You’re Going to Need to Track Your Baby’s Feedings, Diaper Changes, Sleep and More. Here’s How

There’s plenty of love to go around with a new baby: all those snuggle sessions, hundreds of adorable pictures filling your camera roll, the chance to watch your little bundle grow before your very eyes. 

But there are also plenty of things to keep track of: how much your baby is eating, how many diapers you’re changing, how often you're pumping, how long your little one is sleeping, and other aspects of her routine and yours.

When it comes to feeding your baby, you’ll need to know some specifics: What time did baby's most recent feed start? How many ounces was that last bottle? How long did baby breastfeed and on which breast(s)? How many times has she eaten today?

You'll also need details about changing your baby's diaper, which can tell you a lot about her health: How long has it been since the last change? How many wet diapers and dirty diapers has she produced today? What's the color and consistency of baby's poop?

Not to mention keeping track of how and when baby is sleeping, how often she's doing tummy time, what happened during your pumping sessions (if applicable), how much solid food she's eating (when you get there) ... the list goes on.

It’s a lot to remember, especially when you’re running on (very) little sleep and balancing everything else that comes with new parenthood. Fortunately, a baby tracker like the newly expanded one featured in the What to Expect app can help.

What is a baby tracker?

A baby tracker does exactly what you’d expect — it helps you document all the details of your little one’s eating habits and diet, diaper changes, sleep, and even tummy time sessions, as well as your pumping sessions if you have them and other details of your little one's daily routine.

A typical baby tracker includes:

• A way to track your breastfeeding sessions, bottle-feedings and pumping sessions.
• A timer to record how long each feeding is.
• Feeding history over time, so you can look back at previous feedings and see how they change as your baby gets older.
• A way to track your baby's diaper changes, including when each one happens, what the diaper contents are, when your last diaper change was, and the total number of diapers you changed in a day.
• A notes field for jotting down details of your baby's feedings, diaper changes, sleep patterns, tummy time, and any other facets of her daily routine you want to keep track of.

How to use the What to Expect Baby Tracker

Searching for a baby tracker tool but have no idea which one is the best? The What to Expect Baby Tracker has all the features you’re looking for.

All you need to do is download the free What to Expect app from your phone’s app store (if you don’t have it already), tap “tools,” and then tap “Baby Tracker.”

Once you’re in the tracker, you can use all the tool’s features, including:

• A way to add new feedings, diaper changes and pumping sessions right from the homescreen of the baby app and parenting feed.

• A timer to clock how long your feedings last. If you're nursing, you can record how much time you spend feeding from the left and right breasts. Plus, the timer keeps going while you browse other content, so you can keep using the app while you're feeding your baby.

• A helpful notes field to add anything you want to remember about baby's feeding sessions and diaper changes.
• Feeding, pumping and diaper change information for the last day, week and month so you can look for recent eating and diapering patterns.

• Details of each of your baby's diaper changes.

• A way to track your baby's sleep, tummy time sessions, solid food diet when you get to that stage, and any other details of her routine and development you want to take notes on, which will then appear in your timeline.

Benefits of using a baby tracker

There’s no shortage of benefits of using a baby tracker. Not only is it instrumental in ensuring that your baby is getting enough to eat, having her diaper changed regularly, and sleeping as long as she should be, it can help you remember which breast to feed on next if you’re nursing, how much to offer after your little one’s nap if you’re giving her a bottle, what's in her diaper so you can keep tabs on her nutrition and health, and when you should put her down to sleep next.

Plus, recording the specifics of your baby’s feedings, diapers, sleep, tummy time, and other details in a tracker like this means you have all the important info in one place. That way, you can identify patterns in how your little one is growing and developing, and adjust if necessary with your pediatrician’s guidance.

Panicked thoughts like “Wait, how much did she eat a few hours ago?!”, "When did I change her diaper last?", and "What time should I put her down for a nap?" can quickly subside thanks to this tool. A well-baby visit can become instantly easier when all you need to do is open an app to tell the doctor how much your baby is eating, how many diapers you're changing, how long she's sleeping and how tummy time is going, rather than trying to rack your brain for all the minute details.

Ultimately, a baby tracker like What to Expect’s “new addition” makes your life as a new parent a whole lot simpler.

Give What to Expect’s new baby tracker a try and let us help you organize your little one’s feedings, diaper changes, sleep, and more, along with your pumping sessions, so that you don’t have to. You’ll be able to enjoy that special bonding time with your baby with less worry! You can download the What to Expect app (and use its baby tracker) for iPhone, iPad and Android.