8 of the Best Organization Apps to Make Parenting (a Little) Easier

I distinctly remember when my kindergarten teacher asked us to consider what we wanted to be when we grew up. Answers ranged from firefighter and veterinarian to banker, artist and athlete.

Unsurprisingly, none of my classmates listed parent as their dream career.

Yet as adults, it’s one of the most dynamic jobs we can do. Whether we have careers outside the home or not, raising kids requires us to be part chef, teacher, nurse, entertainer, mediator and schedule coordinator in addition to full-on financial benefactor.

And if you're thinking of having more children, the fun has only begun!

Luckily, there’s an app for almost all of that. First, there's Fabric's iPhone and Android app, which lets you sync up your financial accounts with your partner, write a will, apply for life insurance in minutes, save for college and more... all from the free app.

In addition, we've researched some of the other best digital tools to help balance all these responsibilities.

Fabric

Price: Free

Purpose: Track finances, plan for the future and help protect your family

Fabric's app can help you track your finances, and also much more than that. It's the one-stop shop for family finances, so tasks that used to be long paperwork processes are quite literally becoming possible at your fingertips.

To help guide you through the process, you start by taking a quiz to get your own financial checklist.

Depending on your personal situation, that can include saving for college by opening a 529 account for your kids right from the app. You can also draft a last will and testament in a few minutes and apply for term life insurance in around 10 minutes without talking to a salesy agent—again, straight from the app.

Then you can link all your financial accounts in one place so you can see your assets and track your progress over time. Powerfully, you can share this with your spouse, so you both know where to find all your important accounts. (After all, do you really know the name of the 401(k) provider for your spouse's job? Now you will.)

Kids Eat Free

Price: Free

Purpose: Find restaurant deals

Eating out is expensive for anyone. Add kids to the equation and it can be extra burdensome and even more costly. It can be sticker shock for new parents, especially. That’s where this app comes in, highlighting dining establishments that offer free and discounted meals for children. In my experience, some of the best mom hacks involve free food.

If you enable GPS access, you can find deals near you, or enter a city or zip code manually to plan affordable eats for out-of-town trips.

When I searched in Rockland County, New York (where I live), a range of local spots and national chains like Sonic and Jersey Mike’s Subs appeared. Since it’s a crowdsourced app, the power of Kids Eat Free is subject to participants in your geographic area. To pay it forward, you should probably also enter specials you discover, and verify or flag deals based on your experience.

UrbanSitter

Price: Free

Purpose: Connect to childcare providers

UrbanSitter is like Tinder for sitters and nannies. I first used the platform back in college, when I was looking for work. Now, there are over one million registered users spread throughout metropolitan areas and around colleges in all 50 states and DC.

The app makes it easy for new parents to find, interview, book and pay caregivers for full-time, part-time, occasional and regular jobs.

CEO and co-founder Lynn Perkins told me that UrbanSitter differentiates itself from competitors like Care.com by leveraging your personal network, linking you to sitters that friends, coworkers and other parents you know have used before.

To further instill confidence, sitter profiles include reviews, background checks, special skills, introductory videos and data about repeat bookings. Plus, you can save by sorting according to pay and sharing a sitter with another family. Perhaps best of all, average response times are under three minutes, so UrbanSitter can be a real lifesaver in a pinch.

WebMD

Price: Free

Purpose: Research medical information

WebMD gets a bad rap as a hypochondriac’s best friend, but the website is actually a very powerful tool filled with objective, up-to-date, physician-reviewed healthcare information, especially for nervous new parents. The app version streamlines services even further, making it super simple to research symptoms, conditions and treatments no matter how far you may be from your pediatrician’s office.

You can save conditions, drugs, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and articles to access easily later. This is great for parents who don’t always have time to do repeat investigative research. My favorite part, though, is the medication reminder. Unlike the alarm feature that comes with my phone, it aligns specifically with my prescriptions so I never miss a dose.

