Top Parenting Apps For Babies, Kids and Teens

This article is an in-depth review of the best parenting apps available on App Store and Google Play – in our opinion, the apps that made this list should be a part of every modern parent’s app collection. These apps will facilitate time management, help you communicate with your children and remain confident in their safety, educate you on parenting-related matters and enable you to help your child in their studies.

Contents

Best apps to:

• Know where your children are and what they are doing
• Keep track of your child’s growth and health
• Control your child’s internet activity
• Calculate the family budget
• Help your child in their studies
• Plan your activities
• Communicate

Know where your children are and what they are doing

Best app: Findmykids

This app lets you always keep track of your child’s location. If the child does not respond to your calls, you can send a loud audio signal to get their attention.

There is no way to sneak this app into the child’s device without them knowing it – that’s why using Findmykids is only possible when both parties involved are okay with it.

Advantages:

• tracks the location of multiple children simultaneously;
• allows to monitor the child’s battery level and drains minimal charge when running in the background;
• keeps a log of all child’s movements;
• allows to set up designated safety zones and notifies you whenever the child leaves them;
• notifies you in case the child’s GPS turns off or the app’s settings get reset;
• built-in family chat;
• the Android version includes several useful extra features: recording the child’s calls and the sounds around him and a weekly report that shows the time your child has spent using certain apps.

Price: The app is free with in-app purchases. All functionality is unlocked during the first two weeks following the installation – once the trial period expires, the main function (location tracking) remains active and the additional features are locked. Annual subscription costs 16.99$, monthly subscription is priced at 2.99 $, forever subscription – 25.99$.

Supported platforms: iOS, Android.

App’s website: https://findmykids.org/en

A user’s review of the app:

«A great app – I bought a smartwatch for my kid and pretty much stopped worrying for her ever since. The app’s location tracking works pretty smoothly coupled with a SIM with solid coverage – I can even see when she leaves the kindergarten for the nearby playground, even though they are so close to each other. The movement history feature is also neat, and sound playback helps a lot when I leave my daughter with a nanny»,

— Ruth Pinks.

	Install the Findmykids app Track the location of your child in real-time and listen to the sounds around their device!

Findmykids is among the few apps that are compatible not only with smartphones, but also with smartwatches, which can also be used to make and receive calls – this is very convenient if your child is too young to own a smartphone. All other apps in our review do not support GPS watches.

Kaspersky Safe Kids

This app also allows to keep track of the child’s location – its standout feature, however, is that it can monitor the child’s internet activity, limit the amount of time they spend online and restrict their access to certain websites. The app works on smartphones as well as PCs.

Advantages:

• shows the location of your child and notifies you if they go outside the safe areas of your choosing;
• tracks the amount of time a child spends in different apps and social media such as Facebook and Instagram;
• allows getting a qualified psychologist’s opinion regarding the child’s internet activity.

Disadvantages:

• the mobile version has limited functionality compared to the desktop version.

Price: A free version is available. A premium version with additional features costs $15 per year.

Supported platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android.

App’s website: https://www.kaspersky.com/

Life360

Life360 is a family locator app that lets its users to geographically track their loved ones. The app was designed with all ages in mind and comes equipped with an impressively-sized list of features – however, some of these features (like roadside assistance and crash reports) may prove overwhelming and rather unnecessary, especially if you just want to track the location of your child.

Advantages:

• you can set up a range of special zones (home, school, etc.) and receive a notification once a family member reaches them;
• the app shows police stations, fire stations and hospitals in your vicinity on the map;
• includes a panic button feature, which automatically sends a distress signal with your GPS coordinates to your relatives.

Disadvantages:

• tech support can often be unresponsive;
• the feature list can be a bit bloated for some people.

Price: The basic functions are free. There is a monthly and annual subscription – these will set you back $7,99 and $69.99, respectively.

Supported platforms: Android, iOS.

