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Tracking feeds, sleep and diapers

Whether you keep a record of feeds, naps and diapers, and how: not at all, on paper, in an app, or with wearable devices.

Should we track the baby's feeds, sleep and diapers?

In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: None; Occasional notes; App; App plus wearables. Evidence: evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational. Best settled: around the birth.

Evidence
Evidence leans one way
Best settled
Around the birth
Part of
Pregnancy to first birthday

Tracking feeds, sleep and diapers: what are the options?

Parents usually land on one of these 4 approaches.

  1. 1. None

    You do not keep a record.

  2. 2. Occasional notes

    You jot things down now and then.

  3. 3. App

    You log feeds, sleep and diapers in an app.

  4. 4. App plus wearables

    You use an app along with devices that track the baby automatically.

Tracking feeds, sleep and diapers: what does the evidence say?

Evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational.

On wearables specifically, the AAP does not recommend consumer smart monitors for reducing SIDS risk because the evidence is insufficient, and worries they may displace safe-sleep practices; some FDA-cleared devices were reasonably accurate in small studies, false alarms can cause anxiety and alarm fatigue, and their main benefit appears to be reassurance. Whether to track with paper, an app or nothing is a preference

Sources

What else is worth knowing?

In the first weeks, a record of feeds and diapers can help you and your doctor see that the baby is getting enough. Some parents find tracking reassuring; others find it adds anxiety. You can stop once things are going well.

Questions to ask each other

  • Do we want to track, and what would we use the information for?
  • Would tracking help us feel calmer or more anxious?
  • Who would keep the log?

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First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.