It’s time for another instalment of our From Our Families series…, where we meet some of the parents using Onoco and see how they’re using the app on their individual journeys!
Today, we’d like to introduce Kara, Steven and Freddie.
Hi Kara! Thanks for taking the time to speak to us today; could you give us a quick introduction to your family?
Hi! My name is Kara and I live in Edinburgh with my husband and our nine week old, Freddie. We started using Onoco a few days after bringing Freddie home from the hospital.
Not all that long ago then! How did you first hear about us?
I spotted an ad on Instagram when I was a few months pregnant and thought it looked really helpful. I took a screenshot of the ad and saved it in a folder to come back to once Freddie was born.
Amazing - the power of social media! If you don’t mind sharing, could you let us know what challenges you were looking to solve when you originally downloaded Onoco?
Freddie and I had had a bit of trouble establishing feeding and spent a few days in hospital after he was born. I was having to write down all of his nappies, feeds and timings. When we got home this wasn’t sustainable anymore and that’s when I remembered about Onoco!
Which feature do you most frequently use Onoco for, and has it changed at all?
To begin with it was purely feeds and nappy changes. I find the nursing timer so handy, I’m constantly forgetting which side I need to feed from next and it’s so helpful being able to see how long Freddie had spent on each side. Now that Freddie is a little older I’m using the app to track his naps and wake windows.
If comfortable sharing, could you give us an insight into some of the analysis you have gathered using Onoco using these features?:
The analysis tool has been really helpful in supporting us to find Freddie’s natural routines in terms of feeds and naps and we’re starting to see patterns emerge. We’re going to use this over the next couple of months to establish more set nap times. It was also incredibly helpful to have the information about Freddie’s nappies so easily available. We had to take him to the doctors for a minor thing and I was able to give a really accurate picture of his nappies over the week that led up to the appointment - this really supported the doctor in deciding the next steps.
Is there any part of Onoco you tend to use a little bit less than others?
The learning journey section is something I’ve only recently looked at. I like the way it’s broken down into smaller milestones - as a teacher I see them as small achievable targets - it gives us specific things to look out for or to try and work on with Freddie to support his development. It really just confirms that every little thing we are seeing or doing is part of a bigger picture for Freddie.
What does an average day look like for your family at the moment?:
Every day is totally different at the minute! We’re very much following Freddie’s lead and trying to work out if he has a natural pattern/routine. We tend to spend the morning in the house, getting ourselves ready, playing and cuddling. My husband works from home so it’s nice having him around to take a few minutes to play with us. We often head out late morning or early afternoon to meet friends, go to baby classes or just go for a walk. In the evening we enjoy getting time to play as a family and also reading a lot of stories.
What would you say to anyone considering using Onoco in their family?:
I’ve been recommending Onoco to EVERYONE! A lot of my friends who are also new mums have downloaded it and use it for similar reasons. I find it incredibly useful for keeping me right and it just takes the pressure off me trying to remember everything.
How would you describe your life or your family life with one movie or song?:
Some days our family life feels like a scene from Jurassic Park, other times it’s a bit more like the happily ever after scenes in Disney movies - it’s all about balance!
Thanks so much to Kara for sharing her experience!
If you’d like to share your family’s story, send us an email - we can’t wait to get to know you.