And I’m not talking about that app that lets your little ones “color” all over your iPhone screen with the touch of their finger. What I am talking about is Baby Brain, a new iPhone app that helps parents of newborns track feedings, diaper changes and even sleep schedules.

You thought light sabers were cool… try having someone - or something - remember the last time you nursed your baby or how long her last stretch of sleep was so you don’t have to. This is a really great option for sleep-deprived parents who have a hard time remembering to shower! Baby Brain, like most iPhone apps, is easy to use; simply tap and track. You can quickly see when your baby’s last bottle was and just how much she ate. Baby Brain keeps logs, which you can easily view even months down the road.

What I love best about this app is it makes those newborn check-ups a lot less stressful for new parents. All the info the doctor needs is literally at your fingertips. You can even email reports to your doctors and caregivers. And get this, it has a breastfeeding timer that runs while you hop online or catch your latest TiVo’d show!

You can purchase the Baby Brain iPhone app for $5 from the iPhone store or directly from iTunes. I’m game for anything that helps keep a new parent sane, and at $5 it’s a sound investment in today’s economy! - Emily H.

When my twins were born, I was suddenly thrust into the world of being a stay-at-home mom. Naively, I had never pictured what my life would be like once I had children. When the option was available for me to stay home, I knew that was the best choice for us, but I had no idea how to manage our day-to-day. How does one go about making the change from being career-focused to being in charge of running a home and family?

I was thrilled when I discovered Simple Mom, a blog written by Tsh Oxenreider. Tsh’s writing has been an inspiration to me, and her blog’s motto, “Live simply, stay sane. Life hacks for home managers,” is right up my alley.

Tsh recently wrote a fantastic blog post called 20 Tips for Finding Your Routine With Kids. This post is a great overview about learning the ins and outs of being a stay-at-home mom. Not only does she provide the promised 20 tips on getting through your day while taking care of your home and your children, she also discusses getting into a routine and ideas about setting a schedule that is good for your family. This is exactly the post I could have used when I was learning to be a stay-at-home mom. Honestly, even three years later, I am still learning to find my groove and this post gave me some great ideas. Maybe it can provide you with some ideas and inspiration on ways to streamline the management of your family! - Sara I.

One of my biggest worries as the parent of a newborn is getting that baby to sleep. Luckily, I found the book Good Night, Sleep Tight: The Sleep Lady’s Gentle Guide to Helping Your Child Go to Sleep, Stay Asleep, and Wake Up Happy. The book is a fantastic resource for information about the physiology of sleep and children’s sleep needs from birth through age five. It addresses how to shape sleep for children and issues that may arise at different ages. The book even talks about improving sleep for those choosing to co-sleep.

This is a book that I have found myself looking to for information about my children's sleep habits many times over the last two and a half years. I have been able find how much sleep my children should actually be getting at each age as well as example schedules for that time. I have learned about taking away pacifiers, addressing sleep issues with teething, and how adding a new sibling can cause new sleep problems to arise, even in previously strong sleepers. Now, I am revisiting much of the book as I try to get my seven-week-old on a schedule and into a bed in his own room. I have gotten so much advice and support from this book that it is now my go-to gift for new parents.

Kim West, one of the book’s authors, is known as the Sleep Lady. She coaches parents to help them guide their children to be great sleepers. You can find out more about Kim and her philosophy at SleepLady.com. - Sara I.

Bringing home a newborn can be a harrowing experience, especially for first time parents. Not only do they have to learn to take care of another person, but dealing with baby’s chaotic schedule (or lack of schedule) can really throw parents for a loop!

There are a few different reasons to track the happenings in baby's day. For one thing, it assists in communication between caregivers. It is also one way to help baby develop a schedule; you can discover any trends that begin to develop and work to adjust them as necessary. Plus, it is just a great reminder for sleep-deprived parents whose memory is not always firing on all cylinders!

An easy way to track a baby’s schedule is to shade in a chart when baby eats and sleeps. Below is a picture of a quick and easy spreadsheet you mark when baby eats and sleeps, or any other action you want to follow. (Click here to download your own copy.) In the picture, feedings are marked with diagonal lines and sleep is shaded black. This chart reveals the baby is starting to develop a trend in his feeding habits as meals are grouping around the same time each day.



The bizzyBee by Chicks with Kidz has been mentioned before on Polliwogged as a soon-to-be released product that helps parents note baby’s feedings, sleep, and medication and then upload that information into a computer to electronically track trends. Now set for a March 2009 release, the bizzyBee might be just the ticket for parents of spring babies.

Tools like these that keep track of baby’s schedule can help ease some of the stress of life with a newborn. - Sara I.