The Wonder Weeks Reviews

by Dfghj34567

I recommend reading the Wiki about the Wonder Weeks before purchasing. I had not, used TheWonderWeeks with our son for a few months. I was surprised by how little correlation there seemed to be between what TheWonderWeeks said we should be experiencing with him and what was happening in real life. Once seeing the Wiki page, this made sense since it turns out the ‘science’ behind this is bogus. The researcher’s findings were not able to be replicated by future researchers and, to make matters even better, the researcher apparently attempted to stop other scientists from publishing their actually legit findings, because they contradicted his. And it sounds like he was a womanizer so three strikes.

Unfortunately, anyone who finds correlation between TheWonderWeeks or book and their baby is working off of a placebo effect. You read it and then you see it because TheWonderWeeks says it’s happening. It’s unfortunate because it may define how some parents approach their babies needs, all of which is based off of nothing.

by Mxtaug

Not worth paying for this. There are so many options and every time I log into TheWonderWeeks it seems like I am asked to do a homework assignment! Not concise and they give basically every option under the sun — your child may do this or this or the other thing, basically just equivocating, and in the end you just end up telling TheWonderWeeks what your baby is doing and not the other way around (what your baby should be doing). I understand different babies develop differently, but honestly nothing insightful from TheWonderWeeks. My advice is just enjoy your child and you don’t need TheWonderWeeks.

**Updated to 1 star from 2 star for the poor response from developer which do not acknowledge the flaws in TheWonderWeeks , rather trying to defend it. App may have allegedly helped thousands of parents. Just didn’t help me (and may not help you) hence my honest objective review based on my personal experience. That’s how reviews work, the stars average out based on everyone’s personal experience. See other low star independent reviews that express the same sentiment as I have. Honestly only after leaving my review did I see others like mine and was perhaps not surprised they describe the same frustrations with TheWonderWeeks . The UX leaves much to be desired. My advice is just check in with your pediatrician about your child’s development as we did (and as you should) rather than waste time/money on TheWonderWeeks.

by JeremiahCryer

TheWonderWeeks is supposedly anchored in groundbreaking research. I haven’t read the book, but if TheWonderWeeks is indeed designed to go “hand in hand” with the book then it really needs to say that more up front. In fact, it’s hard for me to understand why you would need an app if you had the book. TheWonderWeeks is practically incomprehensible as it is.

The checklists are condescending. Parts of TheWonderWeeks say “leaps can occur plus or minus two weeks from what the calendar shows”. Then when you’re two weeks out and checking all the boxes TheWonderWeeks condescends to say “your baby isn’t experiencing everything you just checked off”. Oh freaking really? Seems like a fancy digital way to get railroaded into some educational baby reading, like a 4th trimester version of all the cute little “here’s what your baby looks like now!” notifications you get in the pregnancy trackers. You finally reach the first leap, weeks after your baby is fussier, clingier, more alert, needing to be held, all the symptoms, and find out “hey, your baby is different now” in these two ways with some 30 second videos? Honestly it’s a waste of my time. I’d rather read a blog post each leap and be done with it.

by Vanillahny17

IF I COULD GIVE A ZERO RATING I WOULD........I didn’t find TheWonderWeeks useful at all for a first time parent. I’m disappointed I spent money on TheWonderWeeks. The symptoms/signs to look for at each developmental “leap” are exactly the same and i feel they describe a baby, that is tired, hungry or overstimulated. I don’t feel it describes anything close to what to prepare yourself for or how to comfort your baby that is obviously unhappy. Each section that describes the “leap” your baby is transitioning to doesn’t tell you anything specific about what new skills or sensations your baby will/ should be developing. I do feel each section describing a leap provides you with very vague signs/symptoms of fussiness or being a baby in general. I’m sorry I purchased this.

