Well Child App

The Well Child app app helps New Zealand parents create a health record for their child (0–5 years). By entering your child's date of birth, the app uses the device calendar to automatically set reminders for important dates like Well Child check-ups and immunisations. It also allows you to record your child's growth details, eg, their height and weight. The app also includes a large amount of health information from various New Zealand sources. Examples of the features in the app are:

• Immunisation: Information on the National Immunisation Schedule, your child's immunisation schedule based on their age and information on immunisation.
• First aid: Information on how to deal with common first aid and emergency situations in babies and children such as CPR, choking, burns, asthma, meningitis, poisoning, meningitis, pneumonia, drowning, diarrhoea and vomiting, etc
• Child assessment: Details of what to expect at the various assessments during your infant's development such as in the first week, 4–6 weeks, 8–10 weeks, 3–4 months, up until the B4 school check.
• Child safety: Handy tips on how to keep your toddler safe, eg, car safety, infant mental health, infectious diseases, how to stay safe at home.
• Moving and playing: Tips on the kinds of physical activity and play babies and toddlers need to be healthy, and information on how to manage your child's behaviour.
• Learning and development: Includes a range of topics such as breastfeeding, bottle feeding, postnatal depression, toilet training, speech and language, etc
• Safe sleep: Information on creating a safe sleeping environment for your baby and protecting your baby from SUDI (Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy).
• Health eating: Information on how to give your baby and toddler the right nutrition.
• Wellbeing: Information on bonding, and getting to know your baby, and information about smoke-free homes.
• Sun safety: How to protect your baby and toddler from the sun including information on sunscreen.
• Oral health: Tips on how to care for your child's teeth and how to enrol your child in the free oral health service.
• Healthy weight: Ways to help your child achieve a healthy weight.

The app is designed to be used alongside the Well Child Tamariki Ora My Health book (also known as the Plunket book). There is also a page with links to useful contacts or health organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand.

For a more detailed description of the app, see app website(external link), App store(external link) or Google Play store(external link) and for a detailed review, see reviews below.

Clinical review

Reviewer: Angela Lambie, Pharmacist
Date of review: September 2023
Platform: Apple
Version: 2.1.1
Comments: This app clearly displays information that is available in the Well Child book and other relevant child health resources from Aotearoa New Zealand.
It is especially useful for people wanting to know which immunisations their child has due, and regular appointments they are recommended to have with their health provider for their child from birth to 5 years.
The height and weight charts are useful to see whether your child is within the healthy range and there are tips for nutrition for different ages.
The first aid section and links out to other services are especially useful such as emergency services, and the poisons centre.
Safety concerns: None.
New Zealand relevance: Yes

Clinical review

Reviewer: Dr Jeremy Steinberg, GP 
Date of review: January  2019
Comments: This is a polished and professionally developed child health app. The developers have collated a large amount of useful information taken from various New Zealand sources. You can also register your child/ren on the app and see when immunisations are due and track height, weight and BMI centiles.
There is some room for improvement in the measurement section and the notification section didn’t seem to be working. An export data function would also be useful.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this to all parents with babies and young children to use along with their Well Child books.
New Zealand relevance: Highly relevant, developed specifically for New Zealand.

Clinical review

Reviewer: Amio Ikihele, Innovations Lead, Moana Research(external link)
Date of review: July 2018        
Review: The app provides important health and development information for parents and caregivers of children 0-5 years. It is free to download and can be used alongside the Well Child Tamariki Ora, My Health Book. It is useful for parents, grandparents and caregivers. There is a variety of information provided with links to appropriate websites and phone numbers. You can create and personalise your child/ren’s profile with their birthdate and photo. You can also set up your child/ren immunisation schedule, so you can receive alerts on due dates (this is synced with your device calendar).    
New Zealand relevance: This app is very relevant for New Zealand parents.