While it's super easy to jump online and find Facebook friends and parenting groups, safety and privacy have always been at the forefront of my mind. I can see the value social media platforms provide for parents who are looking to share info about their children - even if occasionally you wish they would keep a picture or two to themselves. But the big question is: just how comfortable should we be with social media as we share, with a global audience, personal photos and private peeks into our family's everyday life?
I recently stumbled across one such example which has proved to be a highly rewarding parenting app, and maybe the online community that I’ve been searching for.
So what’s the app and why am I a fan? Well, it’s called Sproutly. The founders understand firsthand the issues I just mentioned because they are parents themselves. That’s why they’ve created a parenting app which allows you to share important information and noteworthy news as it relates to your baby, as well as others.
Thanks to a focus on privacy, Sproutly targets your friends and family as well as other loved ones with only the essential information. When I was feeling uncomfortable and hesitant about posting photos of my pregnancy on Instagram, the Sproutly app offered me with a perfect alternative.
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that I didn’t want the world to see private photos of such an intimate time. Posting information about my baby online felt indiscrete, inappropriate and somewhat obnoxious.
Put simply, my social media network didn’t need a daily update on the happenings of my newborn. And yet, I still wanted to share these exciting moments with the people I love most, many of whom I communicate with online.
Sproutly is like the perfect sweet spot. It is still a social and online digital platform but it’s specifically for parents and their curated network of family, friends and colleagues. The app creates a collective community of moms, dads and caretakers who are all looking for the same thing; a way to share, update and discuss their babies without the presence and participation of strangers, and pressure of attracting "likes" and "comments". Anyone who wants to view your family's profile needs to first be granted your permission.
Simply create a family profile, fill in your important details and voila! You can add milestone moments for key family dates, add pics and comments on your Sprout's dedicated page to keep approved users in the loop, and include a registry so that gift-giving becomes simplified! Sproutly also allows you to quickly search for that info in other family profiles you've stored. With customized push notifications, you’ll always be up to date on all the important things like the birthdays and milestones of other children!
The Verdict Being a parent is one of life’s hardest and most challenging experiences. It can also prove isolating, particularly so for the primary caretaker who may find themselves at home more often than not.
That’s why having an online community which you can trust in and enjoy spending time with is somewhat like the fairy godmother you never had. It pats you on the back, gives you some words of wisdom you so very needed and lets you share the most important happenings in your everyday. Whilst there’s sure to be other parenting apps out there, Sproutly has proven to be my fairy godmother. And, I have a funny feeling you might feel the same.