Mum’s number one

Australia’s first dedicated social networking app

The launching app records and shares special baby and child moments.

Parents are going gaga for their child’s first step, and ‘mum’ trumps ‘dad’ when it comes to baby’s first word, according to a recent Bupa Family Moments survey.

Interestingly, a third of Aussie parents revealed they refrain from sharing on social media for fear of annoying friends and family.

Today’s launch of the free Bupa Family Moments iPhone app provides a platform for parents to share their children’s precious journey with friends and family in a private, invitation-only forum.

The survey revealed parents ranked a child’s first step as the biggest baby milestone, followed by their first word which was typically ‘mum’. These types of special moments can now be safely shared through pictures and extended detail with loved ones whether near or far.

Sharing the baby love was identified as an important part of parenting, with mums and dads taking an average of 1000 baby photos in their child’s first year, while others admitted to keeping pregnancy sticks, umbilical cords, first locks of hair and fingernail clippings.

Bupa ambassador, champion Olympic swimmer and father of two, Matt Welsh, said: “Those early milestones are just so special and often you want to shout about them from the rooftops.

“The great thing about the app is that you can invite those close friends and family who can’t get enough – like the grandparents who don’t want to miss a beat – and they can opt in to be updated about every little milestone along the way.”

The app, developed in conjunction with the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, puts everything in one easy-to-access place and includes functions to help parents stay on top of the demands of early childhood, with up-to-date health information, immunisation schedules, and growth charts for parents to keep track of their children’s height and weight progress up to three years of age.

Bupa Head of Medical Services, Dr Bert Boffa, said the app balanced the fun and joy of capturing precious baby achievements while informing parents of important milestones that reflect their children’s growth and development.

“Our children are all individuals and while it is true they develop at different rates, it’s important for parents to understand how their kids are progressing in relation to conventional child development milestones,” Dr Boffa said.

“We know parents feel bombarded with competing child health advice, so we’ve worked closely with the Royal Children’s Hospital to develop an advice hub of highly credible information that Australian parents can trust.” The reference section features information and practical advice on key childhood development topics including dental, growth and development, food and nutrition, health, immunisation, parenting and safety.

For snap-happy Bupa members or for purchase by non members, the app includes an extended Australian first function: a TimeCam to capture a child’s growth in images over time and compile these photos into a sharable time lapse movie.

Bupa Family Moments is a free, Australian-only download from the App Store for iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad devises running iOS 5.0 or later. The app is a guide only and those seeking medical advice should consult their general practitioner.

For more information, or to download the app, go to http://www.bupa.com.au/familymoments

iPhone, iPad, iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the US and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

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About the survey: The Bupa Family Moments survey was conducted by Pure Profile in October 2012. This is a national online survey of 1003 parents with at least one child under 18 years across Australia (487 males and 516 females).

For more information or to speak with a Bupa spokesperson, please contact: