If you like to keep track of what milestones your little one should be reaching, or if you need peace of mind that your babe is right on track (like I do), this is the perfect app for you!

Created by the CDC, this is one of the best apps which allows mom to track her child’s milestones from 2 months through 5 years.

It also provides information about how to help your child in their development, what to do if you’re concerned about development, and even a way to share your child’s progress directly with your care provider!

You can add profiles for multiple children.

The Wonder Weeks – $2.99 (for iOS and Android)

The Wonder Weeks app is adapted from the international best selling book by the same title. This app is backed by more than 35 years of research and will help keep you informed on all the mental leaps your baby is making for the first 20 months.

It allows you to track multiple children, explains what each leap is, approximately when it will happen, and what you can expect from your child both during and after the leap (both developmentally and how their mood might be).

This is one of those apps that is really helpful to a mom trying understanding all the things her baby is learning that he or she cannot communicate but that might be causing disruptions in their normal routine and mood.

Baby Connect – $4.99 (for iOS and Android)

Baby Connect is a baby tracking application that allows you to keep tabs on everything your baby does throughout the day.

Literally. Everything.

I found this app most useful in the early months of my baby’s life. I was able to track diaper changes, bottles, nursing sessions, medications, sleep, mood, activities, and a TON more!

It’s especially helpful for sleepy new parents who can’t remember the last time baby ate or had their diaper changed, or for when baby is left with another caregiver.

Everyone can record the info so you always know when baby needs his next nap or a bottle. With a price tag under $5, but it was totally worth it for me and my family!

Fabulous – free trial (for iOS and Android)

Fabulous is truly a fabulous app. It was created by the Behavioral Economics Lab at Duke University and is designed to help you implement healthy habits into your life by taking small steps every day which lead to big changes over time.

There are several programs you can choose from, as simple as establishing a morning routine all the way to making exercising and mental health a priority in your life.

This app walks you through every step of the journey and continuously helps you to build on habits you’ve previously mastered.

You can sign up for a free 7-day trial to test it out. If you decide to purchase the full app, it will cost you. It’s $69.96 a year ($5.83/month) or you can subscribe monthly for $14.99/month.

Medical ID – free (Android)

Medical ID is an Android app that allows you to create a profile with all of your important medical information that can be accessed from your phone’s lock screen without needing to unlock it.

You can include a photo of yourself, allergies, blood type, medical conditions, medications, emergency contacts, birthdate, height, weight, and any other important info.

This allows first responders to have all of the info they might need to save your life in an emergency situation.

It also allows you (or someone else) to easily call emergency services and/or your emergency contacts directly from the app without ever unlocking your phone.

You can pay a one time fee of $9.99 to add multiple profiles (for your partner or kids perhaps) and have more customization options as well as data backup.

While the price tag is a little high for the extra options, it’s well worth the peace of mind you will have from knowing that life-saving information is available to those who need it in an emergency.

One caveat I will mention – if little hands tend to find their way to your phone often (or if you’ve been known to butt dial before…), be mindful of the access to this app. It’s easy to accidentally open even when the screen is locked.

That’s what makes this app awesome in an emergency situation – but it also means it’s super easy to accidentally send an emergency message to your loved ones and cause undue panic to ensue.

(Speaking from experience here…my mom may have burst through my front door unexpected and in a panic at like 9 PM one night because she thought I was in danger….toddlers…oops…).

Peanut – free (for iOS and Android)

Peanut is like Tinder, but for moms. As moms, we tend to be really busy and it can be hard to find and keep mom friends.

But having other mommas who really just get us is so important! We all want to connect with other women who’ve been there, done that, and totally understand when we have to cancel our lunch date for the third time because our little one is sick…again.

Peanut is the perfect place to meet your new BFF. Just sign up and start making connections!

There’s nothing to lose.

YNAB – free trial (for iOS and Android)

I can’t give you a list of best apps without including YNAB! YNAB is seriously the best budgeting tool available (in my humble opinion).

I use it for my personal and my business finances and it has served me well for more than five years now.

But did you know YNAB also has an app that allows you to do pretty much all the same things as the desktop app but from your phone?! It’s pretty amazing.

No more excuses because you can check, change, and update your budget from anywhere as long as you have your phone (and who doesn’t have their phone??)

You can use the app for free during the 34-day trial period. After your trial is over, YNAB is a subscription service that costs $6.99 a month.

Not too bad for an app that will easily help you save tons more than that! Or, if you sign up here, you’ll get an additional month free (that’s a total of two months of YNAB for free) – and I’ll earn a month free too!

eMeals – free trial (for iOS and Android)

eMeals is a meal planning service that provides your meals and your grocery lists all in just a few easy steps.

You start by choosing from plans such as kid-friendly, budget, low carb, vegetarian, and many more (including specialty diets like heart healthy and diabetic).

Then each week you’ll get a new menu and grocery list. If you’re using the app, it will automatically populate your list as you select which meals you want so you can pull it up at the store easily.

You can also add breakfast, lunch, dessert, and special occasions menus and all of your shopping lists will be in one place.

Make it even easier by using eMeals with Amazon fresh, Instacart, Walmart grocery pickup, Kroger clicklist, or shipt.

eMeals subscriptions start at $5 a month depending on how many people you’re feeding and which plans you decide to sign up for.

Kids Home – Free (Galaxy Apps)

While this app is limited to devices made by Samsung, it is by far one of the best kid-friendly apps I’ve ever found for mom to keep on her phone. The app acts as a sort of alternate account on your phone that locks everything you don’t want your child accessing.

Parents will have a PIN that is used to exit the app, make purchases, and access parental controls (which allow you to set time limits and view charts of your child’s activity on the app).

Kids Home comes ready to use with several kid-friendly games and activities built right in such as coloring, music, and more. But you can also add any other app that you have on your phone to kids mode for your child to access.

You can also download a kid-friendly browser, allow your kids to make phone calls to contacts that you choose, and take their own pictures. There are in-app games and activities appropriate for all ages.

Kids Home comes pre-installed on all devices running Android 9.0 (Pie) or later. Learn how to set it up by clicking the link above!