Okay, so what do you do when you’re out for the day, your baby needs changing, is crying up a storm, and you don’t know where the nearest baby changing rooms are? That’s where the beauty of the NCT’s new iPhone app comes into life.
NCT, the UK ’s largest parenting charity, has just launched the first interactive charity iPhone application for parents, ‘NCT Babychange’. It’s free to download and allows you to locate the nearest baby changing facility in the area, view its star rating, and then rate it for other parents to use.
The app already has over 5000 baby changing sites listed including supermarkets, train stations, shops, restaurants, libraries and local authorities(1) with the capacity to add more.
Using geo-location based features and Google Maps, you can pin point the nearest baby changing facilities. Selecting a particular facility will bring up its name and current ‘star’ hygiene rating. Places highlighted in green indicate a clean, hygiene level that’s recommended for use again, facilities in amber indicate more parents need to rate them(2) to confirm their status.
As a guide to others, after visiting a changing station, you can confirm it’s open and rate it on two sets of criteria depending on its hygiene condition:
- How clean were the facilities, rate using 1-5 stars
- Would you use the facilities again, rate with yes/ no answer.
The charity is also calling on mums and dads to add new or unlisted baby changing sites to the app’s database, and rate them, so that even more parents can benefit.
Sally Horrox, Director of Corporate Communications, NCT, says; “How many of us have walked into a baby changing room and found it’s not great, with over flowing nappy bins or cramped spaces. NCT’s new Babychange app means you avoid making that mistake and it allows you a better experience by changing your baby in clean, comfortable surroundings.”
“NCT has created a free app that enables parents to support other parents when they’re out and about with their children – which is what NCT is all about.”
The app, developed by Axon Publishing, is now available to download free from Apple and will also be available to non-iPhone users via the NCT website later on in the year. Please visit www.nct.org.uk/babychanging for full details. The app is also being developed for other Smart phones. The app has been sponsored by leading nappy care ointment, Bepanthen.
NCT Babychange works by using the phone’s built-in GPS function to identify where the user is positioned. This interfaces with Google Maps to indicate the nearest changing facility on a map. Using UGC (User Generated Content) parents can also add to the changing facilities database, or remove, by using their iPhone and their GPS coordinates.
Over the last 50 years, NCT has been working to improve parents’ experiences. With 105,000 members and over 10,000 volunteers, NCT supports up to a million parents each year through its information and supporter services. The charity also campaigns to improve services and facilities to help build skilled and confident parents for the future.
Notes
1. There are over 5,000 baby changing facilities on the app including Asda, Café Rouge, Culture 24, Debenhams, Giraffe, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Moto, Nandos, NT, Pizza Hut, Sainsbury’s, Strada, Tescos, Co-op, Toys-R-Us, Waitrose, Waterstones.
The database on the app contains information including the name of the establishment, type of establishment, telephone number, GPS coordinates, female/male/disabled facilities (if available), green or amber ratings, and a removal button.
2. NCT Babychange app works by using the phone's built-in location function to identify where the user is positioned or by the user entering in their postcode. This interfaces with Google Maps to indicate the nearest changing facility on a map. Parents can add to the changing facilities database, for example the local café or high street deli, or remove an app if it has closed down, by using their iPhone.
On the actual map, individual facilities appear as coloured pin/ dot that denote their location. If the pin is coloured amber, the facility has not been rated using the two sets of criteria. If three or more users rate a particular facility using the criteria, then the coloured pin will change from amber to green, denoting this facility has been checked and voted by parents.
3. NCT is here to support all parents. We give them accurate, impartial information so that they can decide what’s best for their family, and we introduce them to a network of local parents to gain practical and emotional support and make friends. We are the UK ’s leading parenting charity, and campaign as the voice for parents on the issues they care about.
For more information call NCT on 0300 330 0770 or visit www.nct.org.uk
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