UPDATE....developer reply was LESS THAN HELPFUL. They didn’t offer to help or fix anything. Developer reply doesn’t even attempt clear up any information about “leaps”. CONTINUES TO BE COMPLETELY DISAPPOINTED IN TheWonderWeeks. Very sorry money was wasted on what the developer claims is book and scientific research worthy, it’s not worth any of my time. VAGUE SIGNS ANS SYMPTOMS ARE NOT HELPFUL OR INFORMATIVE AND CERTAINLY NOT WORTH ANY MONEY; google is more informative.

by JacksonStevens

I have heard many people say TheWonderWeeks/the book are amazing and an incredible predictor of their baby’s mood and skills, but we saw basically 0 correlation between the predicted “leaps” and our baby’s mood, sleep, or skills. Sometimes we would get to a leap and he was already doing some of the skills, sometimes the skills seem impossible and way outside of the appropriate milestones (eg at 9 months: “asks you to sing a song”... how can a baby who cannot speak articulate something so abstract? Am I crazy? How could they be possible?). Aside from making me feel like my baby was failing to live up to some of these ridiculous “skills”, I saw no correlation between his behavior and the predicted leaps. Currently, we are having a really hard few days- lots of crying, super clingy, poor sleep— well TheWonderWeeks claims he is in a “sunshine” part of his development, so he’s supposed to be happy and doing well right now.
I just don’t get it at all. For us, it seems complete garbage.

by Niktof

I downloaded this bc of the high ratings and hearing other moms talk about it. I feel like I’ve paid $4 just so that TheWonderWeeks could tell me my kid is in a leap. There’s not much else that’s unique to TheWonderWeeks that you couldn’t get from the Internet, and I’m
not finding it to be very user-intuitive. The sleep diary function is buggy. I’m logging sleeps but it’s displaying them on the wrong day in the chart view. I’ll “check off” signs that she is displaying in the leap, but it doesn’t save them - so why even have the ability to check things off? Overall, I’d say if getting the peace of mind that your kid is just going through a phase is worth $4, then you should download. For me personally, that’s maybe worth $1 or could just be a free version of TheWonderWeeks , and make people pay for the note taking and diary keeping functionality, which like I said is kind of buggy and confusing anyway. I’d like a refund.

by Kelseeyyyyyyy

App should be more user friendly. I see clouds and storm symbols but you can’t click on them nor does it explain it on TheWonderWeeks what they mean.. I eventually figured it out but it’s just not direct and very disorganized. My sister loved this with my niece and I remember it being spot on back in 2015. My experience... So/so.. My son is accomplishing these leaps 2-4 weeks ahead of schedule and to a complete T. I asked my friend who uses this and she said the same thing with her daughter. The good thing is it helped me understand why suddenly my son was fussy, more clingy, or usual things aren’t cutting it. So I was more patient understanding he’s going through something and able to prepare. But I wish it would adjust with your personal schedule and use a “smart adjustment” technique to predict your child’s personal track. Therefore less offense with other parents I’m seeing in reviews..

by Wayyyyyzerr

First off, I love the wonder weeks for helping explain baby’s behaviors as they grow and go through mental leaps. I love that it tells you what behaviors to typically look for and skills after each leap they master. I used TheWonderWeeks with my first baby in 2018 and loved both the information provided as well as the layout of TheWonderWeeks . It used to make it very easy to follow along with each leap. I was excited to use it with my second baby now but the new app format is not as user friendly as their old version. It makes it a little harder to follow along and the change in the flow of how the new version is written makes it confusing to keep up. It almost looks like the text was copy-pasted without being formatted. I still like that the calendar is there but miss the old format that was a lot more user friendly.

by Jjgmom

I had been using for the past few weeks and really liked. Then today I tried updating the diary and it crashed every time I tried to save. I restarted my phone and then tried deleting TheWonderWeeks so I could restart. It completely wiped everything I had been documenting for the past two weeks. I don’t even feel like starting over I’m so upset. I also hate that every time I took notes in the diary it would move me to the top of the page instead of where I left off. The napping page if you moved your finger the slightest bit just moved you to the next page so you had to start all over if you didn’t get the time right. The leaps have been somewhat accurate but I don’t know that it’s worth the $4. And now that all my data and memories from those two weeks are gone I don’t think I’ll continue using. Very disappointed.

by Team Facepalm

It’s not an expensive app so I guess if it makes you feel better when your baby is fussy and you want a ‘reason’ then go for it. But if you TRULY want to understand your baby and teach them based on where they are at developmentally this ISNT the resource for that.

