Why I Built myTotTot: A Baby Tracker That Actually Respects Your Privacy
Published by mkadmin on 5 February 2026
If you're a new parent, you've probably downloaded at least one baby tracking app. You know the ones—track feedings, diaper changes, sleep patterns, growth metrics. They promise to help you "remember everything" and "share with caregivers."
But here's what they don't tell you: they're reading your baby's data.
Most baby tracking apps treat your child's information like any other product. They collect it, analyze it, sell it to advertisers, or use it to train AI models. Your baby's sleep patterns, feeding schedule, and health data become someone else's commodity before they're even old enough to say "no."
That's not how I think software should work—especially when it comes to our children.
So I built myTotTot: a baby tracker that puts your family's privacy first, not profits.🔒 Zero-Knowledge Encryption: Your Data, Encrypted Before It Leaves Your Device
Here's the thing about "encrypted" apps: most of them encrypt your data in transit and at rest, but the company can still read it. They hold the keys. They can decrypt everything whenever they want.
myTotTot is different. We use zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption:
- Your data is encrypted on your device using a key derived from your password
- That key never leaves your device—we literally cannot access it
- Even if someone hacked our servers, all they'd find is encrypted gibberish
- We can't read your data, sell your data, or train AI on your data—because we can't decrypt it
Think of it like this: you're putting your baby's information in a locked safe, and only you have the key. We just provide the warehouse space.
👨👩👧👦 Built for Real Families
I didn't build myTotTot in a boardroom. I built it as a parent, watching other parents struggle with apps that either:
- Cost £10/month for basic features
- Bombard you with ads
- Lock essential functionality behind paywalls
- Mine your data for profit
- Require you to "upgrade" to share with your partner
That's exploitative. You're already sleep-deprived and overwhelmed. You shouldn't have to pay a subscription just to remember when your baby last ate.
myTotTot is completely free. No ads. No premium tiers. No "upgrade to unlock sharing." Everything is available from day one because supporting new parents shouldn't be a profit center.
📱 What Can You Track?
Everything you'd expect from a baby tracker, but private:
- Feeding: Breast, formula, or both—track duration, amount, and side
- Diaper Changes: Wet, dirty, or both—with optional notes
- Sleep: Naps and nighttime sleep with pause/resume timers
- Activities: Tummy time, bath time, playtime, and outdoor adventures
- Measurements: Height, weight, head circumference, and temperature
- Medications: Track doses, times, and notes for peace of mind
- Photos: Attach encrypted photos to events (yes, photos are encrypted too!)
All of this syncs in real-time across all your devices via WebSocket, so you and your partner always have the latest information—even if you're offline when you log an event.
🔐 Real Sharing, Really Private
Most apps make you choose: privacy OR sharing with your partner. myTotTot gives you both.
When you invite someone (your partner, grandparent, or caregiver), we use asymmetric encryption:
- You encrypt the baby's key with their public key
- Only they can decrypt it with their private key
- We facilitate the sharing, but we never have access to the unencrypted data
You can also set up emergency access for trusted contacts—time-limited, approval-based access if something happens and someone needs to step in temporarily.
🚫 No Dark Patterns, No Manipulation
I'm so tired of apps that:
- Make the "cancel" button gray and tiny
- Hide the "delete account" option five menus deep
- Use confusing language to trick you into accepting tracking
- Auto-renew subscriptions without clear warnings
myTotTot doesn't play those games. Want to delete your account? It's right there in settings. Want to export your data? One click. Want to revoke someone's access? Done.
Your data is yours. You should be able to take it, delete it, or walk away whenever you want.
🛠️ The Technical Bits (For the Curious)
If you're interested in how it works under the hood:
- Frontend: React + TypeScript with offline-first PWA support
- Backend: Express.js + MySQL with Prisma ORM
- Encryption: AES-256-GCM for data, RSA-2048 for key exchange
- Real-time sync: WebSocket with JWT authentication
- Photo storage: Cloudflare R2 with client-side encryption
- Zero server knowledge: PBKDF2 password derivation means we never see your master key
The entire system is designed around the principle that we cannot access your data, even if we wanted to.
📲 Progressive Web App: No App Store Required
myTotTot is a PWA, which means:
- Install it directly from your browser (no App Store approval gates)
- Works offline—log events even without internet
- Automatic sync when you're back online
- Push notifications for reminders
- Works on iOS, Android, and desktop
No waiting for Apple to approve updates. No Google Play tracking. Just install and go.
🔮 What's Next?
I'm actively working on:
- Growth charts with percentile tracking
- Milestone tracking with photo memories
- Vaccination schedules with reminders
- Multi-language support
- Dark mode (because 3am feedings are hard enough)
- Export to PDF for doctor visits
But here's what I'll never add:
- Advertisements
- Data mining
- Paywalls
- "Premium" features
- AI training on your data
- Selling to third parties
🌟 Join Me
If you're tired of apps that treat you and your baby like products, give myTotTot a try. It's free, it's private, and it's built by someone who actually gives a damn about your family's data.
Visit https://mytottot.app and take back control of your baby's information.
Because your baby's data should stay in the family—not in some company's data warehouse.
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Have questions or feedback? I'd love to hear from you. You can reach out via the support page in the app, or open an issue on GitHub if you're technically inclined. This is a passion project, and I genuinely want to make it better for families everywhere.