If you're a new parent, there is nothing more nerve-wracking than trying to figure out why your baby is crying. But now, there are several smart phone apps that claim they can decode your baby's cry for you. Consumer expert Amy Davis found a new mom to try them out.
Two-month-old Hunter does what newborn babies do. He cries. And his mom Krissy Hammill is feeling like all new moms... tired.
"You know with the first month, it's survival mode," Hammill told Davis. "I just couldn't think."
So when Davis asked her if she'd like to try some new apps to help decode her baby's cries, she was game.
The Cry Translator for iPhones is $4.99. Hammill says it worked well for a few late-night crying spells.
"You know I just kind of stuck it in his face when he was crying in the middle of the night," Hammill explained. "And it's like 'He's hungry. He's got a dirty diaper.'"
After 10 seconds of interpreting your baby's cries, the app will tell you one of five things is wrong. He's hungry, sleepy, in discomfort, has stress or he's bored.
On the day we were with Hammill, the app said Hunter was sleepy. It then offers suggestions for what to do about the problem.
"And did... whatever it told you to do, did doing those things make your baby stop crying?" Davis asked Hammill.
"It did. It did for a couple days, yeah," she answered.
After that, Hammill said the app stopped being so helpful, telling her it couldn't tell why Hunter was upset.
"We have 2 other kids so it's not like it was always quiet either, so maybe it was just picking up background noise with other girls playing," Hammill said.
The Baby Cries Translator says it works the same way with some minor differences. It's 2 bucks less at $2.99. This app claims it needs 15 seconds of your baby crying to decode what's upsetting him. After about 45 seconds, but what seemed like an eternity, the Baby Cries Translator told her the cry was "unrecognized." It's why Hammill says don't waste your time or money on the apps.
"After a couple weeks, you get into a groove. You figure out your baby's cues," she explained. "New moms will get the hang of it, so just hang in there until it all starts to make sense."