I haven’t found it to really be worth the money. Seems like according to TheWonderWeeks your child is almost always in a leap with maybe a week or two break in between. The milestones and what your baby might be able to do are definitely not accurate amd often not even developmentally age appropriate. For my 5 month old, his current leap says he may CRAWL after a parent. Uh, what? I thought this was based on research, what 5 month olds are crawling? The ‘activities’ to do with your baby to help during the leap are super basic things that you are probably going to do anyway.

by MagsD810

The leap schedule alone is def worth the $4, the sanity it gives is priceless. Knowing that the stormy period will come to an end and your baby will go back to the sweet angel they once were is such a relief! I found that to be the most helpful and useful part of the ap. Leap 4 was awful but it ended exactly on the day it said it would. We were both about to loose our minds.

Im a first time parent and the ap updated just before leap 5, i like the new look and format but not the the interactive parts. Like other reviewers the diary part is not useful, I really don't have time for that. Much preferred the previous way clicking off each task when accomplished. Im often interrupted and like being able to pick up where left off.

Developer, please can you double check the skills? Leap 6 says baby will ASK someone to sing a song & understand the names of animals.. baby is not close to being that verbal.. im wondering if something glitched. Also I tried to use the nap tracker and its more trouble than its worth. Have to be able to pick up where i left off, not enter start and end at once.. or all naps. I tried to do it as the day went and it didnt add the total time together. i can barely remember how many time i fed baby last night. Please make things as simple as possible, my brain capacity is limited to most crucial items or not at all.

by Emman8t0r7

I think TheWonderWeeks would be better with more parent input. Meaning, if my child is experiencing x,y, & z then they would be going through a leap. But TheWonderWeeks TELLS you when your child is going through a leap. For my child it has been so inaccurate with the dates. It’s almost the OPPOSITE of what he is experiencing. The one feature I do like about TheWonderWeeks is that if my child is fussy for a few days I can look at it and say oh he might like A or B (things TheWonderWeeks suggests due to a growth). And it typically helps the situation. However, because it is not lined up with my child’s actual leap schedule. I have to search all around for ideas through different leaps because he’s not coinciding with what TheWonderWeeks has him scheduled for. I downloaded it around 2 months for him snd it keeps saying he didn’t ever go through the previous leaps. Which is also so annoying. If it had asked me what he went through and when it could have gotten a better idea of what his schedule is actually like. This is just a generic schedule based on my baby’s conception and birth date. I am disappointed I bought it.

by Rlr0183

I appreciate TheWonderWeeks mostly because of the calendar view, which tells you when your child will be going through a leap. I find that helpful. However, with the recent update, it has turned into a muddled mess of information, most of which doesn’t make much sense. Yes, it’s supposed to go hand in hand with the book, but surely they could have designed it in a way so that it is at least understandable without the book.

The check lists aren’t very helpful to me because they’re just restating the fact that your kid is going to be grumpy and clingy during a leap. That information is already found under the What Are Leaps tab. It’s difficult to really pinpoint the problem with TheWonderWeeks , but as another reviewer said, I think it could be summed up as too much redundancy. Everything is stated multiple times but none of it is intuitive or user friendly.

