Keeping a baby symptom diary in Cubby: the log that finds the pattern

About Cubby · Updated June 2026 · All articles

The recurring problem

Your baby has had three ear infections in four months. At the GP appointment, the doctor asks how often this is happening. You say "a lot." They ask whether there is a pattern — does it happen after swimming? After nursery? Is there a seasonal trend? You don't know. You remember the last infection clearly. You remember the one before it was bad. But when exactly? How many days apart? What else was happening that week?

Without a log, these questions are unanswerable. With a log, you could show the doctor exactly: first episode on 14 March, second on 29 April, three days after nursery started, third on 18 June, same timing. The pattern is there. You just need it written down.

Ear infections are one example. The same principle applies to reflux and feeding patterns, eczema and skin triggers, recurring fever, colic and crying episodes, allergic reactions, and sleep disturbances tied to illness. Any recurring condition that needs a doctor to understand it benefits from a symptom diary.

What a symptom diary does that memory doesn't

Memory is unreliable for patterns. We remember the bad nights, not the sequence. We remember the last episode more vividly than the one before it. We forget the improvement and remember the relapse. We compress weeks of gradual change into a general sense of "it's been going on a while."

A timestamped log doesn't remember — it records. And records show patterns that memory misses.

The questions a good symptom diary helps answer:

A doctor can work with these answers. "It's been happening a lot" doesn't give them much to go on. "Six episodes in eight weeks, each lasting four to seven days, three of them within two days of nursery" gives them something to act on.

How to use Cubby notes as a symptom diary

Cubby doesn't have a dedicated symptom entry type. Notes do the job. A note is a free-text entry with a timestamp — you write what you observed, when you observed it, and whatever context seems relevant. The key is consistency and specificity.

For eczema, a sequence of notes might look like this:

The trigger emerges across entries. You wouldn't have seen it in a single note. You see it when you scroll back.

For reflux, the pattern is in timing and volume:

A few weeks of notes like these and the trigger is visible: position after feeds. Without the log, you might have suspected it. With the log, you can show it.

When the symptom diary becomes the referral letter

GPs and paediatricians making a referral to a specialist need evidence of frequency and pattern. Not because they don't believe you, but because specialist referral systems — particularly in the NHS and equivalent public systems — are evidence-based. A referral without documented frequency can be declined or deprioritised.

"It's been happening a lot" does not reliably trigger a referral. "Six episodes in eight weeks, each within three days of nursery, each lasting four to seven days, logged here" does. Show the log. Scroll to the first entry and hand over the phone.

For conditions where the specialist appointment itself is months away, the symptom diary you start today will be the document you bring to that appointment. Start now.

Combining with the medicine log

Symptom notes alongside medicine entries give you the full clinical picture: symptom appeared, medicine given, symptom improved or didn't. This is the information a doctor needs to assess whether the current treatment is working.

Cubby's medicine log records the name, dose and exact time of each dose. If you logged ibuprofen at 2pm and your symptom note for 4pm says "fever down, baby settled," that's a documented drug response. If the note says "still unsettled, temperature still 38.5," that's documented treatment failure — which is important information for adjusting the plan.

The two log types together — notes and medicines — give a richer clinical record than either would alone.

What to log even when it's fine

The improvement is part of the pattern too. A log that only captures bad days looks like the bad days never end. A log that also captures the good days shows the full cycle: onset, peak, improvement, resolution.

"Skin clear today — day 5 of new moisturiser" is a useful data point. "No reflux episode since Wednesday — trying smaller, more frequent feeds" is a useful data point. When you return to the doctor, the full arc is visible, not just the worst moments.

It also helps you. Seeing improvement written down is reassuring in a way that just hoping it's getting better isn't.

Frequently asked questions

Does Cubby have a dedicated symptom tracker?

Cubby does not have a separate symptom entry type. The notes log is used instead — you add a free-text note with a timestamp whenever a symptom appears. Because notes are timestamped and appear in the shared log alongside feeds, nappies and medicines, the pattern of a recurring symptom becomes visible as you scroll back through the entries.

How should I format symptom notes in Cubby so they are useful at the doctor?

Keep each note consistent: body area or symptom type first, then severity or description, then anything you think may be relevant (what the baby ate, whether there was a bath, which product you used). For example: "Skin — left arm, behind knees — moderate flare — day 2. Hydromol twice today. Had bath last night." The consistency is what makes the pattern visible when you scroll back.

How long should I keep a symptom diary before showing it to a GP?

Two to four weeks of consistent notes is usually enough to show a clear pattern for most recurring conditions. For something more intermittent — a rash that appears every few weeks, or a fever that recurs monthly — you may want to log for longer before the picture is complete. Start now so you have something to show at the next appointment, even if it feels early.

Can the other parent add to the symptom log too?

Yes. Everyone in your Cubby family circle can add notes, and all entries are visible to the whole circle in real time. If the other parent is at home when a symptom appears, they can log it immediately. The entries are attributed to the person who wrote them, so you can both see who logged what and when.

Will a doctor actually look at my phone log during a consultation?

Most GPs and paediatricians will look if you offer it. The key is to make the relevant entries easy to find — scroll to the first entry in the symptom sequence and hand over the phone, or note the date range so the doctor knows where to look. Some doctors will ask you to read out the key entries rather than reading the screen themselves. Either way, the information is there and it is more useful than trying to recall it from memory.

Start the log at the first sign, not the third episode

Notes are timestamped from the moment you write them. The pattern builds itself.

Start free

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