Winnie

Price: Free

Purpose: Access parent reviews

Sites like Yelp, Angie’s List and TripAdvisor can be incredibly helpful when you’re looking for honest opinions about stores, restaurants and local tradesmen. Winnie provides that same service for new parents, pointing you to a directory of over 2 million parks, libraries, museums, camps, eateries and other businesses and activities.

Winnie also connects you to an authentic, supportive community where you can share stories, exchange mom hacks, search for advice and receive real-time answers to pressing parenting questions.

“There are so many moments as a parent where you can feel completely alone . . . being able to find other parents who have the same experiences as you can be incredibly helpful,” says CEO, co-founder and mother of two, Sara Mauskopf. She thinks of Winnie “as a one-stop parenting resource right in your pocket.”

Cozi

Price: Free to download and $29.99 to upgrade to premium service

Purpose: Keep the whole family organized

20 million families use Cozi to stay organized, so they must be doing something right. Accessible via mobile device or computer, the digital calendar combines different activities and appointments into a color-coded joint agenda, making it easier to attend every PTA conference, work meeting and soccer game.

I consider this one of the best organization apps because it also features shared grocery and to-do list builders (differentiating it from something like Google Calendar) so every member of the family can contribute to meal planning, chores and vacation packing.

There’s even a space to store recipes and a journal for memorializing special moments. To remove ads and add a shared address book and birthday tracker, parents can upgrade to Cozi Gold for $30 a year.

Talkspace

Price: Free to download, services from $49 per week

Purpose: Connect to licensed therapists

In the words of Dr. Rachel O’Neil, Ohio-area counselor and mom to a 3-year-old boy, “Life as a parent can be stressful.” Often, parents are so busy caring for their children that they don’t address their own needs. Trips to the gym, relaxing baths, and other coping mechanisms just aren’t as easy to execute when you have kids to take care of.

“Over time,” O’Neil warns, “this can lead to larger concerns, like depression and anxiety.” Talking to a trained mental health professional can make a big difference. For only $49 per month, Talkspace members gain unlimited text, audio or video access to a therapist who matches their needs. That’s up to 80 percent cheaper than one-hour therapy sessions in major cities.

Many of my friends have turned to online marriage counseling and online therapy as a flexible, affordable option to get the support they need.

Acorns

Price: $1 to $3, depending on the services you use; free for college students

Purpose: Invest without the stress

Acorns is trying to make investing simple. The original feature links your debit and credit card to a brokerage account. Every time you spend, the program rounds your bill to the next dollar amount and invests the difference.

3.8 million users save an average of about $36 a month through this rounding-up. Acorns has also added an IRA investment tool and a partner program with brands like Buy Buy Baby and Amazon.

According to Chief Education Officer Jennifer Barrett, the app “makes it seamless to do the right thing.” As a mother of two sons, she understands how much more expensive life gets after you have kids. If nothing else, Barrett encourages parents to use starting a family as motivation to get their financial act together.

They say raising a child takes a village. In the digital age, some of that village lives in the App Store. So, go ahead and start downloading. The better prepared you are, the better—and happier—the parent you can be.

Fabric exists to help young families master their money. Our articles abide by strict editorial standards.

Information provided is general and educational in nature, is not financial advice, and all products or services discussed may not be offered by Fabric by Gerber Life  (“the Company”). The information is not intended to be, and should not be construed as, legal or tax advice. The Company does not provide legal or tax advice. Consult an attorney or tax advisor regarding your specific legal or tax situation. Laws of a specific state or laws relevant to a particular situation may affect the applicability, accuracy, or completeness of this information. Federal and state laws and regulations are complex and are subject to change. The Company makes no warranties with regard to the information or results obtained by its use. The Company disclaims any liability arising out of your use of, or reliance on, the information. The views and opinions of third-party content providers are solely those of the author and not Fabric by Gerber Life.