Five Medical Apps Every Parent Should Have

Some of my favorite apps that I’ve used were designed for pregnant women (check out some great pregnancy apps I reviewed awhile back.) However, now that I’ve moved onto the next stage – you know, parenthood – I’ve found myself wanting to find some apps that educate and help parents take control of their child’s health. So tonight, I went on a search for some of those apps. Surprisingly, I had a hard time finding some, but I think the ones I found were worth the search. Whether you are a brand new mom or dad, or a seasoned parent of six, I think any parent (or even grandparent or caregiver) will appreciate these.

1) WebMD Baby: Obviously, I’m a big fan of WebMD and their mobile products. So I was a little surprised when I realized I didn’t have WebMD Baby on my phone. The app boasts that it “is like having a pediatrician in your pocket.” And who doesn’t want that? It has tons of information, articles, and videos to help a parent get through those first two years, and what a parent sees is specifically geared toward the age of their child. Beyond medical information and advice, there is a “baby book,” where parents can record when a child hits certain milestones.  Some of the key features are tools for height and weight measurements, sleep timer, check-up schedule, and weekly guides. If you download just one app, this would be the one I would consider. It’s kind of an all-around guide to raising a healthy baby. The app is free and available for both Android and iOS devices.

2) Sleep Champ App: I don’t know many parents who haven’t had issues with their child sleeping at some point or another. For my husband and me, we’re living through that stage right now. But what if there is some underlying issue, beyond just wanting to be near mommy and daddy? Sleep Champ was developed for parents and pediatricians, to help identify sleep problems in children, as well as offer suggestions for things like bed wetting. This app helps determine a child’s sleep quality. It asks simple yes-or-no questions and a score is generated. It isn’t meant to diagnose children, but perhaps give parents an indication if something needs to be investigated. The app does cost $3.99 for both Android and iOS devices.

3) KidsDoc: While the WebMD app can help identify illnesses, Kids Doc was created specifically for it. This app was developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and feature on their website, HealthyChildren.org. Illnesses are identified in three easy steps — selecting the most significant symptom (out of 99 choices), view the symptom decision chart to decide on a course of action, and then follow suggestions from a self-care guide to help a child feel better (even if it’s just to help until they can see a medical professional.) It also has dosage information for different medications, images to help identify visible symptoms, and the ability to call a doctor, hospital, or 911 with the click of a button. I personally love this app, and think it’s a great one for any parent or caregiver to have. It costs $1.99 and is available for both Android and iOS devices, but some features can be accessed from the HealthyChildren.org website.

4) iHomeopathy: For parents who choose a more natural way to treat their children’s illnesses, iHomeopathy is a great app. It helps find correct natural homepathic medications and dosages for tons of different situations (medical and first aid), can identify early signs of serious medical issues, and gives the location of pharmacies and grocery stores that sell the medications. It doesn’t need to be connected to WiFi or a data network to work, which is great for emergency situations. The description of the app says that it quickly help the user find information, without having to sort through tons of different conditions and symptoms. It has been featured on many different best app lists, including Parent’s Magazine’s “Best iPhone Apps for Parents” and Today’s Parent Magazines “21 Apps for Parents.” I tried to access the website for iHomeopathy, but it seems to not exist anymore. I don’t  It is only available for the iPhone and iPad, and costs $1.99.

5) iEmergency ICE Family PRO: This app is basically a digital emergency ID card. While I would recommend still having emergency info on a hard copy somewhere (you know, for those times when the phone is dead), I think it is smart to have this information on a phone, ready to be accessed at a moment’s notice. All information that might be needed for an emergency situation (allergies, medications, insurance id #, PCP, preferred hospital, blood type, etc.) is stored on one page. Each family member can have their own section, complete with personalized information and their photo. A medical ID can actually be printed with all the information via the website for iEmergency. It is only available for iOS devices, and it is $2.99. If your child has an iTouch, this might be a great app to download on there, for those times when you aren’t around.