How millennial parents are leveraging digital tools for parenting
Time and age has made millennial parents to embrace digital parenting. Parenthood has become tech-based as new generation parents are explore innovative tools and apps for parenting.
As digital natives, millennial parents have been immersed in technology from pregnancy apps to smart baby monitors.
Millennial parents are embracing technology to make their lives easier through easy access to information and tools that can help them navigate the challenges of raising children.
Today’s smart or wifi baby monitors give parents peace of mind, allowing them to check in on their kids from anywhere.
These monitors allow parents to keep an eye on their baby from wherever they may be, using their smart phone or tablet.
Right from conception, millennial mums start using pregnancy apps which offer freedom and ease to keep tabs on everything related to the health and wellbeing including the sex of their growing foetus.
Fatima Sule, a medical doctor and mother said from medical appointments and foetal growth to tracking contractions on d-day, a pregnancy app give updates with what to expect at every stage, including concerns that require medical intervention.
“ From wondering about average baby growth to the safest foods to eat, being pregnant requires your brain to work on overdrive.’’
“ Fortunately, getting the answers to some of your most pressing questions can be as simple as downloading an app,’’ she said.
Mr and Mrs Dauda Bulus confessed to how the smart baby monitors have helped them to monitor and get awareness of how their new born baby is breathing and sleeping.
Mrs Bulus said, through the months, as my baby was growing, installing the monitors around my child helped me get real-time alerts which lets me hear, see and know of any changes.
“ The right baby monitor can help you make sure your baby is safe and comfortable—even when you’re not in the room.
“ Because you’re always looking out for your little ones, the modern range of high tech monitors is packed with features to help you watch over our baby.
“ If you’d like to be able to see your little one but don’t want to risk disturbing their sleep, a video baby monitor will show you baby’s room from a screen on the parent unit.
“ It offers sleep summary reports you’ll love to read and even discuss with the pediatrician if need be.
“ The summary gives a greater understanding of how your baby is sleeping week-by-week with graphs and charts of your little one’s slumber,“ he said.
On the other hand, Bulus said that as somebody who is always on the road, he usually monitored his family especially the wellbeing of his kids via the smart camera kids’ monitor.
Simply angle the camera towards your baby’s mattress and crib, and you will have 24/7 access to your kid’s room and environment.
“ This feature makes watching over your child easier since you can still access your baby monitor while you’re away from the house till they are of age and are no longer dependants.
“ Especially as my wife is also a practicing pharmacist who has to be away at work and sometimes leave the kids with a live-out nanny till her return,’’ he said.
A single mother to a teenager and civil servant, Roseline Diamond, said kids milestone tracker apps helped monitor child’s development as well as gave parenting tips when she gave birth to her daughter 16 years ago.
“ These devices are encouraging parents with tight work schedules to find out what to do if you are ever concerned about how their child is developing.
“ From birth to age 5, I already knew milestones that should be reached in how he or she plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves.
“Photos and videos in this app illustrate each milestone and make tracking them for your child easy and fun“, said.
An IT expert, millennial mum, Ms Ramat Sule, said there are various smart bottle warmers which allow parents to warm a bottle to the optimal temperature – not too cold, not too hot – via an app.
“Smart pacifiers, baby activity trackers, and sleep aids are other examples of how technology is being incorporated into baby products to help parents monitor and care for their babies.
“It is not just about parenting. We’ve seen how technology has transformed the way some millennial parents raise their kids by introducing video and educational games to their kids as and at when due.
“With e-commerce on the rise, it’s easier than ever for parents to find what they need for their growing families’’, she said.
She said the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the trend of remote learning and communication, with most parents leveraging platforms like Zoom, Skype, and Teams, among others to stay connected with teachers and school guardians.
“Attending virtual parent-teacher conferences have become the norm, making it easier for parents to stay involved in their children’s lives.
“With the advent of more sophisticated mobile devices and smart technology, we can expect to see even more innovations that make parenting more accessible and rewarding than ever.
“With advancement in technology, it’s never been easier for millennial parents to stay connected with their families and loved ones, no matter where they are in the world,’’ she said.
