The Romanian Senate and UNICEF launched in Bebbo in Romanian, a mobile parenting app for parents and caregivers of children aged 0 to 6 years old

BUCHAREST, 23 March 2023. The Romanian Senate and UNICEF in Romania, together with the Step by Step Centre, launched on Thursday the mobile parenting app Bebbo in Romanian, designed to support parents and other caregivers of children from birth to age 6. Bebbo was developed regionally by UNICEF, with the support from the Austrian Development Agency and the European Union, and is available in 12 other countries in Europe and Central Asia.

"The app we launched today in Romanian is an easy-to-use, accessible tool adapted to the present times. I have installed it and have been using it daily for several weeks now, during which time I have discovered a lot of useful and valuable things. It is a real help for parents in the early years of their children's development, a real online specialist you can rely on, and a tool that helps you monitor your children's growth, medical check-ups or vaccinations. The Romanian Senate supports this initiative and continues to work with its partners for all children in Romania", said Alina Gorghiu, President of the Senate.

The Bebbo app is free and provides parents with expert advice on a wide range of child health and development issues, from nutrition and breastfeeding to early learning and the importance of play, responsive parenting, protection and safety. Bebbo also includes specific guidance for parents and caregivers on how to look after their own health. Bebbo can be downloaded for free and installed in seconds via Google Play or the App Store. So far, regionally, the app is used by over 100,000 people.

"Romania is facing an unprecedented drop in the birth rate and that is why we have launched a large project to support infertile couples. But the birth rate must grow sustainable and parents need support even after a child is born. We are preparing an important legislative package to support families. For a parent at the beginning of their journey, any support is important. We have already endorsed the introduction of the profession of specialist in working with parents, and from this month it will be included in the Classification of Occupations in Romania. A free digital tool such as Bebbo, developed by UNICEF specialists, is useful for both parents and those working with young children. I support any tool or initiative that supports parents and professionals in the child protection system", said Gabriela Firea, Minister for Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities.

Supporting parents in the early years of their children's lives, Bebbo also includes features that allow adults to track key developmental milestones and record growth, vaccinations and health checks. The content - articles, videos, ideas for games and activities, recipes and more - has been developed and validated internationally by UNICEF and translated and adapted in Romania by the Step by Step Center experts.

"Bebbo is an important help for Romanian parents to provide better, more informed care for their children so that they can develop harmoniously in the early years of life. Always at hand, Bebbo provides quality and extremely diverse content. Children's early years are crucial for the development of future adults, and UNICEF reaffirms its commitment to work, together with partners, so that all children in Romania can enjoy quality early education, supporting parents and those who work with children in their important mission", said Anna Riatti, UNICEF Representative in Romania.

"I welcome this initiative and am glad to see that there are such projects that encourage and support parents and provide useful information. I hope that more and more organisations and institutions will develop useful digital educational tools that are accessible to all, as is the case with the app launched today," said Silvia Dinică, Chair of the Committee on Science, Innovation and Technology and member of the Children's Friendship Group - Senators.

"The Bebbo app developed by UNICEF works like a little pocket specialist that is always at parents' fingertips. I was happy to find content tailored to the child's age and developmental needs, games that support the child's social-emotional and cognitive development and help build language skills, communication skills and motor skills. All these activities will prepare the child for nursery and kindergarten and complement the activities there," said Florian Lixandru, State Secretary in the Ministry of Education.

Carmen Lică, executive director of the Step by Step Centre, said that "The effort invested by the experts of the Step by Step Centre in translating the application and adapting the contents to the local reality is part of the association's mission to develop services for early childhood. The diversity of the content helps to create many learning contexts and supports parents and professionals, including with activity recommendations for young children. In an age of technology, this app is the ideal partner for those who seek information in the digital environment and want to be sure that the information they receive is verified and, in the case of Bebbo, validated by doctors, psychologists and educators."

Download now the free Bebbo app!