Parenting Pointers: Apps for Parents

Many parents agree their smartphones ease the child rearing responsibilities by helping organize, ease stress and stay connected to their families—especially if they’re one of the millions of parents who are still working when their kids arrive home after school. From scheduling to shopping to security and food, there are some wonderful apps that make the transition easy for you and your kids.

·         Carpool: KangaDo, arrange a carpool, request babysitting, set up a play date, or help out someone else. 

·         Security: ADT Pulse, allows parents to receive email and text alerts when the kids arrive home after school, check in with real-time video monitoring, arm and disarm their security system and control lights, small appliances and thermostats, the app can even lock/unlock doors if the kids get home first.

·         Meal Planning: LaLa Lunchbox, empowers kids, save money and time. Kids pick their meals with a completely customizable food library and those choices turn into a handy grocery list for parents.   

·         Schedule Keeper: Cozi Family Organizer – Manage your jam-packed life and keep the whole family in the loop with Cozi Family Organizer. The app allows families to share calendars, to-do lists and more.

·         Family Management: AboutOne  is a self-dubbed "family management system" that helps parents manage everything from precious memories to household information. 

·        Lost items -   StickNFind – From backpacks and ball caps to calculators and notebooks, there’s a lot to keep track of during the school year. StickNFind’s quarter-sized disc can help you hunt down whatever it's attached to thanks to a smartphone app that keeps tabs on its distance via Bluetooth.