I never thought I’d be the next in line to sing the praises of smartphones, but I’ve come to the conclusion that they are a must-have item—especially for new mothers or mothers with young children! Why for this particular group? The diversity of apps you can get is just too helpful to ignore. I’ve even been trying out some of the new augmented reality apps and they’re blowing my mind! Here are the top maternal uses of smartphones:

Find retail stores without losing your mind—Whether you’re looking for grocery discounts, localpharmacies, directions to the nearest restroom or just a place that sells sunglasses on an especially bright and sunny day, the GPS features on smartphones are insanely accurate. Needless to say, you can save a lot of time in traffic not traveling the wrong direction on the wrong street during the wrong rush hour.

Use Foursquare to save some money—I wish I had known about place-based messaging sites longer because I’ve already saved a lot of money. I’m the mayor of three different venues on Foursquare and routinely get freebies and discounts simply by checking in to the place when I’m there. Also check out Gowalla and Facebook check-in.

Recipe apps—How many times have you been at the store gathering ingredients for dinner when you realized you didn’t know what the special sauce was made of? Or, you leave the store realizing you forgot the main ingredient? It’s hard to make chicken fajitas without the chicken! Fortunately, there are hundreds, possibly thousands of food apps that list the ingredients you will you need for delicious, inexpensive meals.

Augment Your Reality—Okay, this sounds a little out there, but augmented reality does have practical uses. Have you ever been driving down a street about to run out of gas, desperately hoping for the next gas station? An augmented reality app would overlay the nearest gas stations and what their prices are.

Yes, mommies use technology too and I’m here to tell you that smartphones are a must for new moms or moms leading a team of toddlers down a busy street. Use apps for shopping, meal preparation, driving, and insanity reduction!

This is a guest post from a fellow mom and yes, I am in tune with her in singing praises for Smartphones 🙂