Glow Baby vs. Huckleberry vs. Sprout – Which Baby Development Tracker Is Best?
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Being a new parent is stressful. You want to keep up with everything and ensure that your baby is hitting all their milestones, but being a busy parent can make it challenging to keep track of things. That’s where a baby development tracker can come in to save the day.
Glow Baby, Huckleberry, and Sprout Baby are all baby development trackers that will help you monitor your baby. Each app has a different specialty, with Glow Baby focusing on community, Huckleberry on sleep, and Sprout Baby on medical tracking.
The rest of this article will go over everything you need to know about each app. We’ll cover everything from subscription options to the benefits and downsides of each app.
What Is the Glow Baby App?
Glow Baby is a newborn development tracker app designed for iOS devices. It has a 4.7/5 star rating and is free to download, although some features are only available through a premium subscription. The app is made to track all aspects of your baby’s schedule so you can monitor them over time.
The Glow Baby app is mainly designed to be a baby log. By this, I mean that it features sections where you can track everything you do with your baby throughout the day.
You can track when they were last fed and how much milk they had, when you last changed their diaper, and their nap schedule.
This app can be a lifesaver for busy, sleep-deprived parents because you won’t have to worry about forgetting when you last fed your baby. You’ll just have to check the app.
If you choose to upgrade the app to the premium version, you’ll also have the option to have synced access. This feature is excellent if you have a nanny or if you’d simply like to have more communication between partners.
That way, if the nanny notices that your baby didn’t sleep as well as usual during the day, they can log that for you to see later.
What Is the Huckleberry App?
Huckleberry is a baby tracking app available on iOS and Android devices that allows you to track all aspects of your baby’s routine. This app places a particular emphasis on sleep. It even has technology that will help you predict the optimal time to put your baby down for their nap.
The main feature that the Huckleberry App advertises is that it will help you to find your baby’s natural rhythm.
Using the information that you input about your baby’s naps and feeding, the app will predict your baby’s ideal schedule. They’ll tell you when it is the perfect time to feed your baby and put them down for a nap based on the rhythm of their routine.
Many reviews rave about this technology, saying it was the only thing that allowed them to sleep well again.
With the Huckleberry app, you have four payment plan options:
- Free Plan. Under the free plan, the Huckleberry app is simply a tracker, you can input when you did feedings, naps, diaper changes, etc., and you can sync the account between devices so everyone can know how the baby’s day went. Like I said previously, this is an excellent feature if you have a nanny or if parents aren’t always home at the same time.
- One-time Payment. The next option is to pay a one-time payment, and you will receive access to all the free features of the app and one customized sleep plan.
- Plus Membership. This membership plan has a small monthly fee and includes access to all the free features, the SweetSpot sleep predictor, the sleep schedule creator, and advanced sleep summary reports.
- Premium Membership. The premium membership is just a bit more expensive than the plus membership and includes all previously mentioned features. It also features customized sleep plans, which update as your child grows. If you ever have any questions about the sleep plan, Huckleberry has a team of experts at your disposal that can answer any questions and concerns that you may have regarding your child’s sleep.
What Is the Sprout Baby App?
The Sprout Baby app is designed for use on iOS devices, and while it is free to download, it requires a subscription to use. It features on-demand doctor report generators if your child is sick, a development tracker, a health tracker, as well as the more typical tracking features.
Since Sprout Baby is a paid subscription app, there are lots of features for you to utilize.
Of course, it includes the standard tracking options such as feeding, nap, and diaper change tracking. Still, it also has some unique features that other apps don’t have, including several health trackers that will allow you to keep on top of your baby’s overall health and development.
Sprout Baby is the only app on the market with a doctor report generator, so your doctor can see a summary of all your baby’s recent milestones, sicknesses, and other tracking data. It also has a health tracking section to track the baby’s temperature and any medications you use.
There’s also a handy development tracker where you can track their new milestones.
It also comes with an Apple Watch app so you can monitor and track from your wrist. As busy as everyone is nowadays, having your baby app available on your Apple Watch will make things easier.
That way, you won’t have to keep your phone with you at all times, especially when trying to be present with your baby. In addition, Sprout includes syncing across devices. So, all caregivers can stay up to speed on your baby’s development with this app.
What Age Can Glow Baby Be Used Until?
Glow Baby can be used from birth until five years of age. The app features milestone, height, weight, and head circumference tracking until 5. However, most parents mainly use the app in the first 1-2 years of life.
What Age Can Huckleberry Be Used Until?
The Huckleberry app can be used until your baby is two years old. They have detailed sleep plans available from birth to age two and sleep experts available to assist you during that time. However, if you’d like to keep using the sleep tracking, you can continue to use it without the sleep plan.
What Age Can Sprout Baby Be Used Until?
The Sprout Baby app can be used until your baby is three years old, although it is not limited to that age range. Sprout baby does not specify a specific age range for their app, but it is still appropriate for toddlers.
What Are the Differences Between Glow Baby, Huckleberry, and Sprout?
Although all three apps are baby development trackers, they all have differences that set them apart. Glow Baby has a great community aspect, Huckleberry focuses on sleep tracking and prediction, and Sprout has some of the most extensive tracking features available.
Glow Baby has a fantastic community feature available even in the free version, but once you upgrade, it gets even better.
The premium version features private messaging, synced devices, and comparative insights. That way, if you have a question, you don’t have to rely on Google. You can ask other parents about their experiences and see if there might be cause for concern.
Huckleberry is unique from the other two options because it places such a heavy emphasis on sleep tracking and prediction.
The app features SweetSpot technology, which suggests the ideal times to feed your baby and offer them naps based on the rhythm of their sleeping and eating schedule over the previous days.
Premium subscriptions also have customized sleep plans that their sleep experts will create for you on demand.
