Cubby for grandparents: being part of the care circle without missing a thing
Grandparents occupy a particular position in a new family's life. They want to help — genuinely, practically, not just emotionally. Many of them do help: taking the baby for an afternoon, doing a Tuesday morning shift while the parents are at work, staying for the first week when everything is new and overwhelming. They step in. They take on real responsibility for a small person they love very much.
And then there is the information problem. When you are caring for a baby for a few hours, you need to know the basics. When did they last feed? Is a nappy due? Are they on any medicine today and has it been given? Is there a routine to follow or are we going by feel?
Without a shared log, that information lives somewhere inconvenient. A WhatsApp message sent an hour ago and buried under 40 others. A handover note on the counter that nobody remembered to write. The new parent's head — and they are running on four hours of sleep and did not have time to relay everything before they left the house. Someone ends up confused. More often than it should, that someone is the grandparent who showed up to help and now feels uncertain about what they are supposed to be doing.
What the circle looks like for a grandparent
When a grandparent is added to the Cubby family circle, they get access to the same live log as the parents. Before the grandchild arrives for the day, they can open the app and see exactly what happened that morning: the 7am feed, the nappy at 8, the nap that started at 9 and ended at 10. They can see whether medicine has been given and at what time. They know what the baby's morning looked like before they walk through the door.
No briefing call needed. No hunting through WhatsApp. No guessing. The information is just there.
This matters most in the moments that come up during care. The baby seems hungry but you are not sure if they should eat yet — you check the log and see the last feed was three hours ago. The baby is unsettled and you wonder if a nappy is the issue — you check and see the last change was two hours ago. These are small moments, but they add up to the difference between caring confidently and caring anxiously.
Grandparents can log too
Being in the circle is not just about reading. Grandparents who care for the baby can log what they do, and those entries go straight into the shared record for the parents to see.
The feed you gave at 11am. The nap that happened on the sofa at noon and lasted 45 minutes. The nappy you changed at 2. All of it goes in, under your name, visible to the parents the moment you log it. When they pick up the baby at the end of the day, they already know what happened — they do not need to ask, and you do not need to try to reconstruct the afternoon from memory.
For grandparents who take on regular care, this is genuinely useful. It means the parents have a complete picture of their baby's week, not just the parts they were present for.
Following along from far away
Not all grandparents are nearby. Many families have grandparents who live in a different city, a different country, or on a different continent. The Cubby circle works regardless of distance — anyone with an internet connection can be in it.
A grandparent abroad can see weight updates after the clinic visit. They can see a milestone logged — the first time the baby rolled over, the first solid food, the first steps. They can follow the baby's week in the same log that the parents are updating in real time. Being in the loop does not require being in the room.
For expat families in particular, this changes something meaningful. It means grandparents who are not part of the day-to-day can still feel genuinely connected to the baby's life. Not just through photos sent on WhatsApp, but through the actual record of what is happening.
No app store required
One practical note that matters for grandparents: Cubby is a progressive web app, which means it works in any browser on any phone or tablet. There is no app to download from the App Store or Google Play. You open it in Safari or Chrome, create an account (free, takes two minutes), and you are in.
This matters because navigating an app store and finding the right download is a friction point that puts some people off entirely. With Cubby, the parent can send the grandparent a direct link to the app and that is all they need. If they want to add it to their home screen so it sits alongside their other apps, they can — but even that step is optional.
Frequently asked questions
Does my grandparent need to download an app?
No. Cubby works in any browser on any phone or tablet — no app store download required. Your grandparent can use it in Safari, Chrome, or any other browser. They can add it to their home screen, but even that is optional.
Can I add my parents to Cubby without them seeing my private notes?
Notes in Cubby are visible to everyone in the circle by default. For the day-to-day care log — feeds, nappies, naps, medicines — everything is shared, which is what makes the coordination work. If there is something you want to keep private, the best approach is to keep it outside the app.
What if my mum doesn't have a smartphone?
Cubby requires a device with a browser and an internet connection. If a grandparent does not have one, they would not be able to use Cubby directly. In that case, the parents can share the log verbally or via a screenshot, and the grandparent can still be part of the care picture even without logging themselves.
Will grandparents be able to log things themselves?
Yes. Once a grandparent is in the circle, they can log entries just like any other caregiver. The feed they gave at 11am, the nap that happened at noon, the nappy they changed — all of it goes into the shared log under their name. The parents see it in real time.
Can we have grandparents on the circle who live in another country?
Yes. The Cubby circle works wherever there is an internet connection. A grandparent abroad can see every entry as it is logged — weight updates, milestones, notes. Being in the circle does not require being in the same room.
Add your village to the circle
Anyone who helps care for your baby can be in the loop — wherever they are.
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