App’s website: https://www.life360.com/

Family Locator

Another app used for tracking the movement of all family members. Compared to its competitors, it’s very simple to use, but the current version lacks a number of essential features included in the other apps.

Advantages:

• built-in chat;
• you can send emergency signals and requests for help to your relatives and close ones;
• location history feature that logs all movement over the last 7 days;
• in addition to safe zones, the app allows you to set up «danger zones» and notifies you whenever your family members approach them.

Disadvantages:

• the app doesn’t let you monitor the child’s internet activity;
• the call recording feature is not supported.

Price: The app has basic and premium versions – a lifetime subscription for the former costs $14,99, whereas the latter will require the user to pay $79,99. There are also monthly and yearly subscription options available.

Supported platforms: Android, iOS.

App’s website: https://www.sygic.com/

GPSme

GPSme locator is a relatively simple app that allows you to see the location of your friends and family. The free version of the app only displays the location history over the last 2 days and limits the number of safe zones the user can set up.

Advantages:

• the «black box» feature that allows the app to record the child’s movement even when there is no internet access available;
• an emergency button and extra loud notifications;
• because tech support is provided via chat, all issues are addressed quickly and efficiently;
• a single map that simultaneously shows all children.

Disadvantages:

• many features are hidden behind the paywall;
• ads;
• the app is relatively light in features;
• incompatibility with GPS watches.

Price: a lifetime premium license costs $14,99.

Supported platforms: Android, iOS.

Keep track of your child’s growth and health

Best app: Baby Connect

This app allows you to comprehensively monitor your child’s development and store information about their height, weight, health problems, etc. This information can be used to create graphs that neatly visualize the changes your child undergoes in the process of aging. Baby Connect is very thorough when it comes to keeping a detailed account of your baby’s habits and individualities, offering support for a wealth of diverse categories such as feedings, sleeping time, the child’s moods and favorite games.

Advantages:

• the app is compatible with most popular platforms and allows multiple users (grandma, nanny, etc.) with different devices to share a single account;
• you can set up reminders – for example, to give your baby medicine, feed them or change their diapers;
• unlimited storage to keep all needed information available and secure;
• a desktop version you can access through a browser.

Price: 4,99$ on App Store and Android.

Supported platforms: Web, iOS, Android. Compatible with Apple Watch.

App’s website: https://www.babyconnect.com/

A user’s review of the app:

«I’ve been using this app since 2013, it’s very convenient and informative. After my second child was born, it became a bit of a chore to keep mental track of their sleep and nutrition – this app helps a lot in that regard. I can log what my children like to do using the app as well as their height, weight, body temperature… The app is also updated constantly, which I find great»,

— Gemma Brown.

Baby Connect includes a host of features that make it stand out among other “all-in-one” apps geared towards parents of young children. However, while certainly comprehensive, this app is not universal, and other apps presented in this article can complement Baby Connect in several useful ways, be it lulling the baby into sleep, offering information on baby’s health or hosting a chatroom with other parents.

Mush

If you are a mom who wants to connect with other like-minded moms and discuss your parenting-related fears, struggles or achievements – Mush is the app for you. No matter if you are a soon-to-be mom or a seasoned parenthood veteran, Mush’s algorithm pairs you up with nearby moms who have the kids of the same age or are due at the same time so you can ask for advice, get some emotional support or just have a friendly chat, online or IRL. Additionally, the app gives users access to a series of guides and articles on all things motherhood and lets you directly e-mail parenting experts with questions that trouble you.

Advantages:

• a convenient way to engage with people who share your experiences;
• a good volume of useful, well-written articles about raising children;
• a feature that allows to reach out to experts with your questions and problems.

Disadvantages:

• doesn’t work in the US;
• the app constantly sends notifications, which can become a bit irritating.

Price: Basic functionality is free, unlocking premium features costs $4,99 per month.

Supported platforms: iOS, Android.

