4 ms·

cool app, but in my limited experience with newborns, there just isn't enough time to input data into a system like this to get the cool reports.

toomuchtodo 9y ago
Sample size of one, but my wife and all of her female friends used an iOS app called "Glow" to track the same data as this app (religiously logging after each feeding, nap, and diaper change). Apps like this are extremely helpful to identify deviations from the norm that could be indicitive of a problem the child is having. EDIT: Removed links to Glow; poor form on my part in a Show HN. Awesome app OP!
- roryisok 9y ago
  well if all her lady friends use it I think you can safely say greater than "one" for your sample size =) I might give it a run for number three!
- cdubzzz 9y ago
  Hey, Baby Buddy developer here - Glow was one of the ones we checked out and liked. Ultimately I think there are some perfectly good apps and websites out there, I was just a little anxious about the data privacy aspect. Maybe I'm being overly protective, but new dad and all (:
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- Amorymeltzer 9y ago
  We're using Feed Baby (http://feedbaby.com.au http://feedbaby.com.au) — it's got a cleaner interface, more options, better graphs, and (to the sibling's comment about privacy) none of the social features.
- pbhjpbhj 9y ago
  Are minor deviations from the norm really indicative though. IME babies will have days when they feed non-stop, days when they hardly feed, days when they'll take more naps, data when they won't, etc.. that's just being a baby, they're not ill. Major deviations are normal. Sleep patterns go through stages, for example, and often there's a change over period where there is little pattern; in a day when the child is tired from activity they might sleep much longer. I feel that changes that are indicative of health problems are going to show in the child before you get them from looking at an app.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
ohadron 9y ago
My experience is identical. I think this kind of app could be really helpful but inputs need to be automated for this to be feasible. Maybe using some IoT devices (baby cradle sleep monitor, diaper box sensor, etc.).
- giarc 9y ago
  Use Amazon dash buttons throughout the house. A poopy and a wet button near the change station, a nap start and nap end near the crib, a left breast/right breast near the rocking chair etc. Set them to make an API post request.
  - cdubzzz 9y ago
    This is a pretty cool idea! Currently the app only has a minimal (Django REST) API, but expanding it to those sorts of functions would be really neat.
- roryisok 9y ago
  or an end of day prompt with a really quick and simple survey. of course, for some of us, having a newborn means you completely lose track of time. I was off for 4 weeks when our first was born in the height of summer. we slept whenever she slept. I remember waking up once when it was sunny outside, seeing "8:00" on our 12-hour bedside clock and literally not knowing if it was 8 in the morning or 8 in the evening.
- PMan74 9y ago
  There are companies doing just this for feeding https://mymomsense.com https://mymomsense.com http://milksense.com http://milksense.com (and one other one that had IoT nipple shield that measured flow)
- stevekemp 9y ago
  I guess it depends on the child, and to a certain extent the parents too, but I found that it was pretty simple to keep track of obvious metrics "woke up" , "fell asleep", "changed nappy". I'd rarely do it in real-time, but I had a notebook I'd update pretty often. That let us predict our childs routine pretty well, enough to schedule naps anyway.
PMan74 9y ago
My wife tracked the breast feeding data. Very useful to know how long (so you know roughly home much the baby is getting) and which side (so you can alternate). Without an app this is difficult enough to keep track of e.g. remembering the few feeds in the middle of the night. Would we have survived without it - absolutely. Did it give reassurance, make thing easier - yes. One of the few apps I've ever paid for. But just feed data didn't bother with sleeps, tummy time, dirty/wet nappies.
- pbhjpbhj 9y ago
  >Very useful to know how long (so you know roughly home much the baby is getting) // Length of feed doesn't equate with volume consumed. Does it really help? Weight progression seems like a much stronger indication. Weighing nappies (aka diapers) and child would give useful information. An infant can have a lazy feed, fall asleep whilst suckling, feed hungrily, feed ineffectively. Added to that breast milk changes. What then do you do with that data, it's not like your child feeds 8 minutes, but as you then speculate "volume is down" you can make them feed 9 minutes next time. If they're not unwell they'll feed to satiety. Reassurance, or perhaps it's more just a diversion, is a good enough reason to go mad on stats though.
cdubzzz 9y ago
We were worried about this too, but in practice it hasn't been an issue. I think perhaps if it were just me or just my wife, it would be a little tougher. But the current flow will sometimes go: wife starts feeding baby, I start a timer for her while her hands are full, one of stops the timer and makes a quick entry when she's done. Feedings are probably the hardest ones to be consistent with, sleep, diaper changes and tummy time all kind of flow naturally.
- goda90 9y ago
  This seems like a realm where voice assistants could be useful. Tell it to start a timer when feeding, or to record the nature of the diaper change while you're actively changing it.
  - cdubzzz 9y ago
    Yeah, that could be really cool. I do actually have a Pi around with Snips[0] on it... I'll have to experiment. [0] https://snips.ai/ https://snips.ai/

toomuchtodo 9y ago

Sample size of one, but my wife and all of her female friends used an iOS app called "Glow" to track the same data as this app (religiously logging after each feeding, nap, and diaper change). Apps like this are extremely helpful to identify deviations from the norm that could be indicitive of a problem the child is having. EDIT: Removed links to Glow; poor form on my part in a Show HN. Awesome app OP!

