r/ParentingTech

Most of the comparisons I found online were written for adults who want a shared family schedule. Like I get it it's useful but it's not the whole problem. My issue wasn't that my husband and I couldn't coordinate, he's a sweetheart and does an amazing job, it's that my kids had no relationship to the calendar at all. They didn't check it, they didn't know what was on it, they just waited for me to tell them what was happening and then forgot immediately 🥲

So I evaluated everything through that lens specifically. Which options work for kids, not just for parents trying to organize kids.

Google calendar and cozi: not even close, they have adult interfaces, require reading, no visual scaffolding, nothing a little one could navigate. Useful for adult coordination but your kids won't be able to use that

Skylight: much better, the display is clear and always visible and my younger kiddos could at least see the calendar even if they weren't really interacting with it. The calendar view is good for shared visibility. Routines are limited though and there's no real mechanism for kids to feel ownership over their day, it's still something the parent controls and the kid observes.

Hearth: similar as above but the thing that separated it for me was that it's designed with kids in mind (finally!) The routine icons work for pre readers and the reward system gives them a reason to engage. Also it gives you an option to see if routines are actually happening, like I can see who's participating and where things are falling apart, which is different from just seeing what's on the calendar. My 7 yo sweetheart now checks her routine without being asked. That didn't happen with anything else we tried.

I used a great little app to take daily photos. I've done it for 12 years. It's so incredible and sometimes alarming to see how much changes.

Naturally I wanted to do the same for me, and also for my daughter, so we can all watch back. However the app I used could only do one project and couldn't allow my wife to add photos too.

So I've made a replacement and I think it's the best decision I've made because I'm truly passionate about this habit. It's the best one I've ever adopted maybe because it's so easy.

One notification per day (or less frequent, whatever you want) to remind you to take a photo.

Later you can watch it back as a timelapse video.

It's for iPhone and everything is stored in your iCloud so it's 100% private.

It's called DayReel you can read a bit more about it on the website and specifically about some of the baby growth designed features here.

Message me if you want a code for Pro.

Please feel free to give any and all feedback if you have it.

https://preview.redd.it/03rai5yrnsxg1.png?width=1192&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea4ee9cded3be6d14d69b0a17386dc7a76fe4acf

A while back I started noticing my daughter wasn't really interested in books/reading. This kind of started to weigh on me and worried me more than I honestly expected it to… Reading is obviously foundational, and I didn't want her to miss out on what it can do for her early development.

 

The problem was that she'd only engage with whatever she was fixated on at that moment and that changed constantly. Whatever book I put in front of her, it was never quite that thing. I couldn't keep up, and honestly, nothing out there could either.

What I kept noticing though was how creative she was. The imagination was always there, she just needed the right outlet. That's what led me to the idea: instead of trying to find the perfect story for her, what if she could just build it herself? Her characters, her world, her story.

 

It worked. She got hooked. And watching her creativity take off in the process was something I wasn't fully prepared for.

 

The app lets parents and kids build illustrated children's books together — custom characters, original plots, AI-generated artwork, even audiobook narration so kids can listen back to stories they helped create. You can go quick (a full story in seconds) or dig into every detail if that's your thing. The stories live in your personal library, and you can share them with family and friends.

 

I'm not trying to blast this out everywhere. I'm looking for a small initial group of parents (around 50-60 or so) who are willing to try out the product before it's fully out and most importantly are willing to share honest feedback.  

The first 50 people who sign up will get a free story. Test the platform, create something just for you and your family. No strings attached, just tell me what you love/hate.

 

If this sounds like something you and your kid might actually enjoy, drop a comment or DM me and I'll get you set up. Would genuinely love to hear what resonates and what doesn't from real families.

Hi everyone, I’m working on a small project for new parents and wanted to ask here only if this is allowed.

The idea is simple: instead of trying to keep up with a baby book, you can text little moments as they happen, firsts, funny details, tiny memories, photos, and they get saved into a private timeline.

I built it because I know how easy it is to take tons of photos but forget the little context around them.

I’m looking for a small number of parents with newborns or toddlers to test it and give honest feedback. It’s free, and as a thank-you, testers can keep access free.

No pressure at all, I’m mainly trying to learn whether this is actually useful for real parents.

If you’re interested, comment below and I’ll share more details. Also happy to answer questions here.

Most of the comparisons I found online were written for adults who want a shared family schedule. Like I get it it's useful but it's not the whole problem. My issue wasn't that my husband and I couldn't coordinate, he's a sweetheart and does an amazing job, it's that my kids had no relationship to the calendar at all. They didn't check it, they didn't know what was on it, they just waited for me to tell them what was happening and then forgot immediately 🥲

So I evaluated everything through that lens specifically. Which options work for kids, not just for parents trying to organize kids.

