I write this blog with a bit of annoyance, actually.
There’s this fabulous new app on the market that’s been designed and created by my wonderful client at Onoco, and I feel like I’ve missed out.
Let me explain.
When I gave birth to my daughter, Lily, three years ago, I was about as prepared as any new mum would be (so, in essence, not at all).
Lily had a few medical issues that made parenthood even tougher, and those issues affected things like feeding and sleeping - pretty much the only two things that babies even do, if we’re honest.
Add into the mix that I am naturally a complete control freak and someone who found themselves not only in possession of a baby but also a truckload of new-found anxiety, and my life was, at times, a living hell.
I couldn’t even give Lily to someone else to look after, because as much as I needed the break, I was way too uptight about trying to keep her in a routine, and freaking out at all turns that other people just wouldn’t ‘do it right’. I needed to know at all times if Lily was drinking the right amount of milk at the right time, being burped enough, having enough sensory time, filling her nappies with the right colour and texture of sh*t… I could not let any of it go.
This didn’t really change as Lily got older. I worried way too much over what she was (or wasn’t) eating, I stressed over when (and under what circumstances) she had her dummy (pacifier, for our American friends), and the only thing more stressful than Lily not napping was wondering - when she finally was asleep - if she’d fallen asleep quickly enough and without the aid of a ‘crutch’. Ohhhh the language you learn when you have a baby and Google is your best friend.
Google really was my best friend, though – and I ran out of questions to ask it. I half expected some searches to be returned with the phrase, “You’ve already asked me this, Joanne – the answer hasn’t changed to something that will make you feel better. Go back to sleep.”
And now? I’ve started working with the amazing Margaret Zablocka at Onoco, helping her refine, market and launch her new app for parents and caregivers. An app that lets new, busy or stressed-out parents record routines, track progress, and monitor the milestones that matter in terms of child development and the EYFS. Everything is there on that app – to record, monitor and share - so that when parents download it, they can use it to regain a little bit of their parental sanity – even when their baby or toddler is being cared for by somebody else! I can’t tell you how disappointed I was that Margaret hadn’t developed this app three years ago, and saved me months and months of those conversations you have with your child’s grandparents, childminder or babysitter…
“Make sure she has two long naps, but not too long as I want her to sleep tonight…”
“Don’t forget to give her two syringes of the purple medicine every two hours, and one spoon of the yellow one between meals…”
“Please check that she’s pooing on the potty because she only does it in her nappy at home…”
I write this down trying to be funny, but honestly it was bloody stressful. It still is!
Now my child is 3 years old, the stress is less over routine and the truly terrifying unknown of having a small and completely defenceless baby, and more about milestones and childhood development in line with whatever the health visitor says on one day and what the nursery says on another.
Oh, boy, and how I stress… I guess it’s a good thing that I can download Onoco right now then, and start using it for all my tracking and monitoring peace of mind, right up until the diva turns 5!
If only the app had a function on it to monitor my patience…
Just like there are hundreds of questions you can type into Google, thousands of different responses you can get in return, and quite frankly millions of people giving you conflicting advice as to how to best raise your child, there are countless baby trackers available in the parent and baby market right now.
But Onoco? Take it from an obsessive parent and a former primary school teacher… this more than a baby tracker. In fact, that’s the tagline we went with at the product launch!
At least I’m a better copywriter than I am a parent!
Download it now, thank me later.