When and How Should You “track” Your Newborn?
Last week we got a question from a reader asking us about the best baby feeding and diaper change tracking apps. To which I first answered: “Applications? I used a yellow pad. ” But then I remembered that it was eight years ago, which could be 50 years in terms of technology for young parents.
This issue sparked internal discussion among Lifehacker staff about the need for tracking. Healthcare Editor Beth Scarecki’s advice: “Don’t keep track of these things. You don’t need this and you’ll just drive yourself crazy. Apps exist because the app is easy to program, not because it helps you in any way. “
Associate editor Alice Bradley responded firmly and quickly, “There are a lot of situations that it makes sense to keep track of,” she says. “Keeping track of things reduced my anxiety. I didn’t care if it was worth my time. “
So, I went to determine when and how parents should track their newborn’s sleep, feeding schedule, and diaper contents. (And yes, by “content,” I mean what’s in that diaper: when do you see urine? When do you see poop? What does this poop look like? That’s what parents of newborns rightfully focus on.)
This is when you should track
Start tracking from the beginning. If you can start tracking at the hospital, you will receive the most gold of the stars; but actually try to start tracking as soon as you get home with your baby.
Your baby is usually seen by a pediatrician at the hospital within 24 hours of birth and then again at three to five days of age. Plan to at least keep track of feeds and diapers for the first few days between visits in case there are any concerns about feeding, sleep, or “contents.” The pediatrician will most likely ask you how these three things are going, and in your sleep deprivation state, this is not information that you can probably recall locally with any real details.
At this appointment, ask your pediatrician if you should continue monitoring. If there are any concerns, your doctor may recommend that you continue tracking until your next visit. If everything is ok, you can get a full cleanup to throw out the notes.
After that, keep tracking (or not) for YOUR benefit
Assuming everything is going well, the baby is eating and sleeping decently, and you or the pediatrician is not worried about weight, decide if you want to continue tracking.
If trying to remember to note every last wet diaper and feces texture and ounce consumed is more than your brain, then put the notebook aside and / or uninstall the app. You don’t need to do one more thing right now.
But if you are the type of person who loves to keep track of these things, the one who finds solace in the daily routine, by all means, go away! Maybe it helps you see a pattern in the kid’s schedule, or maybe you’re just a little Type A ( ahem, that’s me ) and tracking makes you feel like you’re in control of the chaos a little.
Track whether this relieves your anxiety; discard it if it causes more concern.
Here’s HOW you can track
As I said, I wrote down the feeding times and ounces on a yellow pad that moved from my coffee table to the dining table and back again. It’s both old school and effective, but I understand that there are now apps that are much cooler (and that automatically go to the pediatrician with you when you inevitably forget your laptop).
So, I polled the parents on our Offspring Facebook group about their favorite app recommendations, and this is what they said:
- Baby manager . Several parents liked the app, including Rachel, who said, “My husband can also put it on his phone, which was very helpful in the beginning when I couldn’t get out of bed to change diapers at night (caesarean section). We no longer track the contents of each diaper, but we just started using cloth diapers, so now I only use it to make sure I change diapers often enough. Since we both have an app, he doesn’t have to ask me when the baby was last fed, changed or napped, which makes the transition easier if he comes home from work and I leave the house. “
- Children’s tracker . This was one of the most popular suggestions in the group. It’s free, it’s easy, and those who used it were happy.
- Baby Connect . If you’re willing to invest $ 5, this app is recommended by our group of parents. “He literally keeps track of whatever you can think of,” says Crystal. “It provides graphs and exports to Excel and handles multiple children.”
- Honorable Mentions Go To: Glow Baby and Feed Baby .
Finally, a final tip from the breastfeeding mom in the group: “I recommend keeping track of which breast was last used, even if you are breastfeeding on both sides. My worst leaks have always come from an accidental chest leak. An old school way of looking after yourself is to pin a safety pin to your shirt. “