Making the choice to breastfeed is an important decision, but most moms will tell you that it can be considerably challenging for many reasons. Managing the nursing and pumping schedule alone, while seemingly intuitive, can sometimes be very difficult when a string of sleepless nights fogs your mind and prevents you from remembering the last time you nursed your child. Was it two hours ago? Three?
The good news is that there is help available right at your fingertips to make this experience a lot easier! Breastfeeding tracking apps can be a mom’s best friend by easily allowing you to track feedings, manage your nursing schedule, record pumping sessions and amount of milk expressed, and so much more. Some of them can even keep tabs on sleep, diaper changes, and developmental milestones. By keeping a record of breastfeeding and pumping details, you have an easier time nailing down a schedule that works and communicating any issues to your baby’s doctor.
We looked at many breastfeeding support apps but chose this condensed list based on their content, customer ratings, and ease of use. They're all available on your smart phone and the best part….wait for it…..IS THEY ARE ALL FREE (though some have in-app purchases available)!! Here’s our curated list of FREE breastfeeding apps that can help keep you organized and on track! They are listed in no particular order and we are not sponsored by or affiliated with any of the app developers or companies.
#1 MyMedela Baby Tracker: This comprehensive app is designed by the world’s leading breast pump manufacturer and provides tracking tools for pregnancy, breastfeeding, breast pumping and more. You can track your baby's nursing sessions and supply of pumped milk. You will also find interactive checklists, personalized articles, custom tips and reminders. Further, you can manage your breast milk stash and breast milk expiration dates with their virtual milk storage feature. But our favorite feature is that the app connects to select Medela breast pumps to seamlessly record pumping sessions in real-time! Genius!!
#2 Ovia Parenting: The Ovia app is perfect for moms who want to track important information and also share their child’s development and important milestones with loved ones. Not only does Ovia Parenting track breastfeeding sessions, bottle feeding sessions, diaper changes, and sleep; it also allows you to invite friends and family to follow your children and view updates, photos, videos, and more. We love this app because users get access to a huge database of articles written by experts for all of their parenting questions as well as the ability to ask and answer questions in a community of parents and caregivers.
#3 Nara Baby Tracker: This easy to use app serves as a shareable hub for tracking all things baby. It easily tracks breast and bottle feeding sessions, pumping, sleep and diaper changes with just a few simple taps, and allows easy analysis of the day in an easy-to-read log which can be shared with another parent or caregiver. You can also set reminders for the next feeding, pump session, diaper change, sleep, or medication. It works for multiple babies and across multiple devices. We like this app because when nursing or pumping it allows you to time each side, pause, enter other data in the app, then go back to the timer without losing your time or information. Great addition for moms with babies who fall asleep or like to take breaks during feeds.
#4 Hatch Baby: This recipient of the prestigious Mom’s Choice award allows you to easily track feedings or bottle sessions with an easy-to-use, one-tap timer. It also tracks diaper changes, sleep, and much more. You’ll also be able to track your baby’s development with visual charts and understand your baby’s patterns with a convenient activity summary. You can also choose to connect to another platform, Grow or the Smart Changing Pad, to measure exactly how much your baby is eating at each breastfeeding session. Finally, you can view daily, weekly, or monthly summary charts to gain insight into your baby’s eating patterns. The app also you to export and share your baby’s data with your pediatrician or your baby’s caregiver while you are away, including when your baby last ate or slept. This made our favorites list because of it’s impressive 4.8 rating on IOS from nearly 9K users! Sounds like a fan favorite to us!
#5 Baby Feeding Log: While providing all the same features as the other breastfeeding apps, this app is designed to be the easiest breastfeeding app and baby tracker for feedings, sleep, and diaper changes. It features a nursing tracker with timer, pause feature for feedings, tracks bottle feedings with amount fed in ounces and milliliters, and tracks sleep schedules and naps. A favorite feature is it’s ability to email that data in a spreadsheet format to yourself, your baby’s doctor, or another caregiver. We are fans of this app because of it’s simplicity and ease of use for tired moms who want a no-fuss yet effective option.
#6 Baby Breastfeeding Tracker: This breastfeeding app helps you track your baby’s nursing progress, growth, diaper changes, doctor’s visits, and much more. It has an easy-to-use timer and shows detailed information on your nursing sessions, such as most recent nursing, daily averages, cumulative totals, and graphs. Sync the app with your partner or childcare provider so everyone is up to date on baby’s schedule. We love that this app helps you calculate how much you’ve fed your baby.