Anyone who says that stay-at-home moms don’t work has never stayed at home with a child or managed a busy household. Simply keeping up with everyone’s appointments, day-to-day maintenance, household shopping, and running errands can be a major undertaking. Thankfully, the amazing number of apps available for the iPhone in the App Store include a fair amount that are very useful to today’s harried stay at home mom. These ten are among the most indispensable, and can streamline many of a busy mom’s errands into more manageable feats.
- Grocery iQ – Finding the time, and a babysitter, for a leisurely stroll through the grocery store is a luxury that few stay-at-home moms can afford. Because the key to a successful, meltdown-free shopping trip almost always hinges upon your ability to get in and out of the store in record time with your kids in tow, this free app is a lifesaver. Build your shopping list from the comfort of your own home, find coupons for your favorite brands, and streamline the process of grocery shopping.
- Errands To-Do List – Juggling the demands of running a household while looking after energetic and often rambunctious children, all without ever forgetting a date, shopping item, or appointment, is a feat beyond even the most unflappable moms. Managing your to-do lists with an app like the free Errands To-Do helps to ensure that you’ll never forget an important item again, as you work through your list and check them off one by one.
- Evernote – More often than not, important items occur to harried moms at the least convenient moment and are forgotten by the time she manages to find a second to make a note. With Evernote, you’re able to choose one of several options for recording and documenting your thoughts, ensuring that precious ideas don’t fall through the cracks.
- Holdr – Chasing a child around the house with a phone precariously wedged between your ear and shoulder while waiting for a customer service representative to take your call can be one of the most frustrating daily errands that a mom regularly faces. Thanks to Holdr, the days of being forced to stay on hold indefinitely are over. With this free app you can attend to other pressing business during your hold period, and Holdr will call you back as soon as your representative comes on the line.
- Mom Maps – When you’re faced with a long summer day or a teacher’s in-service day that keeps students out of school, finding nearby attractions to keep the kids occupied and away from the television can present a challenge. For $2.99 Mom Maps users can pinpoint kid-friendly diversions in the surrounding area, ensuring that they never have to hear cries of “I’m bored!” again.
- WebMD – Determining whether your child’s rash is a mild reaction or a sign of something more serious isn’t easy for the average person. Without medical training even the slightest cough can be cause for alarm. Thankfully, applications like WebMD exist to provide on the spot consultations so that you can decide whether a trip to the pediatrician is in order or if they just need a good night’s rest.
- Feeding Your Kids – Teaching kids good dietary habits is certainly not easy in today’s over-processed, preservative-packed world. With Habit Changer’s “Feeding Your Kids” app, you can learn how to make small adjustments each day, teaching your children to choose healthier foods for themselves along the way.
- Bank of Mom – Tracking kids’ expenses and helping them to manage money is one of the most important lessons that a mother can pass on to her children. The spending habits that your child learns today can very easily determine how financially responsible he will be as an adult. With apps like Bank of Mom, monitoring those habits for later discussion is a snap.
- Find My iPhone – Kids aren’t particularly known for their patience, but the number of apps in the App Store designed to keep them occupied are numerous. If you make a habit of handing your iPhone to an antsy child, however, chances are that a forgetful little one will eventually misplace your iPhone. With Find My iPhone you can sign in on another Apple device with your Apple ID to spot your phone on a map, remotely erase all data, or lock the phone until it can be found.
- Key Ring Rewards Cards – The days of keeping up with dozens of tiny plastic loyalty and customer rewards cards are over, thanks to apps like the free Key Ring Rewards Cards. Scan and save all of your old cards into your iPhone, look for new loyalty programs to join, and save digital coupons to your cards from inside the app. With this app you’ll be able to cut clutter and organize your memberships, ensuring that you never have to fumble for another card through dozens that look similar again.
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