Born to Move app helps parents teach babies important skills

An app which helps parents teach their babies important skills, has hit 5,000 downloads.

Born to Move was launched in the county in May 2015 to give advice to new mums, dads and carers on every stage from newborn, crawler and toddler to pre-schooler.

The app was developed in response to research which showed that almost 50 per cent of children are starting school lacking the movement and social skills to achieve their full potential, learn and develop.

Devised by Kent health visitor Julia Haynes, the overall message is one involving the importance of being active and on the move.

Julia said: “The feedback we've had is that parents appreciate simple tips on how to encourage their babies to be active from the start.

“The app focuses on three simple messages around the importance of awake tummy time, that babies eyes need to move too and that chatter matters.”

Ofcom says five-year-olds now spend as much as six hours in front of a screen and while six-year-olds are as ‘digitally savvy’ as 45-year-olds, some children are starting school without developing the pincer grip to hold a pencil.

The app, which the team has also taken to Westminster, can be personalised with a picture of the user’s baby and includes advice as well as games for improving life skills from birth until a child is five years old.

Phil Edbrooke-Childs, managing director of Kent and Medway Health Informatics Service, which built the app, said: “It’s fantastic that an app that can bring so much support to parents has been downloaded so many times.

"I have always maintained that mobile apps will play a significant role in healthcare as most people turn to their mobile devices for an answer – and 5,000 downloads just goes to show how much.”

The app can be downloaded for free on all devices and can be found on the App Store and Google Play.