A commissioned review into poverty in the UK found that we need to address poverty in a fundamentally different way (2010).

At the time, the evidence overwhelmingly showed that educated and confident early parenting, good maternal mental health, and infant bonding and responsiveness were all key to improving our children’s life chances. The report found that supporting parents from conception and in the early years was more significant than money in the bank when it came to laying the foundations for long term physical and mental wellbeing and social mobility.

Early intervention and prevention is also key to reducing the risks of chronic health conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and depression.

Fast forward to 2014 and the Baby Buddy app is launched. And now in 2017, Baby Buddy is a multi-award-winning early public health intervention in the form of a fun app that is being downloaded more than 1200 times a week. All its content and functionality have been rigorously vetted by health professionals and parents themselves and is especially designed to empower parents to play their vital role in looking after their own and their baby’s health.

How does Baby Buddy work? Baby Buddy is an individually created avatar – a virtual friend and baby expert who guides parents through the journey to parenthood and beyond.  She pings daily, personalised and relevant information. She answers questions and explains what words mean. She creates reminders. She has hundreds of video clips of parents sharing their own stories and professionals giving handy advice and signposting support. Features, such as “You can do it” that help with goal setting and the “Bump Book” that records memorable moments, also promote bonding and responsiveness.

Baby Buddy is used as a tool by health professionals and health visitors to enhance communication, continuity of care and confidence in the parents they look after and is part of business as usual in 22 maternity healthcare pathways across the country. She is available to download by anyone for free from the App Store and Google Play

From more information about the app and the non profit that created it click here