Google calendar and cozi: not even close, they have adult interfaces, require reading, no visual scaffolding, nothing a little one could navigate. Useful for adult coordination but your kids won't be able to use that

Skylight: much better, the display is clear and always visible and my younger kiddos could at least see the calendar even if they weren't really interacting with it. The calendar view is good for shared visibility. Routines are limited though and there's no real mechanism for kids to feel ownership over their day, it's still something the parent controls and the kid observes.

Hearth: similar as above but the thing that separated it for me was that it's designed with kids in mind (finally!) The routine icons work for pre readers and the reward system gives them a reason to engage. Also it gives you an option to see if routines are actually happening, like I can see who's participating and where things are falling apart, which is different from just seeing what's on the calendar. My 7 yo sweetheart now checks her routine without being asked. That didn't happen with anything else we tried.

mam family linka od 3 lat, mam juz dawno ukonczone 14 lat i nie mam limitu na limit dzienny lub czas tylko rodzice patrza na lokalizacje. Jednakze chce usunac, poniewaz nie moge pobierac gier i logowac sie na innych urzadzeniach. znam haslo rodzica, i teorytycznie moge to robic sama ale no zbyt duzo trudu itd. czy jak kilkne wylaczenie nadzoru, da sie uniknac blokady na 24h? czy jest tam opcja wpisania hasla rodzica i ominiecia jej? z gory dziekuje za odpowiedz :)

AI tutors, writing tools, and grading systems are being rolled into classrooms faster than anyone has studied their impact on developing brains. Your kid's school didn't ask you. The companies building these tools didn't either.

250+ doctors, researchers, and child development experts just called for a 5-year pause on all student-facing AI in K-12 schools. Not because AI is bad. Because kids are being shaped by something parents have zero visibility into.

The issue isn't the technology.

It's that your child's thinking, habits, and attention are being shaped without your values or boundaries in the mix.

Some families want strict limits.

Some want open access with guardrails. Both are completely valid.

What matters is that the choice is yours to make, and right now most parents don't have the tools to make it stick.

Do you know what AI tools your kid is actually using right now?

Hi. I'm creating a round-up of the best education tools for kids by age group teens, middle school, middle elementary and pre-school-young elementary.

What's your favorite and why? How old are you kids?

I'll start: I really like NotebookLM for creating study guides/summeries out of powerpoints which are sort of laborious to go through. Best for teens and up, I think, but maybe tweens use it too. ANYWAY....please weigh in.

Hey everyone,

I've been working on Kid Create Zone (kidcreatezone.com) — the idea is simple: your kid says something like "a dinosaur eating pizza in space" and AI generates actual artwork from that. Parents review and approve it. Then you can put it on a real t-shirt, hoodie, mug, etc. and it ships to your door.

I built it because my kids kept drawing things and saying "I wish I could wear this." Turns out AI art generation has gotten good enough to make that actually work.

It's free to sign up and create designs (5/month on free plan). I'm looking for families to test it out and give honest feedback.

A few things I'm specifically wondering:

- Is the design quality good enough?

- Is the flow clear for parents?

- What product types would you want that aren't there yet?

Would love to hear what you think. Happy to answer any questions.

[screenshot/gif of the design flow]

My teen has an Apple watch that he uses for calls/texts. It is a standalone, meaning it required an Apple phone to set up, but does not require having an ongoing connection to a phone; the watch has its own independent phone number.

The watch is aging and getting glitchy, so I want to get him a new one, but I'd very much like to move away from Apple (I have an Android phone). Unfortunately, when I first set this up for him a couple years ago, Apple was the only brand that offered a truly standalone watch (not just a watch that could be separated from its phone, but a watch that didn't need to be tied to a phone at all). Samsung had previously offered that, but their watches no longer function this way for whatever reason.

I figure this market is always evolving, so I hoped something new has come on the market. Anyone know of an actual standalone watch besides an Apple watch? And not interested in Gizmo or Gabb - little sister has a Gizmo, but I'd like something a bit less "childish" for the teen.

Bought and setup a TickTalk5 for my child and the location on the app just showed 340 miles away at a property owned by us with an address I have not entered anywhere in the app or profiles. Going to reach out to support Monday when they’re open but wanted to see if anyone has encountered this or has an explanation other than they’re pulling data from my phone that they shouldn’t be.