Five blessed weeks ago, I became a father to twin boys. While I’m holding up with the diapers and feedings and endless exhaustion, fatherhood would be significantly more difficult if it weren’t for the Baby Connect app . Whether you have one kid or a dozen, this thing is a lifesaver.

What is the best app for new parents?

Keeping your kids on track

Kids eat and go through diapers like nobody’s business. When babies are born, their stomachs are the size of a teaspoon, so there’s not a lot of room inside your little bundle of joy. Even if you have a notepad and are meticulous about charting feedings and diaper changes, there are times when you’ll hand your kid off to your partner or you’ll forget your notepad or you’ll be so tired you’ll forget to write something down. The Baby Connect app solves that problem.

Whenever my wife or I do anything for the kids, it goes in the app. We have Baby Connect on each of our phones. I take the night shift with the boys, helping them with everything until 4 a.m. When my wife wakes up and takes over, she can open Baby Connect to see a detailed log of everything I did for them overnight. It’s surprisingly thorough.

How it works

Here’s the main screen where I spend most of my time:

At a glance, I know that  Zach ate 53 minutes ago and he last had a diaper change 1 hour and 48 minutes ago. That means he’s probably going to start screaming at me for food in 67 minutes. (My boys eat like clockwork.)

If you want to add an entry, you just click the icon and an appropriate screen pops up. Let’s say I had to change Zach’s diaper. I’d click the Diaper button and this would appear:

My boys are fans of the “Open-Air Accident” option. What’s really nice is that if you’re feeding or changing simultaneously, there’s an option to add an entry for both kids at once. Just change two wet diapers? Hit Diaper , then touch your child’s picture at the top of the screen. That opens a window for you to Select Multiple children.

It’s extremely helpful over time as the Baby Connect app starts generating charts that allow you to plan your purchases. I can see Zach’s appetite is growing, but tapering off a bit. I also see the dude rips through close to 80 diapers a week. So when I’m standing in Costco, looking at a 4,000-pack of diapers, I have a decent idea how long that will last us.

There are also tabs for medical information , so you can add weight and height to chart your kids, along with any medicine they might be taking.

If you have multiple people caring for your kids, they can all connect to the same account so everyone can add data throughout the day. This app is so flexible, even daycare centers can use it to track dozens of children. As your family grows, you can keep adding kids without additional charge.

Yes, Baby Connect costs $4.99. I’m the last person who ever wants to pay for an app, but two things are true: $4.99 is the cheapest baby-related thing you’ll ever buy and your sanity is definitely worth $4.99. On our first night from the hospital, as the boys were unleashing their sonic death cannons on us, we happily plunked down the five bucks and our lives have been better since then.