Veilleuse gives you timers, totals for the day and week, an answer to "when was the last feed?" and one shared day for every carer. Paper, Notes and WhatsApp cost nothing, and for some families they are enough. Here is how to tell which one fits yours.
We make Veilleuse, a baby tracker for iPhone, available now on the App Store. We tried to be fair to the free ways: paper diaries, Notes and messages work, and we say when they are enough. Facts about the hospital diaries come from their own pages, checked in October 2026.
The short answer
If two or more people feed and change the baby, Veilleuse is worth it over free notes. You add feeds, sleep and nappies with a tap or by saying several things in one sentence, timers sit on the lock screen, Veilleuse works out the totals, and "when was the last feed?" is answered from your own entries. Logging one baby by hand is free, and on the Family plan each carer has their own account. A paper diary or a Notes page is enough if one parent does most of the feeds and nobody needs totals.
Veilleuse, paper, Notes and WhatsApp side by side
| Veilleuse | Paper diary | Apple Notes | WhatsApp or messages | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for one baby by hand. Family plan: $11.99 a month, with your first month at half price, or $79.99 a year for the whole family | Free | Free | Free |
| What you can track | Feeds, sleep, nappies, pumping, bath, growth, medicine | Whatever you write | Whatever you type | Whatever you send |
| Adding one feed or nappy | The + on its Home card, or say it on the Family plan | Write it down | Type it | Send a message |
| Timers | Sleep, breastfeed and pumping, shown on the lock screen | No | No | No |
| Totals for the day and week | Worked out for you: today's recap on every plan, week charts on the Family plan | Add up by hand | No | No |
| "When was the last feed?" | Home shows the time since the last feed, or ask on the Family plan | Read back the page | Scroll the note | Scroll the chat |
| Your partner sees it | On the Family plan, each carer on their own account, synced about every 30 seconds while open | No, one copy | Yes, if you share the note | Yes |
| Taking your history with you | CSV export of the whole family's history | The paper itself | The note | Hard, entries get buried |
| Best for | Logging feeds, sleep and nappies in seconds, shared with every carer, totals done for you | The first days, when the hospital hands you a diary | One parent who wants a free list | Quick notes to a partner |
Veilleuse adds up feeds, sleep and nappies for you
A paper diary records what happened. Veilleuse records it and then does the counting. That is the main difference, and it matters most at 3 AM, when nobody wants to add up feeds in their head.
Add a feed or a nappy from its card
Home has a card for each type. Tap the + on the feed card and the feed form opens. Pick a breastfeed (left, right or both), a bottle (ml, or oz if you prefer imperial) or solids. The nappy card works the same way: wet, dirty, both or dry. Every entry has a time, an optional note and the name of who added it. Most things go in this way.
Say the bottle and the nappy in one sentence
When several things happened at once, say them in one go. "120 ml of expressed milk and a wet nappy" becomes two draft cards: a bottle and a nappy. You check them, then tap Save all. One sentence can hold up to 8 entries. A WhatsApp message to your partner takes the same effort, but the app turns it into something it can count.
See how long since the last feed
Home shows how long since the last feed, and which breast is next. It also shows the latest nappy, sleep and pumping, with a recap for today. You do not have to scroll back through a chat or read a page in the dark.
Timers for sleep, breastfeeds and pumping
Start a timer when the baby falls asleep or starts a feed. It runs on the lock screen and in the Dynamic Island, with a Stop button on iOS 17 or later. Paper and Notes cannot time anything. You would need a separate clock and a good memory.
Ask about feeds and sleep in a sentence
Ask "when was the last feed?" or "how long did she sleep today?". Veilleuse works out what you asked, then computes the answer from your own entries. It never guesses. You can ask for the last one, a count, a total time or a total amount, for today, this week or other periods, with up to 3 questions in one sentence. Saying several things at once and asking questions are part of the Family plan.
Both parents see the same day
On the Family plan, each carer signs in on their own phone, with their own account, and everyone sees the same day. You invite them with an 8-character code or a link. When your partner adds a nappy, it reaches your phone about every 30 seconds while the app is open, and again when you open it. Entries made offline are sent later. A paper diary stays in one room. A Notes page can be shared, but it has no timers and no totals.