I like the idea of TheWonderWeeks and I hope they will be able to simplify it a bit to make it useful. Otherwise I’ll probably just delete it.

by Stefanie.Unertl

TheWonderWeeks is great, very helpful even with my third baby. But the additional features at $2.99/month are not worth it and should just be included in TheWonderWeeks itself. Unless you’re going to use the monitor feature, which seems cool if you haven’t actually bought a baby monitor, the other extras are marginal added value. The white noise was alluring but not functionally useful because they run for only a few minutes and then stop. Even if you click the “continual sound” option, it pauses briefly every few minutes and then restarts- which wakes both me and the baby due to the absence of what should be helpful white noise!!
It’s nice to have the audio book in the extras, but I chose TheWonderWeeks over the book for a reason and could get it from the library for free or from Audible for less than $2.99/month.

by 4Joynlife

TheWonderWeeks is SO WONDERFUL! As a mom of littles it can feel like a full time job guessing their needs before they can talk. TheWonderWeeks brings a whole new level of understanding. Not only do I NOT think my kids are teething/and or sleep regressing all the time anymore but I now have this beautiful window into what they are experiencing. I wonder less “what are they thinking?” and instead see very specific changes like “she sees the contrast in these blinds, or “she’s categorizing this pattern in my face!”

The book it is based on is so wonderful I highly recommend it. BUT TheWonderWeeks stands alone. You need not read the book to benefit. The transition periods called “leaps” are specifically applied to your child down to the day. Plus there is a space to record in detail how your child handles each “leap.” I’ve found that even observation skills as a parent are benefited!

I have never gifted an app other than this one. It seems a strange thing to give an app but it’s such a help to parents, especially new ones, that I can’t recommend it enough!

Not just for mother’s! Fathers, grandparents, caregivers, ANYONE actively involved in a babies life can benefit.

by Ally U

TheWonderWeeks has been more than just a resource for what skills my baby is developing but it gives me peace of mind knowing when he is having a more difficult time than usual that it is of no fault of my own. It’s safe to say most parents’ natural instinct is to make sure their baby is happy and healthy. TheWonderWeeks lays out the when the tough transitions occur, for how long, the signals to look for that they are going through the leap, and the skills they are developing and may choose to show after. My husband makes fun of me but I love TheWonderWeeks because it’s sooo informative and it helps me to give grace to my baby and me during fussy times that I otherwise may think he was sick or something was wrong. Thank you wonder weeks for putting together such concise and helpful tips & info all in one incredible app.

by Rater4

Especially when the child is your first, like ours, this little app is like having a pocket manual for your baby. It is especially useful when little one becomes inexplicably fussier. Why? Well, according to the Wonder Weeks (which is based on evidence-based medical science), this is usually because your child is going through one of the many ‘leaps’ of childhood. TheWonderWeeks was incredibly accurate in predicting when (indicated by a rain cloud icon) our sweet one suddenly because much more sour. Knowing this was itself helpful since parents armed with this knowledge can fortify their emotional defenses in preparation. While some baby apps are fun - but do little in the way of informing parents - The Wonder Weeks stands out as the rare outlier which both satisfies our curiosity while respecting that our time for doing so is quite limited after baby’s arrival. I highly recommend it.

by Jesslynn 431

As a first time mom, sometimes you're just wondering if you’re doing everything right. Especially when it comes to learning. I didn’t know anything about development leaps! Thanks to a mom of 5 showed me TheWonderWeeks. And I’m grateful thankful for that. Now I understand what’s going on and I know how to help her through her leaps and what she should be at least learning.
We’re now in leap 7 and her personality really does change. I am super grateful for TheWonderWeeks and would recommend it to my new mommy friends.

Also I love the new update! It has this very clan organized look. But, I really do miss the countdown of how many days are left in her leap and the countdown to her next leap.

by HealthyMamaLA

TheWonderWeeks if great. I first purchased the book and ready parts of it. The book has more information, but most of it is parents’ experiences. While those are important, I feel that the most value giving by The Wonder Weeks is that provided by the chart. Those small little clouds can help you keep you sanity. Knowing that a leap is approaching or that you’re in the middle of one, helps you stay calm as a mother as it justifies the madness.

