Along with the diapers and burp clothes and countless other pieces of baby gear, perhaps the most valuable things that new (and newish) parents can receive are the BTDT words of wisdom from other parents who are boldly and actively doing the hard work of parenting.
Even better is when you can gather those useful tips and pieces helpful, free (and judgement-free) advice from a large circle of in-the-know parents right there on your smartphone. And I don’t mean scanning your Facebook feed.
Privet by KidsLink app is the latest in parenting advice apps, ad it’s a good one. Earlier this year we reviewed the company’s original KidsLink app, a smart (and safer) alternative to social media oversharenting. The company’s new mobile app extends that “safe sharing circle” to include location-based parenting advice and intel.
Related: 10 of the best apps for new moms and parents
I find the app’s interface is clean and easy to navigate. You use it to post anonymously, or publicly post questions or thoughts on a parenting issue for the benefit of the other parents in your community which may be your current location or your home neighborhood. Or, join in with the global collective and get feedback from parents everywhere in real-time. It’s crowdsourced parenting advice for the mobile generation.
Unfortunately, when it comes to people sharing opinions, especially about big, important matters like parenting, you are all probably well aware that things can devolve into ugliness, fast. The KidsLink people are well aware of it too, and I’m glad to see that Privet app has a strict no-troll policy, asking people to be kind and cool — no bullying or spam. Even better, the reminder about the policy pops up before you post so hopefully everyone is on best behavior. And those who aren’t? Well, they’ll be booted.
Why can’t every site and network that allows comments do that?
I could see how Privet might be really handy for new parents, and help create that it takes a village vibe, for sure. The only potential stall is the time it might take to build up this community on the app. While with something like Facebook, basically everybody you know is on it, and forming private, issue-focused groups is super easy, in this case you have that anonymity which sometimes we just need when it comes to our deepest insecurities around our kids, or those questions we might feel silly asking friends.
So let’s hope more and more parents download Privet so you can find and follow a broader range of people privately, right on the app.
Privet by KidsLink app is a free download on iTunes and Google Play.