App’s website: https://letsmush.com/

Lullabies Relax & Sleep

This app contains a library of tracks that can help you achieve the ultimate feat of parenthood: convince your precious child to stop crying and peacefully fall asleep. The lullabies included in the app are all time-tested and battle-proven, so much so that you should stay alert not to doze off before your child does.

Advantages:

• the list of included tracks is diverse and effective;
• a built-in timer that can play the tracks when needed.

Disadvantages:

•  the free version only includes five tracks.

Price: Five songs are free. Access to the entire library and the timer feature costs $2,99/month.

Supported platforms: Android.

Baby Care

Baby Care lets you keep a baby diary, tracking your kid’s growth, mental development, habits, and health. Essentially a somewhat stripped-down version of Baby Connect, this app offers similar functionality but lacks in important departments such as multiplatform availability (the app doesn’t have an iOS or web version).

Advantages:

• allows storing information about multiple children;
• can create graphs and tables based on the collected data;
• supports account sharing between several users;
• lets you make and keep recordings of your baby’s voice.

Disadvantages:

• no desktop version;
• the app hasn’t been updated for over 2 years.

Price: The basic version is free with ads, removing ads will cost $2,99.

Supported platforms: Android.

App’s website: https://www.facebook.com/babycareandroid/about/

NHS Child Health

A collection of guides, hints, and tips for parents of children aged 0-5 years, housing a lot of potentially valuable information on how to monitor the child’s oral health, deal with dental and abdominal pain, prevent bruises, administer medicine and when and where to seek professional help. This nifty little handbook provides a convenient way to access and search through a vast compilation of medical knowledge and makes taking care of your child’s health a slight bit less daunting of a task.

Advantages:

• the app is completely free;
• the information is up-to-date, well-structured and comprehensive.

Disadvantages:

• the app is primarily meant for UK residents, meaning that if you live outside the UK, some built-in features such as finding a local specialist will not be available.

Supported platforms: Android, iOS.

Website: https://www.nhs.uk/

Control your child’s internet activity

Best app: ESET NOD32 Parental Control

This is THE app for all your parental control needs and purposes – it allows to monitor your child’s activity on the device, filtering potentially harmful content, keeping track of the time the child spends using different apps and restricting access to the device according to a customizable schedule – for example, during homework time or bedtime. One issue to be aware of is that, because iOS is very reluctant to grant third-party software control over core device functions (which is essential for parental control apps), there is no iOS version.

Advantages:

• the app is designed to be approachable and interactive: it addresses the child by their first name, gives them helpful advice on using the device and reminds them about their studies or household duties in a friendly, non-obtrusive way;
• includes 20 broad categories of potentially unwanted websites, allowing you to block them all in one fell swoop or be particular about the types of content you would like to filter;
• the app monitors the child’s web activity and creates daily, weekly and monthly reports;
• if necessary, the child can access blocked content by sending a request to a parent;
• includes location tracking features.

Price: Free, includes premium packages ranging in price from $1 to $29,99 per year.

Supported platforms: Android.

App’s website: https://www.eset.com/

A user’s review of the app:

«The best app out there, period. Compared to Kaspersky Safe Kids, there is much more flexibility in which apps you allow and which decide to block or assign a time limit. On top of that, the UI is way better and there are handy online statistics»,

— Luci Costel.

ESET NOD32 Parental Control secures the top spot in our list because it provides a lot of functionality while still managing to offer a smooth, streamlined user experience. Additionally, it is fully compatible with smartwatches and bracelets, which we consider a crucial feature.

Kids Place

A similar app that deals with similar tasks – monitoring internet activity, setting time limits, blocking calls from unrecognized numbers, preventing unwanted purchases online and more. Compared to ESET NOD32 Parental Control, the app lacks a number of features, which can be a deal-breaker to some parents.

Advantages:

• a neat feature to block all incoming signals, mitigating the effects of radiofrequency radiation exposure;

Disadvantages:

• no scheduling features;
• no activity reports.