The week, ready for your midwife
On the Family plan, the week view shows one small chart per type: sleep hours, feeds, nappies split wet and dirty, pumped ml and baths, with daily averages. Tap a day to see its entries. If you want the raw history, any family member can export it as a CSV file. Veilleuse does not give medical advice, and it does not make PDF reports.
What paper, Notes and WhatsApp do well
Free ways have real strengths, and many families start with them.
- Hospital paper diaries are free and trusted. CHOP and UH Sussex NHS both publish one. CHOP asks parents to record feeds, wet nappies and stools for the first few weeks, until the baby is back to birth weight and gaining.
- Apple Notes is free, already on your iPhone, and a note can be shared with your partner.
- A shared spreadsheet can give you totals if you set up the formulas. It is fiddly to fill in on a phone.
- WhatsApp or messages to a partner are quick. You already have the chat open, and nobody has to learn anything new.
None of these costs a penny, and none needs a sign-in.
What Veilleuse costs and what your family gets
Logging one baby by hand is free, with timers, Siri, the lock screen timer and CSV export, so one parent can start without paying. The Family plan adds voice, questions, sleep prediction, sleep and nappy reminders, the week charts, and three babies and three people (you plus two carers), each on their own account. It is $11.99 a month, with your first month at half price, or $79.99 a year for the whole family. The yearly plan works out at about $6.66 a month. There is no lifetime purchase. There are no ads.
Your history is never locked in: any family member can export it as a CSV file, on any plan.
Veilleuse is available now on the App Store, for iPhone.
Paper, Notes and messages cost nothing. If the free way covers what you need, keep it. If you find yourself adding up feeds at night or asking your partner "did you change her?", that is what the Family plan pays for.
Say it in one sentence. Check the entries, then save.
Saved. Back to sleep.
Ask a question. The answer comes from your own entries.
Why we think Veilleuse is the better choice once two people share the nights
- Totals without a calculator. Feeds, nappies, sleep hours and pumped ml are counted for you, per day and per week.
- The last feed, answered. Home shows how long since the last feed and which side is next. You can also ask in a sentence.
- Timers on the lock screen. Sleep, breastfeed and pumping timers run where you can see and stop them.
- One day for every carer. Each person has their own account, and everyone sees the same entries.
- Several things in one sentence. Say the bottle and the nappy together, check the drafts, save.
When paper, Notes or WhatsApp is enough for your baby's feeds
Be honest with yourself about what you need. A free way is enough if:
- Your hospital gave you a paper diary for the first days and your midwife wants that format. Use it, and ask your midwife, health visitor or paediatrician what they need to see.
- One parent does nearly every feed and nobody needs totals or a week view.
- You want a short record for a week or two, not months of history.
If two people share the nights, or you want to know the day's total without counting, a tracker such as Veilleuse saves that work. Our guide to the best baby tracker for two parents goes further, and our night routine for tracking feeds one-handed shows how it works at 3 AM.
Questions parents ask
Is Veilleuse better than paper notes or WhatsApp for tracking feeds?
Yes, for families where more than one person feeds and changes the baby. Veilleuse adds timers, totals for the day and week, an answer to "when was the last feed?" and an account for each carer. If one parent does most feeds and nobody needs totals, a paper diary or a Notes page is enough.
My hospital gave me a paper feeding diary. Should I still use it?
If your midwife asked for it, yes. CHOP asks parents to record feeds, wet nappies and stools for the first few weeks. Ask your midwife, health visitor or paediatrician which format they want to see. Veilleuse can sit alongside it, and on the Family plan the week view shows the same counts per day.
Can my partner see the feeds I add in Veilleuse?
Yes. Each carer has their own account on the Family plan. Changes sync about every 30 seconds while the app is open, when it comes back to the front, and when the phone reconnects. It is not live to the second.
Can I move my notes or WhatsApp history into Veilleuse?
No. Veilleuse imports CSV files from Huckleberry or Nara Baby, on the free plan too. It does not import paper, Notes or chat history. You start fresh, and from then on you can export everything as CSV.
Is Veilleuse free?
Yes, to start. You can log one baby by hand for free, with timers, Siri and the lock screen timer. The Family plan adds voice, sleep prediction, sleep and nappy reminders, the week charts, and up to 3 babies and 3 people. It is $11.99 a month, with your first month at half price, or $79.99 a year. Veilleuse is available now on iPhone.
