It has been said that there is an app for everything. While some apps are purely for entertainment, others are designed to provide useful information to a select group of people who can benefit from it. Such is the case with Text4baby. It helps moms to receive critical health information about their babies.
Text4baby is available through the App Store. Compatibility requires iOS 6.1 or later. It is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Android users can get the Text4Baby app from Google Play.
The Wireless Foundation and participating mobile operators support Text4baby. All messages that a mom or dad receives from Text4Baby on participating carriers is free. You do not have to have a text messaging plan in order to get these texts, and the texts from Text4baby won’t take away from your total amount of messages. Those who are using pay-as-you-go or pre-paid cell phones need to check if their service provider allows Text4baby for free.
Text4baby sends text messages on several topics that are useful for parents. Those topics include: Nutrition for you and your baby, Safe sleep tips, Baby’s milestones, Signs and symptoms of labor, Doctor appointment reminders for you and your baby, Breastfeeding advice, Car seat safety, Information on health insurance, Urgent health alerts, and Resource hotlines and websites. (There are additional topics as well).
Women who sign up for Text4baby at any point during a pregnancy will receive a “starter pack” with six messages. Each of those messages contains critical information and encouragement to connect to care. The pregnancy set of messages ends around 40 weeks. After that, Text4baby starts sending messages about infancy. People using the app can update it with their baby’s birth date at any time in order to receive age appropriate information.
A study was published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine that involved Text4baby. It looked at the effectiveness of the health messages it was sending out.
In a randomized trial, some users were sent messages during the last flu season that encouraged them to get the flu vaccine (either for themselves or their babies). Those who got the reminders were two times more likely to get their vaccinations than were those who didn’t get that message.
Overall, Text4baby could be useful for parents who want to make sure they don’t forget about doctor’s appointments, vaccination schedules, or milestones that their baby might be ready to reach. You can choose to have the texts sent in either English or Spanish. Additional web content and videos are accessible for those who want more health, nutrition, and safety information.
Image by gail on Flickr.
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