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Have Worry-Free Summer Travel with Mobile Apps!

worry free summer travel

Summer is such a great time to spend time together as a family! There are so many options for new experiences and memories as we loosen up boundaries with our children. With today’s technology more parents are looking for a little helping hand to relieve some parental anxiety during the freedom of summer. Here are a few practical scenarios the MamaBear App or similar technology can help with worry-free summer travel.

The Beach and Boardwalk

Large beaches, particularly the beaches at vacation destinations usually come complete with boardwalks or other tourist oriented attractions. Not only do we want time to relax, our kids want some freedom to safely explore the surrounding entertainment. Location apps like MamaBear can help you set boundaries and get alerted should your children leave a designated area. Talk to your kids about safety and helpful check in and location features available through apps on their phone.

The Amusement Park

Amusement park trips are one of the most common summer travel destination for large families. The variety that amusement parks can offer families means there is usually something for everyone. Something for everyone can also mean splitting up to fit it all in. MamaBear location features help parents watch a child move in near real time. This means a child can enjoy several rides, games and attractions without having to drag the whole family along. In sprawling amusement parks, MamaBear can even help with something as simple as sending the kids to the nearest restroom and back, but giving the kids reassurance they can tap the “come get me” button if they get turned around.

Sporting Events

One of the most memorable events from any summer travel experience is going to see a major sporting event. While many families are lucky enough to live in a city with a pro-team, other families take a day or weekend trip to experience their favorite team first hand. A day at the ball field or stadium is a great time, but sometimes boisterous crowds, tailgaters and huge crushes of people can get a bit nerve-racking for families. MamaBear can help parents find kids and help kids find parents in all of these instances.

MamaBear is one of the best options available to help parents, and children, enjoy the experiences of a summer vacation to the fullest. MamaBear can support the freedom to develop family memories as well individual experiences for memories that will last a lifetime.

Download the MamaBear app for Apple devices here.

Download the MamaBear app for Android devices here.

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MamaBear App’s Top Three Tips for Summer Safety

summer safety for kids

It’s Summertime! When most of us were kids there was no holding us back from summer fun and extra time for discovery and exploration. Even in a world that’s way more complex than ours was, every year summer still means more free time for millions of kids.

Here are our top summer safety tips for and ways MamaBear can help you be in the know and keep the family safe.

1. Water Safety

Teaching your kids how to swim is number one. Then all of the water safety precautions will follow – wear sunscreen, no wrestling in the water, know where the lifeguards or parents are, look out for each other.

2. Camping Safety

Parent chaperones are always best. Nonetheless being prepared with a first aid kit, bug spray and sunscreen are good ideas. Location devices can also be very useful when camping. Installing MamaBear on a camper’s iPhone or Android Smartphone can give kids quick access to parents in case of emergencies while offering parents and chaperones up to date location information about the kids.

3. Safe Road Trips

The freedom of summer usually means some form of travel. This can mean single day trips to local destinations for some, or longer road trips for others. MamaBear’s sound advice is to make sure your kids have a smartphone, a car charger for it and a regular charger. Smartphones are one of the best tools to help kids stay safe on the road – but NO texting and driving. Kids can use a smartphone for directions, travel tips, taking pictures and certainly checking in with mom. MamaBear can let parents monitor trip progress and driving speed, as well as offer children an easy to use option to contact parents if there is an emergency on the road.

These favorite summer activities will give our kids such wonderful experiences. We encourage loosening up the boundaries with the help of technology to ease our minds! MamaBear can help parents with summer safety for kids and provide a variety of ways to keep tabs on our children’s whereabouts and activities. Location monitoring, social media monitoring and driving speed alerts means kids can explore and parents can still work. Let us help you keep track of the kids this summer by downloading MamaBear from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

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The MamaBear Worry Free Parenting App Can Make Checking In Way Easier for Kids

kids can easily check in with the mamabear app

I used to get into so much trouble for not calling my mom when I got to my friends house or to my intended destination when I was kid and given freedom to walk or drive somewhere by myself or with others. It really was the top reason for being grounded when I was younger. I’d like to think that if I had a tool like MamaBear, I’d have been in my room a lot less. The MamaBear App gives kids a way to check in and communicate with parents in an extraordinarily fast and discreet manner.

