There are tons of Apple Watch reviews, primarily focusing on the technical features and comparison to other popular smartwatches. For this blog, I will review three less discussed features that are super useful for me as a dad.
For context, I am a working dad with two kids. I am currently using an Apple Watch 6 tether to an iPhone 11. The following review is based on my personal experience, and I hope it provides you with additional angles on the Apple Watch use cases.
1) Break my addiction with my iPhone.
I stopped keeping my iPhone in my pocket after getting the Apple Watch, and I just tried to devote my attention to my children. When my little boy said “Daddy, Daddy please stop looking at your phone and play with baby” in 2021. I knew I had to do something with my addiction. I always have my iPhone because I fear if my wife, mother, father or boss calls me due to an emergency. Since my phone is always with me, it’s easy to get consumed by the infinite amount of content. The said people can still call me if needed, but consuming content on your Apple Watch is a pain, and it’s a perfect thing.
2) Voice Memo to capture all important conversations.
After we just had our daughter, I am the primary person to take my son to those usual checkups at the doctor’s office. My wife would write down a laundry list of questions for me to ask the doctor, and I could never relay the answers to my wife in a way that satisfied her. Well, now I use the voice memo app on my watch to record my conversations and just share the voice memo with her aftward. She’s happy, and so am I.
3) Manage my son with the Timer app.
This last point might not apply to you since every kid is different. My son gets angry whenever we stop him in the middle of something. The most effective way for us to get him to stop playing and get ready for bed/lunch/dinner/cleanup/school is to negotiate how much longer and set a timer on the agreed time. As a busy parent, I also use the Timer App to remind myself of many little things.
Conclusion:
To be clear, I am not juding anyone who uses their smartphone when playing with their kids because there might be legit reasons you have to have your phone with you at all times. I was so addicted to the constant stream of information. I was super addicted to the latest gadgets, cars, bikes, and news. However, when I imagine myself on my deathbed, I will regret not being present with my kids during their upbringing and giving them my undivided attention during 1:1 times. I doubt I’d ever regret not checking my iPhone more often.
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