HEALTHY FAMILIES
PARENTTECH
By Maureen Brown
Destress Daily Designed by Harvard-trained psychologists and mindfulness experts, the meditation app Simple Habit offers a zen escape to recenter when you need a time-out from the hustle and bustle of raising kids. (Available for iTunes & Android, free to download, premium subscriptions: monthly $11.99, yearly $99.99, lifetime $299.99)
Family Management Made Easy With so many family members and so many schedules, plus to-do lists, grocery store trips, and everything else in between, the nextgeneration family organizer, Picniic, will make sure organization is a breeze, not a chore. (Available for iTunes & Android, free to download, premium subscription: monthly $14.99, yearly $74.99)
TECH TO THE RESCUE!
8 apps and gadgets to help you parent easier.
Stay Connected While You’re Away Next-Level Monitoring New parents can breathe (and sleep) easy with the Angelcare Baby Movement Monitor. Featuring movement and activity tracking to record restlessness, rollovers, and kicking, this touchscreen monitor sounds the alarm when no movement is detected for twenty seconds. (4.3” monitor, $229.99, amazon.com)
Robo Buddy is proof that mom really does have eyes everywhere. This mobile surveillance gadget with voice capability can help you keep an eye on the house, kids, or pets when you’re out for the day. ($86, amazon.com)
Batteries Get an Eco Upgrade As parents, it may seem like every toy in the toy box needs an endless supply of batteries. Batteroo can extend the life of your batteries so you can replace them less often. Fifteen million batteries a year end up in landfills, so while you save money and energy, you also save the environment. (4 pack, $9.99, batteroo.com)
Social Media Safety for Kids Letting your kids roam the world wide web unsupervised can be a cause for concern for any parent. Bark lets you keep tabs on your kid’s internet activity and alerts you to any detrimental activity in the ways of cyberbullying, sexting, drug-related content, or signs of depression. (Available for iTunes and Android, free to download, monthly $9 or yearly $99) 14 kiwi Spring 2017
Peace of Mind at the Touch of a Button When your child is under the weather the Kinsa Smart Health Monitor takes their temperature, offers guidance on what to do next, and tracks your precious patient’s health history. ($19.99, amazon.com)