roryisok 9y ago
well if all her lady friends use it I think you can safely say greater than "one" for your sample size =) I might give it a run for number three!
cdubzzz 9y ago
Hey, Baby Buddy developer here - Glow was one of the ones we checked out and liked. Ultimately I think there are some perfectly good apps and websites out there, I was just a little anxious about the data privacy aspect. Maybe I'm being overly protective, but new dad and all (:
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
Amorymeltzer 9y ago
We're using Feed Baby (http://feedbaby.com.au http://feedbaby.com.au) — it's got a cleaner interface, more options, better graphs, and (to the sibling's comment about privacy) none of the social features.
pbhjpbhj 9y ago
Are minor deviations from the norm really indicative though. IME babies will have days when they feed non-stop, days when they hardly feed, days when they'll take more naps, data when they won't, etc.. that's just being a baby, they're not ill. Major deviations are normal. Sleep patterns go through stages, for example, and often there's a change over period where there is little pattern; in a day when the child is tired from activity they might sleep much longer. I feel that changes that are indicative of health problems are going to show in the child before you get them from looking at an app.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]

ohadron 9y ago

My experience is identical. I think this kind of app could be really helpful but inputs need to be automated for this to be feasible. Maybe using some IoT devices (baby cradle sleep monitor, diaper box sensor, etc.).

giarc 9y ago
Use Amazon dash buttons throughout the house. A poopy and a wet button near the change station, a nap start and nap end near the crib, a left breast/right breast near the rocking chair etc. Set them to make an API post request.
- cdubzzz 9y ago
  This is a pretty cool idea! Currently the app only has a minimal (Django REST) API, but expanding it to those sorts of functions would be really neat.
roryisok 9y ago
or an end of day prompt with a really quick and simple survey. of course, for some of us, having a newborn means you completely lose track of time. I was off for 4 weeks when our first was born in the height of summer. we slept whenever she slept. I remember waking up once when it was sunny outside, seeing "8:00" on our 12-hour bedside clock and literally not knowing if it was 8 in the morning or 8 in the evening.
PMan74 9y ago
There are companies doing just this for feeding https://mymomsense.com https://mymomsense.com http://milksense.com http://milksense.com (and one other one that had IoT nipple shield that measured flow)
stevekemp 9y ago
I guess it depends on the child, and to a certain extent the parents too, but I found that it was pretty simple to keep track of obvious metrics "woke up" , "fell asleep", "changed nappy". I'd rarely do it in real-time, but I had a notebook I'd update pretty often. That let us predict our childs routine pretty well, enough to schedule naps anyway.

PMan74 9y ago

My wife tracked the breast feeding data. Very useful to know how long (so you know roughly home much the baby is getting) and which side (so you can alternate). Without an app this is difficult enough to keep track of e.g. remembering the few feeds in the middle of the night. Would we have survived without it - absolutely. Did it give reassurance, make thing easier - yes. One of the few apps I've ever paid for. But just feed data didn't bother with sleeps, tummy time, dirty/wet nappies.

pbhjpbhj 9y ago
>Very useful to know how long (so you know roughly home much the baby is getting) // Length of feed doesn't equate with volume consumed. Does it really help? Weight progression seems like a much stronger indication. Weighing nappies (aka diapers) and child would give useful information. An infant can have a lazy feed, fall asleep whilst suckling, feed hungrily, feed ineffectively. Added to that breast milk changes. What then do you do with that data, it's not like your child feeds 8 minutes, but as you then speculate "volume is down" you can make them feed 9 minutes next time. If they're not unwell they'll feed to satiety. Reassurance, or perhaps it's more just a diversion, is a good enough reason to go mad on stats though.

cdubzzz 9y ago

We were worried about this too, but in practice it hasn't been an issue. I think perhaps if it were just me or just my wife, it would be a little tougher. But the current flow will sometimes go: wife starts feeding baby, I start a timer for her while her hands are full, one of stops the timer and makes a quick entry when she's done. Feedings are probably the hardest ones to be consistent with, sleep, diaper changes and tummy time all kind of flow naturally.

goda90 9y ago
This seems like a realm where voice assistants could be useful. Tell it to start a timer when feeding, or to record the nature of the diaper change while you're actively changing it.
- cdubzzz 9y ago
  Yeah, that could be really cool. I do actually have a Pi around with Snips[0] on it... I'll have to experiment. [0] https://snips.ai/ https://snips.ai/