Bebbo is more than an app - it is a companion on parenting journey.

When Umid welcomed his first child into the world, he experienced a mix of joy and uncertainty. "He is now one year old," he shares. "I guess the first baby always leaves you feeling like you're not ready for it."

Like many parents, Umid faced the challenge of balancing work and family life while navigating the anxieties that come with raising a child. "Most likely, it's balancing work and family life on one hand, and dealing with anxiety on the other—especially when any deviation from the norm seems like a sign of a serious illness." Seeking guidance, he turned to trusted friends and reliable online sources.

It was during a conversation with a friend last spring that Umid first heard about Bebbo, a parenting app developed by UNICEF to support caregivers. "I was interested in the app because it allows you to track your child's development," he recalls. 

With over 480,000 downloads in Uzbekistan, Bebbo quickly became an essential tool in his parenting journey. The app was launched in Uzbekistan in 2021 in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, ensuring that caregivers have access to reliable, science-backed parenting support.

One moment of concern came when Umid noticed a slowdown in his son's weight gain. "Starting from the third month, our child started gaining weight more slowly than in the first two months. Thanks to the app's clear visual representation of our child's growth and weight in comparison to the standard norms, I was able to reassure my wife." Having access to reliable, science-based information gave him confidence and helped ease their concerns.

Beyond tracking milestones, Bebbo helped Umid engage with his boy. "The advice to talk to your child as much as possible and actively imitate the sounds they make really resonated with me. Before this, I had heard from other parents that copying a child's sounds could slow down their speech development. Learning that this was actually a myth and that imitating a baby’s sounds is recommended made our interactions with our son much more fun."

For Umid, Bebbo is more than an app—it is a companion on his parenting journey. "The ability to see a clear list of skills that my child gradually masters, mark each of his achievements in the app, and get helpful suggestions on what to pay attention to—all of this helps me keep better track of my child's development."

Since November 2024, Umid has been a member of the Bebbo Parents' Council, a group of caregivers from 11 countries, that regularly meets to discuss parents' feedback so that their insights can be incorporated into the ongoing development of the app. 

His message to other parents is simple yet powerful: "Don’t panic without reason and check Bebbo more often for useful advice." Parenthood comes with uncertainties, but with the right tools and support, fathers like Umid are playing an active and informed role in their children's early development—one milestone at a time.

The Bebbo parenting app is free and available in Russian and Uzbek. It can be downloaded from Google Play and the App Store, ensuring accessibility for a broad range of parents seeking reliable guidance on young child development and parenting.

Originally published on www.unicef.org