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BabyCenter caters to moms via bite-sized ideas on mobile

Pregnancy and parenting digital resource BabyCenter is rolling out a new application designed to provide mothers with bite-sized ideas on child-rearing, expert advice and peer guidance as their children move beyond the infancy years.

The Mom Feed mobile app offers snackable content for time-starved parents seeking personalized and stage-based expert materials on raising children ages one through eight. It features a real-time stream of updates, proving that mobile can be an optimal companion for on-the-go mothers.

?At BabyCenter, we believe in the journey of parenthood,? said Julie Michaelson, head of global sales at BabyCenter, San Francisco. ?After seeing the success of our initial apps, My Pregnancy Today and My Baby Today, it was a natural decision to continue on this journey with our audience and create a product specifically meeting the needs of parents with kids ages one and older.

?The app's focus and approach also aligns with the needs of brand marketers trying to reach this coveted group of moms. In fact, Kimberly-Clark and Stonyfield have come on board as launch sponsors.?

Essential resources
BabyCenter?s State of Modern Motherhood report discovered that digital resources are paramount for mothers beyond their son or daughter?s first year. While mobile apps may be useful in reminding parents of feeding times and scheduled naps, the information journey can ? and should ? continue throughout the child?s development.

Nearly 30 percent of mothers with children above the age of one claimed they use parenting apps at least once a week or more. They also tapped expert advice on parenting Web sites as their number one go-to resource for information, suggesting that all marketers related to the childcare field should ensure they offer mobile-optimized sites.

Mobile is the ideal digital channel for many parents, due to the constant connectivity it provides regardless of physical location. A family attempting to console a sick child may not be around a desktop to look up quick tips, leaving personal devices as the next channel to use.

The bite-sized pieces of information are easily streamed to users throughout the day, which gives busy mothers a quick reprieve to scroll through the app and potentially connect with other parents.

?Apps are core to our user experience, with 80 percent of our audience accessing BabyCenter on their mobile devices,? Ms. Michaelson said. ?We are attentive to capturing the imagination of this mobile mind share and looking at it from a customer experience lens first.?

The Mom Feed app is currently available for iOS users only, and is expected to make its Android debut on October 1.

Expanding the portfolio
Mom Feed will expand BabyCenter?s current mobile portfolio, which includes the My Baby Today and My Pregnancy Today apps. The brand focuses on being there for mothers at each stage of their journeys, a feat that lends itself well to the portability of mobile devices.

Users will be able to read hilarious stories from other moms as well as visit the Community section of the app to engage in thought-provoking conversations about parenting or lend support to others.

Mothers may also tap the Explore features to locate topics related to their child?s age of development, such as preschool transitions, sleeping patterns, potty training and tantrums.

BabyCenter has additionally engaged in corporate social responsibility initiatives via mobile.

Last November, BabyCenter aimed to simultaneously garner support for its Mission Motherhood campaign for mothers in need and drive downloads of its My Pregnancy Today app by donating $1 to its health partners for each app download made (see story).

?We think moms are going to love this app,? Ms. Michaelson said. ?Mom Feed fills a very important need for our audience, who want information on her child?s stage of development, have a desire to stay connected to her community, and want to be entertained.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York