Price: Freemium – annual subscription costs $4,99, a lifetime subscription is priced at $9,99.

Supported platforms: Android.

App’s website: https://kiddoware.com/

KIDOZ

This aggregator app boasts a delightful collection of games, educational and entertaining videos and useful websites suitable for children – it primarily targets younger kids and toddlers aged 1-3 years.

Advantages:

• a database of rigorously pre-moderated content meant to educate and engage small children;
• protects the device from unwanted calls;
• blocks potentially harmful resources and manages the child’s screen time;
• has a built-in store containing a variety of apps for children, with some apps available for free.

Disadvantages:

• only caters towards small children – might not prove very involving for older kids.

Price: Freemium with in-app purchases.

Supported platforms: Android.

Safe Lagoon

A parental control app built around a proprietary self-teaching AI algorithm. Alongside the classic cookie-cutter set of features such as limiting screen time and protecting your kid online, Safe Lagoon offers an option to monitor all incoming and outgoing messages and calls, which works with most popular messengers.

Advantages:

• location tracking features;
• tracks app usage;
• filters harmful web content;
• monitors battery charge level;
• night mode.

Disadvantages:

• accessing settings is very simple – tech-savvy kids can potentially turn them off or circumvent them.

Price: $6,95 per month.

Supported platforms: Android, iOS.

Kidslox

According to the developers, this app teaches kids to use smartphones in a responsible, balanced way, and, having used the app extensively, we are inclined to agree: Kidslox proves itself as a very robust parental control tool with many perks and useful features.

Advantages:

• a single parent account can be set up to control up to 10 devices;
• cross-platform functionality;
• limits daily and nightly screen time;
• no ads or visual clutter;
• can be used to restrict camera access and block unwanted social media.

Disadvantages:

• no free version available;
• because there is no live tech support chat, sorting out technical problems with the app can be time-consuming.

Price: Monthly subscription – $5,99, annual subscription – $59,99, lifetime subscription – $99,99.

Supported platforms: Android, iOS.

App’s website: https://kidslox.com/

Calculate the family budget

Best app: CoinKeeper

CoinKeeper is a family budget planner that is both feature-rich and simple to use. The app is very visual, which means that kids can also find themselves engrossed in budget planning and develop their financial literacy along the way. Among other things, CoinKeeper allows you to keep an account of income and expenses, limit your monthly budget and analyze the ways you spend money.

Advantages:

• budget graphs and diagrams;
• a family budget can be accessed through multiple devices;
• a data-packed screen that simultaneously displays all accounts, expenditures, and available funds;
• a goal system that lets you save up money towards something important or exciting;
• works with many different currencies;
• reminds you about due loan payments.

Price: Freemium, 1-month premium subscription costs $1,99, a lifetime license costs $25,99.

Supported platforms: Android, iOS.

A user’s review of the app:

«The most convenient app I’ve used so far. Tracking income or expenses is effortless, the UI is as intuitive as it gets. I managed to turn keeping an account into a habit because it’s so easy and rewarding to do. Huge props to the devs! Last but not least, I have to mention their tech support – they respond very quickly»,

– Tati Lazhnina.

This app stands out not least thanks to its amazing interface – everything is finetuned for simplicity and effectiveness. The app is updated frequently and includes a handy tutorial that can turn even a kid into a bona fide accounting guru.

App’s website: https://coinkeeper.me/

Smart Receipts

Instead of wasting valuable space to store an ungodly ever-expanding pile of receipts and bills, you can simply keep their digital copies using Smart Receipts. Snap a photo of the receipt and the app will automatically parse the data and sort the receipt by type and category. Smart Receipts allows to easily calculate and categorize your expenses – for instance, how much money you spend on the kid’s tutors, clothes, doctor visits, etc.

