The best apps for new mums, checked one by one

Which apps help you log feeds, sleep and nappies?

In the first few weeks it's easy to lose count: which breast they started on, when they last fed, how many wet nappies there have been. A tracker on your phone helps, especially if you share it between the two of you. These three are in Italian.

• Baby Tracker - Diario neonato

  Nighp Software · iPhone · free, with a paid Plus version

  Breastfeeding with a timer, bottles, sleep and nappies; weight, length and head circumference compared with WHO standards. Syncs data across several devices and creates PDF summaries.

• Bebè Connect

  Seacloud Software · iPhone and Android · 7-day free trial, then subscription

  Feeds, nappies, sleep, milestones and growth with percentiles. It can be shared with anyone who looks after your baby and accessed from a computer too.

• Medela Family - Allattamento

  Medela · iPhone and Android · free, some features linked to Medela breast pumps

  Contractions during pregnancy, then breastfeeding and expressed milk, sleep, nappies, weight and length. Data can be exported to show your paediatrician.

What should you log at first? Three things are enough: feed times, wet and dirty nappies, and hours of sleep. Nappies, for example, are one of the signs the UK's health service (NHS) uses to tell whether a breastfed baby is getting enough milk: we cover this in our 10 tips for the first few weeks.

A practical tip: choose just one and both use it. A simple tracker kept up consistently is more useful than three apps started and abandoned halfway.

Which public service apps do you need with a newborn?

With a baby on the way, the paperwork piles up. These public tools are free; IO and INPS Mobile are accessed with SPID (Italy's digital identity) or an electronic identity card.

• IO, the public services app

  PagoPA · iPhone and Android · free

  Receives messages from local councils and public bodies, pays pagoPA notices when you scan the QR code and stores some personal documents in the Digital Wallet.

• INPS Mobile

  INPS · iPhone and Android · free

  Its services include the Assegno unico e universale (the universal allowance for dependent children), Bonus nido and Premio nascita, as well as the status of your applications and payments, with notifications when something changes.

• Your Region's electronic health record (Fascicolo sanitario elettronico)

  Italian National Health Service · regional portals and apps

  Brings your health documents together in one place. Each Region runs it through its own portal or app: the national website points you to the right one.

Is there an app for meeting other mums?

• Peanut

  Peanut App · iPhone and Android · free, with an optional subscription

  Support groups by life stage, questions you can also ask anonymously, profiles verified with a selfie. It's available in Italian, but it isn't widely used in Italy yet: on the Italian store it has very few ratings.

To meet other mums near you, ask your midwife or family health clinic (consultorio) too: they often know the local support groups, and antenatal classes are a good place to start.

How do you choose the right app?

• Language. All the apps on this list are in Italian. Other well-known apps, such as Huckleberry, are currently only available in English on the Italian store.
• Cost. Basic features are almost always free and the rest is paid. Before you subscribe, check what stays free and how to cancel.
• Sharing. If you take turns looking after your baby, you need an app that syncs across several phones.
• Privacy. You're recording health data about your child: read the privacy policy, check where the data is stored and whether you can delete it.
• Exporting. A summary to show your paediatrician can come in handy, if they ask for one.

What can't an app do?

An app keeps count; it doesn't examine your baby. Charts and percentages are no substitute for your paediatrician, who knows your baby. That's why we've removed from our old list the apps that promise growth ‘leaps’ at set weeks: every baby develops at their own pace, and if you have any doubts, your paediatrician is still the person to ask.

App names, prices and features change often: before you pay, always check the store page.