Best Baby and Toddler Websites

September 30, 10:30 PMBaby and Toddler ExaminerDarby Herrington

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Parenting is not easy.  It comes with a lot of unknowns and as a result, parents have a lot of questions.  While we are living in the information age and can Google just about anything under the sun, the amount of information available can sometimes be overwhelming.  Plus, we parents are busy.   Who has time to sort through pages and pages of search results? 

To help save you a little time, here is a list of the best online sources for baby and toddler advice and information.

 Best Baby and Toddler Websites

• Baby Center- Probably the most well-known baby site, Baby Center provides everything from age and development timelines, to community forums, to educational videos and other digital media, to the latest news and product recalls, to a products bargain hunter and coupon deals, and articles on every baby and toddler topic under the sun.  Just about anything and everything you can think of is covered on this site.  The information and advice is credible and thorough.  The site is user-friendly and free.  You can sign up for email alerts and informative newsletters.  You can shop the site's store.  You can use the site's handy tools, such as the Due Date Calculator, the Baby Name Finder, the Height Predictor, the Development Calendar and the Immunization Scheduler, to name a few.  You can be as involved as you want by signing up with other mom groups, or just browse the site for information when you need it.  The best part about Baby Center is that it grows with you and your child.  You can be a member from the time you are trying to conceive (Baby Center Getting Pregnant) and continue using its resources relevant to you and your child all the way through grade school (Baby Center Big Kid).  

• Parenting - The home of Parenting and Babytalk magazines, this site offers many of the same features and tools as Baby Center.  Like Baby Center, there is a lot of helpful information under an endless list of relevant topics.  There are similar tools and community forums.  Depending on your preferences for website style and article writing, you may find it more or less suitable for your needs than Baby Center .  One main difference is that Parenting.com has a lot of promotional ads and shout-outs to its magazing affiliates.  Although the site is free, there is always a lurking reminder to sign up for a magazine subscription, which of course, is not. 

• Disney Family Parenting - This site provides a lot of useful information as far as articles, tips and general information goes, but it lacks the other tools and resources provided by Baby Center and Parenting.  Like the other sites, there is a community forum, but most of the other resources offered take you to other Disney affiliates and promotions.  However, the site's information is relevant from pregnancy all the way to pre-teen and teen. 

• What to Expect - From the bestselling author of What to Expect When You're Expecting, Heidi Murkoff, this site follows the general formula of Baby Center and Parenting, but on a smaller scale.  It offers some of the same resources and tools, and the site is easy to use.  The progression spans from preconception to toddler, but does not continue beyond age three.  Of note is the "Ask Heidi" feature where you can send a question directly to the author to receive a response.   

• The Bump - A takeoff site from The Knot, The Bump is more tailored to those who are expecting or who have recently had a baby.  The site progresses from trying to conceive to infants 6+ Months.  One enviable resource is the team of experts who are available to field questions.  There are obstetricians, pediatricians, nutritionists, breastfeeding and other experts who will post general information articles in response to questions posed by readers.  Just click on your expert of choice to see if your topic of inquiry has already been covered in a previous post.  If not, send your question by email to the address provided and you may receive a response or have your topic addressed by the expert.  There is no indication of time-frame for a response, so do not use this feature to obtain emergent information.

• Keep Kids Healthy - This site touts itself as "a Pediatrician's guide to your children's health and safety."  Different from the sites above, this site is more focused on providing information regarding the health, wellness and safety of babies and children of all ages.  There are many of the same resources and tools, such as the product recalls, height calculator and vaccine schedules.  It gives helpful tips and tools for recognizing and reporting health problems to your child's pediatrician, and provides a symptom guide to help you narrow down what ails your child.  It also provides useful first aid and medication information with which all parents should be familiar.  It is an all-around good site for parents of children of any age to become more informed in their child's health and safety.

Regardless of your preferences for site-surfing for information on your baby or toddler, you should always defer to your pediatrician.  But for fun, informative, online interaction for parents, these sites are really good.  Maybe even great. 

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