Description:
Any new parent who is experiencing the inevitable chaos a baby brings will appreciate Baby Matters. Properly used, this program will prevent that blank feeling that occurs when the new daycare provider asks for an immunization list. It can help you say goodbye to cryptic notes scribbled on Post-Its for the babysitter. It may even alleviate the guilt that occurs when you glimpse the incomplete baby book that fell behind the changing table months ago. Baby Matters is a tool for recording both sentimental and practical information about your baby or babies. This no-nonsense program (no audio, only a tad of animation) gets right to the point with three main areas. All About Baby contains pages to enter birth stories, the family tree, photographs, and developmental milestones from "lifts head" to "potty trained." Medical Matters is where parents can keep track of pre-partum joys (or woes), immunizations, dental and medical history, family health history, food allergies, and the baby's growth. The third section, entitled Resources, contains various templates: one for important phone numbers, another for vital information about the baby--these are the ones that efficient parents could print up and hand to the babysitter--and a medical release form. Resources also contains links to more than 100 parenting Web sites--everyone from stay-at-home dads to adoptive parents will find a useful site on this list. This program is an efficient way to centralize all of your children's medical information, but it's no replacement for that dust-covered baby book. Though there are dozens of milestones listed to track, the program grudgingly spares only two lines per milestone to describe the adorable details of exactly how little Gloria achieved her first diaper-free day. But, if you desire a no-frills method for keeping practical records, Baby Matters is your tool--if you can overcome baby chaos long enough to enter the pertinent information into the program. --Anne Erickson
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