TheWonderWeeks provides the timing for the leap: by week and by dates. Also, the new feature adds it to your calendar which is GREAT!

There is some information as of what to expect behavior wise. A bit more info about what each leap means for them and what to expect them to do.

I recommend TheWonderWeeks to all my mommy friends. It’s a great tool for a mom with one or 5 kids.

I would have liked to see also an indication of growth spurts in the chart.
Also, the chart ends at around 2 years I believe. While it is very beneficial to until that point, the kids still have major developmental leaps after (as I have witnessed with my own child). So, it would be great to add any information for after that. That just stays there and does nothing after... seems very close ended.

Overall: it is great for when you need it, and you will need it for your own peace of mind when you don’t know why they keep crying and nursing.

by Mommakc16

As a first time mom there were so many times my baby was having a rough week and I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong when suddenly I remembered TheWonderWeeks and decided to check if we were in a leap. Each time I would find that we were, in fact, just entering one or right smack in the middle of a stormy week. Having that knowledge gave me the reassurance I need to know that I wasn’t doing anything wrong but also let me know that there was more I could be doing to help my baby through the current leap! It has made each leap so much easier for both of us! I also love that you can add more than one baby and I look forward to using it for any future children I have!

by Steph Piontkowski

I purchased TheWonderWeeks earlier this year and have found it helpful but since the latest update I can no longer see everything I could before because they want me to pay a subscription fee on top of having purchased TheWonderWeeks in the first place. This is a really poor way to treat customers. When I bought TheWonderWeeks it wasn’t with the understanding I would eventually have to subscribe monthly to maintain full access. If you want to charge new customers to subscribe - fine, but people who bought TheWonderWeeks before the subscription should not be stripped of existing access unless they pay more. They should be grandfathered in. Shame on you wonder weeks. Not only will I not be subscribing I will not recommend TheWonderWeeks , book or website to any new mom again. Not ok. I will be requesting a refund from Apple for this purchase.

by TheCustomer33

Not sure why this is such a highly rated app but something must have changed drastically since then. TheWonderWeeks reads like an essay on general brain development steps that happen from birth and on.

The only personalization it does is use your baby’s gender pronouns and to make some random chart about when your baby will be fussy based on his/her due date. I say it random because it was not accurate for me and seemed to be randomly created.

The information is laid out like reading an article published in a scientific journal and information for a current milestone is split between different obscure sections— not what I want from an app. If I’m reading about today’s leap, why do I have to scroll (all the way) back to the top, click the “more” link, then click the second tab under that to read more on the associated milestone for today?? Put all of the info for today’s milestone on the same page! I want quick reads presented in a super coherent and attractive manner. But their content is so blah and general. I get the same salient points in a more straightforward fashion from my pediatrician and from the pregnancy tracker apps.

I hate it. It hasn’t helped me at all. I wish I could get my money back. And I hope no one else wastes their money.

by Jflores712

TheWonderWeeks was great, I BOUGHT TheWonderWeeks when my baby was born 6 months ago and it was soo helpful with info on what was happening in her little brain and how to help in the fussy stages. I honestly went to TheWonderWeeks almost every week. Today I open it and to my surprise, TheWonderWeeks which had already been paid for once, now became a subscription. I am very disappointed in this update decision, everything was already there, seeing as how I was able to read on future leaps, what’s the sub for now? It’s not like the leaps changed they are all still the same. Shame. At least have the decency to warn TheWonderWeeks purchasers that there was going to be an update and that it would change TheWonderWeeks to a monthly subscription, give us the choice whether to update and join the sub plan or stay on the old version which had already been paid for anyways.