We designed the children’s logged in view of the MamaBear family safety app to be one of the simplest to use on an Android phone or iPhone. The three button design makes checking in with mom or dad only take a couple of seconds. Kids can check in by turning on the phone, opening the app and pushing a single button. That is literally all it takes for a parent to get a push notification update of the child’s well-being. And if your kids are like me when I was young, I’d forget to communicate at all with my mom, but you’ll still be able to see their location on a map and know they made it safely.

For some kids, particular social environments can feel awkward. Asking a child to take out the phone and actually call a parent to check in may not be a likely occurrence in many modern families. MamaBear makes this whole process easier while ensuring that our kids never feel put out by having to take a moment to check in with us. With a simple “Check In” button the kids can let us know we actually came to mind.

The other two buttons the MamaBear family safety app offers are the ones that might be even more invaluable to our kids – “Come Get Me” and “Emergency”. The “Come Get Me” button allows children to send a quick push notification to you without any conversation – the app will tell you right where they are. This works wonders for kids when doing activities with friends that will require an eventual pick up at an unspecified time. The app speeds up the pick-up process without the child spending time sharing location or what they need.

The most important function and the one we hope our kids never have to use is the “Emergency” button. This is a one button solution for kids in a variety of situations when they need our help. A push notification is quickly sent to the parent and all guardians on the account.

Kids may be resistant to parenting or safety apps like MamaBear. But arming our kids with MamaBear, even when they don’t think they need it, lets them know that we’re always there for them in every situation. As MamaBear continues it’s evolution we’ll be adding more benefits to the child’s log in view. Share your ideas and let’s get them on the roadmap.

To download MamaBear for your Android device click here.

To download MamaBear for your Apple device click here.

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Top Apps for Children in 2013

top apps for children 2013

iPads and smart phones have become the ultimate saviour in modern parenting. Used in moderation, iPads are a fantastic tool for children to play, learn, and develop their skills. More importantly, it is the only toy or educational vice which captures children’s undivided attention for more than five minutes.

Apps are constantly developing and there is plenty of choice on the market directly aimed at children.

Here we take a look at the Top Apps for Children in 2013:

Most addictive app: Anipang

This addictive puzzle game is suitable for children of all ages, and has even become a firm favourite among adults. The simplistic challenge to match as many of the 3 animated characters as possible within the 60 second time span, keeps you on the edge of your seat. While it is not necessarily the best app on the market for learning, it is certainly fun, and will maintain interest. It has become so popular it has attracted over 20 million users.

Best for science: Tickbait’s Universe

This app is aimed at children between the ages of 8-13. It teaches children about the world and beyond. The user can zoom in and out to reveal fun facts and insightful information about our planet and solar system.

As a starting point, we are introduced to Tickbait, the lovable mascot dog lying in his back garden. From here, if user zooms in they will reveal informative pages about DNA and atoms, and if they choose to zoom out, they will learn about the planets and atmosphere. This app provides a multitude of information in easily digestible snippets, making science fun for the user. This app is a great tool to help children learn about the basic science which surrounds them in a fun, light and exciting way.

Best classic app: Peppa Pig – Happy Mrs. Chicken

Children love Peppa Pig, the brand has dominated the market for years whether in television, book, toy or app format; it is a firm favourite and is here to stay. Peppa Pig- Happy Mrs. Chicken provides the user with 6 interactive games.
It’s a true classic which provides variety, familiarity and fun for children. It is targeted towards younger children, and is a great tool for helping children learn hand eye co-ordination and problem solving, while maintaining a high level of fun.

Best for Math: Team Umizoomi Math: Zoom into Numbers

This is a great educational app for younger children. The user is guided by three fun characters who provide clear instructions. The aim of the app is to help children develop their counting skills with the encouragement of the lead characters, who are well known as they also feature on a television show, just like Peppa Pig, which aids its popularity.

The app is simple and fun and has become a firm favourite. The reviews and parental feedback for this app have been extremely positive, most commenting on its ability make learning fun. They also state that the app has really helped their children develop their counting skills which translates into everyday life when they are not using the app.


Apps are a great way to help children learn. While iPads and smart phones are often criticized when used to entertain and teach children, in supervised moderation, they are a fantastic method to encourage children to develop their maths, co-ordination, concentration and reading skills. Not only that, they provide a welcome distraction, providing parents with some solace.

About the author: Kirsten works for top toy and games specialist Letterbox. In her line of work she constantly researches the market to see what is available, and what new apps or toys are proving most popular.

The article above was from a MamaBear guest blogger. The MamaBear blog is now accepting guest post from reputable bloggers on a variety of subjects. If you are interested in guest blogging for MamaBear simply contact us here.