Advantages:

• a robust built-in parser that breaks up the receipts according to types of data (e.g. price, tax, date, method of payment) and subdivides them into categories;
• can save the expense reports as .PDF or .CSV files, which is convenient if you want to use the app for managing a business;
• interestingly enough, the app includes a distance tracker feature, which you can use to claim the travel expenses from your employer.

Disadvantages:

• intrusive ads.

Price: The basic version is free. Annual premium subscription will set you back $11,99, unlimited subscription – $25,99.

Supported platforms: Android, iOS.

App’s website: https://www.smartreceipts.co/

Bankaroo

Bankaroo sets out to teach kids financial literacy and develop their financial awareness in an enclosed, safe environment. It’s designed to resemble an online banking app, supports a range of authentic banking features and can prepare your children for using their actual bank account safely and responsibly.

Advantages:

• helps children learn about money, budgeting, setting financial goals and saving up;
• supports most modern platforms;
• completely safe to use – no danger of the kid accidentally transferring any money;
• the premium version is priced very modestly.

Disadvantages:

• there is no way to set any financial incentives (such as doing homework and chores) within the app.

Price: Free with in-app purchases. The full version of the app costs $4,99.

Supported platforms: Web, Android, iOS.

Help your child in their studies

Wyzant

If you think your child needs a bit of an extra edge before a tough test or you want them to be ahead of the learning curve, Wyzant makes it easy to hire experienced tutors on any imaginable subject or field. Once you find a tutor that seems like a good fit, you can arrange in-person lessons or start an online tutoring session right away.

Advantages:

• you can find experts in almost any field;
• flexible search with plenty of options ensuring that you can discover a perfect tutor for your kid in terms of availability, skills or experience;
• connects you with tutors instantaneously – no need to publish postings or job offers;
• you can choose the mode of lesson delivery convenient for you and your children, whether it be face-to-face meetings, Skype or text messages.

Price: Free. The platform charges a fee for tutors, so expect their rates to be a bit higher to offset it.

Supported platforms: Web, iOS, Android.

App’s website: https://www.wyzant.com/

A user’s review of the app:

«This has been my first time using Wyzant and I am really pleased. The app made it easy to identify tutors meeting my son’s needs, and within a couple of weeks of my initial search, he had started with a wonderful tutor. He has been meeting with her for about five months now and has made a lot of progress. Great tool for connecting students with tutors!»

— kibblz1.

School Diary

School Diary is a platform that bridges the gap between schools and parents, allowing the school staff to notify the parents about any scheduled school events, the child’s progress, homework, behavior, and attendance via a simple-to-use app. You can communicate with the teachers directly and learn firsthand about your child’s problems and successes – and a built-in study schedule will let you know if your kid forgot about a class or – god forbid! – tries to play truant.

Advantages:

• no need to attend parent meetings – all communication can now be handled digitally;
• a firsthand account of your child’s academic performance from the teachers;
• a convenient way to always stay aware of the class and event schedule.

Disadvantages:

• naturally, if your school doesn’t integrate the app (or any of its counterparts) into its working routine, you won’t be able to use it – if you want to reap the benefits of digitalization, perhaps consider suggesting the idea via the parent council and see if it gains traction.

Price: Free.

Supported platforms: iOS, Android.

Duolingo

The Duolingo owl has long become a part of the modern meme culture thanks to its unyielding determination to teach you new stuff and a zero-tolerance policy for quitters – jokes aside, though, while the app (and the developers stress it!) should only be used as a supplement to other means of language acquisition, it’s still a great tool for language learners. Because of its game-y, progress-based take on teaching, Duolingo is a perfect option for kids, which will find its simple interface and short, fun lessons quite irresistible.

Advantages:

• a multifaceted approach to language learning: the app allows to practice grammar, reading and listening, work on vocabulary and pronunciation;
• a relatively solid voice recognition algorithm which enables the app to check the users’ pronunciation;
• the app borrows many elements from games, creating a gratifying, incentive-rich learning loop that kids will be happy to follow.

