Pratima Shantaveeresh
Parenting is a full-time job and people are willing to take help from any quarter. City Express talks to some new-age parents who have been using apps.
Shelly Goyal is the mother of an energetic six-year-old and was finding it difficult to keep him engaged. “I was constantly looking for places to take him to,” she says. Then, she downloaded Frogo, which lists down all the workshops and activities he can participate in. Aadi now attends classes for gymnastics, karate and dance, among others.
With mycityforkids, Gurneet Kaur is able to share her parenting to-do list with her family members. “Once we store the information, we get reminders. I share the information with my in-laws also since they pick him up from school.” The app also has links to blogs on health, motherhood and quick tiffin recipes, says the mother of two-year-old Gurnav Singh. Their event section lists various activities kids can participate in. “Gurnav now participates in food festivals, craft melas, young chef sessions where they are taught fireless cooking and Mougli farms (where children can interact with various animals and learn about them).”
She also gets details about doctors from the app.
There are apps that help children measure their creative talents against others. Pia Khurana, a nine-year-old, uses KleverKid.in. “They recently had a contest for Republic Day where children was asked to hold a flag and click a creative-selfie,” says Puja Khurana, Pia’s mother.
“Pia made a video ad, which was uploaded on the app. It was appreciated by many,” says her proud mother.
Young parents often look around for advice and a place to air their anxieties. Tinystep is a social networking platform where parents and would-be-parents can share with each other and get help also from experts. Haleima Mazhar says, “I have been using the app since four months and I have found it quite useful. The mothers on the platform, from all over India, ask questions and also answer.” They discuss health, weight management, health and recipes for children.