Smartphone Apps for Parents of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Posted: February 24, 2015

Life can be hectic and recent advances in technology have made smartphones and tablets a fantastic way to get ahead for some. While your phone may be your direct connection to stay on top of Facebook, email, text and calls, you can also use it for much more. Though you may let your child(ren), if appropriate, use it for games, your smartphone can also help you overcome some obstacles or difficulties in life.

Choosing games can also be difficult without insight from your child, especially given that different development and ability levels may determine which if any game is appropriate. If you’re looking for a few interesting ideas regarding apps to get a leg up on your daily life, consider the following:

Hands-Free: One of the easiest ways to get distracted by your phone while driving is incoming messages. There are a variety of unique apps that can help you avoid these distractions, specifically by reading emails and texts out loud when activated. For Blackberry and Droid users, DriveSafe.ly is a free choice for parents trying to keep their focus. Check it out here. For iPhone users, check out Text’nDrive. Also available for Droid and Blackberry, this app’s free version only reads incoming messages but has a variety of options in the paid version.

Meal Planning: Finding the time to build out a nutritious meal from start to end can be difficult, and we’ve talked before about the tremendous impact nutrition can have in the lives of children with Cerebral Palsy. There are a wide assortment of apps available that can help you narrow an evening’s choices while you’ve got a moment in the grocery story, including free options like Pepperplate but there are also several others as well.

Sound On Demand: Whether your child needs a ‘safe place’ at times and you always have headphones available, or you just need a distraction available, having apps that provide different sound and music is crucial. While you may already have programs like Pandora or Spotify, you should also consider apps like WhiteNoise that can provide sounds for relaxation, sleep, etc. Apps like this can be great for home and while traveling and are worth a try.

Keep a List: Every parent’s life is complicated, let alone parents of children with Cerebral Palsy. With doctor appointments, family events, teacher meetings, work requirements and more, it can be extremely difficult to stay on top of all these expectations. Consider downloading one of these list managers to ensure you are on top of as much as possible. While life may throw you an assortment of curveballs, having your priority list on-hand on-the-go is a big benefit. And if you just want an app that helps you with groceries, consider the multi-platform app Out of Milk, which lets you share your list and track what you have.

Here are also a few suggestions based upon specific needs your child might have:

Have you discovered any fun or helpful apps that helps you as a parent of a child with Cerebral Palsy? Let us know on our Facebook Page!

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