Disadvantages:

• doesn’t really work as a standalone tool (except for complete beginners) – you have to combine it with other activities to progress;
• a monetization approach inspired by freemium games that encourage users to purchase bonuses.

Price: Basic functionality is free, many aspects are monetized.

Supported platforms: Web, Android, iOS, Windows.

App’s website: https://www.duolingo.com/

Plan your activities

Best app: Wunderlist

A deceptively simple planning app with many useful features under the hood: you can compile to-do lists, assign deadlines, add due dates and reminders and share your lists with your friends and relatives. Wunderlist will come especially handy for parents of multiple children, who can add some structure into their on-the-go lives by scheduling all family plans well in advance.

Advantages:

• will remind you of meetings and upcoming events;
• the premium version supports account sharing across different devices and platforms;
• frequent updates, great stability, and almost no bugs.

Price: Free. The Android version has in-app purchases ranging in price from $0,5 to $30.

Supported platforms: Web, Android, iOS.

A user’s review of the app:

«A brilliant planner/notebook/to-do list! Plenty of great features wrapped into an intuitive UI. So far I’ve noticed zero bugs, everything runs like clockwork. Sharing access to task lists is surprisingly easy and I like that the app lets me assign who is responsible for certain tasks. I also like that the app supports photos now – super handy, especially for people like me who tend to scribble something down by hand but dread manually typing in these notes afterward»,

— Sara Holt.

App’s website: https://www.wunderlist.com

Asana

Originally designed for businesses, this handy project managing app has a lot of unexpected utility for parents: orchestrate ambitious family plans involving all your relatives or team up with your kids to do something bold and exciting while simultaneously documenting and organizing your efforts. The app is convenient to use and rocks a clean Material Design-inspired user interface, making all interaction with it very enjoyable.

Advantages:

• allows to attach files to projects from Google Drive, Dropbox or directly from your PC;
• includes a built-in messenger;
• very interactive: you can commend your peers on their efforts by sending them likes or other neat visual messages;
• fully cross-platform.

Disadvantages:

• does not work offline.

Price: Free for teams under 15 people – otherwise, each person has to pay $10 per month.

Supported platforms: Web, Android, iOS.

App’s website: https://asana.com/

School — Ultimate Studying Assistant

A great organizer for school-related matters such as class schedules and homework. The app doubles as a nifty “cheat sheet” of essential materials to make sure your kid will never forget trigonometric functions, square roots or the periodic table ever again.

Advantages:

• a scheduler designed specifically to keep track of classes, meaning there is no feature bloat;
• covers a good range of different information: you can keep track of classroom numbers, teachers’ names, homework, and required textbooks.

Price: Free, with no caveats.

Supported platforms: Android.

Related: 17 Best Family Calendar Apps 2023.

Communicate on work, school, and family issues

Although Telegram is slowly but surely gaining a steady foothold on the messenger market, many people still prefer to use WhatsApp and Viber for parent chats, so it’s helpful to have all of them installed just in case. The same goes for Facebook – even though recent trends see users migrating to other platforms, it still houses too many school groups and parent communities to leave it behind completely.

For communicating with your kid, though, we suggest using the Pingo app. It works both on Android and iOS and creates a safe environment that does not allow any third parties to call, message or run ads to your kids. On top of the usual features such as making calls and sending messages, the app also has a panic button that lets your kid notify you if something bad is about to happen.

The apps included in this list can help parents tackle many different tasks presented by parenting such as keeping track of the kids’ location, planning out the family budget and ensuring kids are out of the harm’s way while on the smartphone.

Simultaneously, they can aid kids in developing their life skills, broaden their knowledge, help them rationally distribute their time, gradually strengthen their financial awareness and contribute to their academic successes. Of course, not all apps are created equal – some have inherent technical flaws, some only deal with niche tasks and some demand financial commitment, which is why we encourage you to test our list out, play around with different app combinations and find the lineup that suits your needs best. Best of luck in all your endeavors!