by RADP8438

I am extremely disappointed not only at the way Wonder Weeks App is blatantly ripping off customers, but also the developer’s responses to PAYING customers that USED to love TheWonderWeeks . I got and PAYED for TheWonderWeeks a little after having my baby and used to love all the information and resources it brought (hence the reason I was happy to PURCHASE) I went and checked it this week to find out that the update is pretty much an ad to get you to pay a subscription, umm I don’t think so. And NO, stop telling people that if you had TheWonderWeeks previous to the latest update, you have all the same information as before; that is absolutely false and you know it. It seems to me that if I payed for something PRIOR to any update I should be given the option to mantain what I originally was told I would get and not tell me that it is the same thing.

by CharadedKay

So with the new update, TheWonderWeeks because less ‘about you & your baby’ and more ‘about us as a company.’ What was once a; pay one fee and get all TheWonderWeeks ’s benefits, has become a; pay one fee to download, but then just kidding, we’re going to keep features from you until you SUBSCRIBE to a monthly plan. Parenting is already so expensive, so adding all these monthly subscription costs are ridiculous. Do companies not realize that we as consumers are adding them up?

I get it, developing and updating apps is difficult, and a time consuming process, but the way this one changed and then didn’t address the previously paid users is super frustrating. I will be deleting and relying more on my TinyBeans app, which has always been more straightforward with their marketing strategy. We’re parents, not cash cows.

by AliasInc

I really like TheWonderWeeks and would probably recommend it, but I’m a little confused. Why does it say for example a child has started a leap, specifically a leap that will start at 26 weeks when the child is only 22 weeks? I used my due date, but it’s like the chart start dates and the actual text content are not aligned. The same thing happened with the previous leap and it’s very confusing. Has she started the leap or is she going to start the leap four weeks from now?? Can anyone help me understand why these are consistently different? I should probably mention my due date and the actual birth are only one day different, so that clearly couldn’t be the reason.

by Shanna0511

I am so thankful for TheWonderWeeks and the book as well. It’s almost always spot on with timing of leaps and the reminders for parents who feel like they’re going crazy are truly helpful. The info about your baby’s development is great to learn and not something one would know just by spending time with their baby. Now I have a greater understanding of what my infant is going through each week.

TheWonderWeeks itself is a great, succinct version of the book but I highly recommend having the book as well. It gives much more color to each area and more detail TheWonderWeeks can’t provide.

by JulieandNoah

I’m writing this as a first-time parent. I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and above all completely terrified I’m going to do the wrong thing and miss critical opportunities to facilitate my son’s development. TheWonderWeeks provides timely and useful information that is imparted in manageable and easy to understand chunks. As much as I would love to be able to read all the well-researched books I can find, I don’t have the time. TheWonderWeeks gives me information that I would find in those books as it applies to my son in relation to his stage of development and what I can do to support him. I use it almost daily and I can’t imagine parenting without it.

by Adietastic

TheWonderWeeks and book changed our lives. We thought something was wrong when our son was going through a leap. I found TheWonderWeeks about 3 months into his development. After TheWonderWeeks I knew we were just going through the growing stages of life. Now with our second child, our daughter, it is amazing to be able to remember back the different leaps and compare. Before TheWonderWeeks , we felt like WE were bad parents. It was a game changer. Like a light switch. You literally were able to take the pressure off of yourself and give yourself a break. And the book is even better. Highly recommend!!

by Sunshine1111

If you don’t yet have the Wonder Weeks app, I cannot recommend it enough. I used it for our 21mo, and it was so nice to know ahead of time when I could expect her to be fussy, grumpy, or clingy. I’m only 25 weeks, but I’ve already programmed baby’s due date (WW works off of due date, not birth date, which TheWonderWeeks explains why), and TheWonderWeeks has programmed baby’s leaps into my calendar. Normally I cringe at the thought of spending money on an app, but this did prove to be valuable enough, and worth the small expense. App works great, communicates with iPhone calendar, and even has instructional videos that are so helpful.