Sprout Baby is one of the most thorough baby development tracking apps on the market, and it has several unique features that you cannot find anywhere else. These features include:
- An on-demand doctor report generator
- A health tracker
- A development tracker
If you have a medically complex baby, this will be especially helpful as you’ll be able to keep all their health information conveniently stored in the app.
What Are the Advantages of Glow Baby?
The main advantages of Glow Baby are that it helps to create a community and track your baby’s developmental milestones. The app has over 100 milestones that you can follow, which were created with the help of pediatricians. The premium version also offers comparative data.
Out of all three apps discussed in today’s article, Glow Baby is probably the most simple.
It doesn’t suggest sleep patterns or print doctor’s reports, but it allows you to do what it’s intended to do– track your baby’s development. Some may want more complex tracking, but if you’re just looking for something with a super simple, easy-to-use interface, Glow Baby is the ideal development tracking option.
Another great advantage of Glow Baby is the community aspect. Now more than ever, with COVID-19 still raging worldwide, many new parents lack a sense of community.
After all, you don’t want to expose your precious newborn to a possibly deadly virus. That’s where a virtual community will come in handy. You’ll be able to use other parents as a resource without risking the more fragile health of you and your newborn right after birth.
What Are the Disadvantages of Glow Baby?
The main disadvantages of Glow Baby are that it’s an exceedingly simple app. It doesn’t offer as many fancy prediction technologies as some other apps do, so if you want that, Glow Baby most likely isn’t for you.
What Are the Advantages of Huckleberry?
The main advantage of Huckleberry is its groundbreaking sleep technology. While the other apps in this article are mainly for tracking and monitoring, Huckleberry has the technology to help your baby sleep better, which many new parents will appreciate.
With Huckleberry, you have access to two main sleep features: custom sleep plans and their SweetSpot sleep predictor technology.
As a premium member, you can access customized sleep plans created by Huckleberry’s team of sleep experts.
As your baby grows, they will look at your imported data and create a custom sleep plan. The team is also always available if you have any questions regarding your baby’s sleep plan or their sleep in general.
The best feature you’ll have access to is their groundbreaking SweetSpot technology. This technology takes all of the information you put in about your baby, when they last took their nap, and when their longest feeding was.
Then, an algorithm creates a schedule that will predict the best time to feed and nap your baby for optimal rest with this information. For sleep-deprived newborn parents, this technology could be a lifesaver.
What Are the Disadvantages of Huckleberry?
For an app like Huckleberry, which is basically a virtual sleep consultant, it may seem like there are no disadvantages. However, there are a few that you’ll want to keep in mind, namely that there isn’t a community aspect, and it is a rather expensive app.
The first disadvantage you’ll want to know is that Huckleberry currently does not feature a community aspect or chat feature. Some parents don’t care about this, but for those seeking connection with other parents, it’s something they’ll want to keep in mind.
The second disadvantage I’ll discuss is the relatively high price tag and lack of free features. Most of the other apps on this list are functional without upgrading your membership, but Huckleberry is different.
Without upgrading your membership, you’ll be left with just a baby diary and won’t get any of the sleep tracking or schedule-predicting technology. If you decide to upgrade your membership, you’ll pay a minimum of about $10 per month.
What Are the Advantages of Sprout Baby?
The most significant advantage Sprout Baby has over its opponents is how comprehensive its tracking system is. The app was also developed with input from the CDC, WHO, and multiple pediatricians to make it helpful to parents.
Sprout Baby also has the best health tracking features of any of the apps on this list. The primary tracking features on the other apps are naps and feedings. Sprout Baby features a whole health tracking section that allows you to track things like:
- Their temperature
- Any medications that you gave them
- Illnesses
- other health events
In the health section, you can also keep track of what milestones they’re meeting or missing.
Then, if you take your baby to the doctor, you can request a PDF copy of all of their recent health events and information to share with your pediatrician.
Although this information is available in other apps, you cannot automatically convert it into a printable PDF on them.
What Are the Disadvantages of Sprout Baby
The main disadvantage of Sprout Baby is its cost. Unlike the other apps, there is no free version, although there are multiple subscription options. Also, although you can track many things, the app doesn’t feature technology that will help you make sense of the information.
Sprout Baby has the most extensive tracking options out of all the apps on this list. You can track pretty much anything.
However, unlike Huckleberry, it does not have the technology to take this information and make predictions about your baby’s health or behavior. So if you’re looking for a great tracker, look no further, but if you want something more, you may need to look elsewhere.
Glow Baby vs. Huckleberry vs. Sprout – Which Is Better?
Out of all three apps, I would recommend Huckleberry. Although it comes with the highest price tag, it’s still significantly less expensive than what it would cost to hire a sleep consultant to come to your home.
Glow Baby has an excellent, simple interface with a fantastic community aspect that will help to connect both new and old parents alike. So, if you feel like you need more contact with other parents or are a first-time parent, Glow is an excellent choice.
Huckleberry has the most advanced technology on this list and an incredible team of psychologists behind it.
It also has many different subscription options so everyone can find their perfect fit. You won’t have to pay for many features that you’ll never use. Even if you’re not interested in paying for a premium subscription, but you still want just one sleep plan to help get you started, you can pay for that with a one-time fee.
Sprout Baby has the most extensive tracking options out of all the apps on this list. If you’d like to track more health information, this is your app. With Sprout, the next time you head to the pediatrician for a checkup, you’ll be able to print all your tracked information out in an easy-to-read PDF document for your doctor to view.
Although Huckleberry gives you the most bang for your buck, every parent will want something different. Maybe you aren’t interested in fancy sleep tracking, and you just want an app where you can track medical information. In that case, Huckleberry may not be the best option, and you’ll find a different app that suits you and your family’s needs better.