Mother-and-Child Handbook App "Boshimo" Launches in Urkui Village, Nagano Prefecture!

The mother-and-child handbook app "Boshimo," operated by Boshimo Inc., has been introduced in Urkui Village, Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture, and will be offered as the "Urugikko Mother-Child Handbook App" starting April 1st (Wednesday).

Urkui Village aims to create a warm community where everyone can feel secure in raising children and children can grow up healthy in mind and body, by prioritizing the best interests of children and promoting enhanced support tailored to children and families, along with a community-wide childcare environment.

The "Boshimo" app, which can digitally record data from paper mother-and-child health handbooks and is adopted by over 830 municipalities, has been selected. This launch aligns with the government's policy to promote the use of electronic mother-and-child health handbooks and advance mother-and-child health DX (Digital Transformation)※1.

"Boshimo" is an app that easily supports the management of vaccination schedules and health checkup results, and the distribution of local information via smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Data is stored in the cloud, serving as a backup in case of loss of the mother-and-child health handbook due to disasters. It also supports continued use when moving to other municipalities or changing devices, ensuring peace of mind.

◆"Boshimo" is now available in Urkui Village, Nagano Prefecture, which offers warm and diverse childcare support across the community!

In Urkui Village, the "First Picture Book Present" initiative gifts picture books to nurture children's language and emotional development. Parents can choose 2-3 books from a list provided at birth, and they are presented around the child's 6-7 month health checkup. This encourages children's physical and mental growth through gentle interactions with parents reading picture books.

Furthermore, the "Wanpaku House" childcare support center actively assists childcare families in engaging in fulfilling parenting by fostering interaction and information exchange among parents and children. Consultations regarding childcare are handled in cooperation with various entities, including nursery schools, schools, medical institutions, public health centers, and welfare services, establishing a system where the entire community warmly watches over childcare.

To enable childcare households to utilize the village's initiatives more conveniently, "Boshimo" has been adopted as a new tool for disseminating childcare information.

◆Thorough support for pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare with a community-focused app!

The "Urugikko Mother-Child Handbook App," adopted by Urkui Village, is a service compatible with smartphones, tablets, and PCs. It offers comprehensive features to assist busy mothers and fathers juggling childcare and work. These include recording and managing health data for pregnant women and children, managing vaccination schedules, providing advice on childbirth and childcare, sharing features with family members such as grandparents living far away, and notifying users about local information distributed by the village.

"Dekiyō Kinenbi" (Anniversary of Accomplishment), which can be used as a childcare diary, is created based on examples from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's mother-and-child health handbook formats. It allows users to record milestones in their child's development and parenting journey, including those from the "Parent's Record" section of the handbook, along with photos and messages. It also serves as a guide for the child's growth and development.

Moreover, in the event of environmental changes due to factors like infectious diseases, the app can instantly deliver crucial information, such as notices from the municipality or advice from public health nurses, to the necessary individuals via text or video, supporting a safe childbirth and childcare environment even during emergencies.

＜Key Features of "Urugikko Mother-Child Handbook App"＞

[Information on Various Municipal Systems and Services] ● Information and application procedures for various subsidy systems relevant to pregnancy and childcare, such as child medical expense subsidies and child allowances. ● Various announcements distributed by the municipality.

[Recording and Management] ● Recording of pregnant women's physical condition and weight (with graphs). ● Recording of fetal and child growth (with graphs). ● Confirmation of obesity and underweight status using height-weight curves (with graphs). ● Vaccinations: Automatic display of standard vaccination dates, management of scheduled and actual vaccinations, alerts for missed vaccinations. ● Health Checkup Information: Recording of health examination data for pregnant women and children.

[Information Provision and Advice] ● Basic information on childbirth and childcare. ● Knowledge and advice tailored to pregnancy week and child's age. ● Videos on topics like bathing and preparing baby food. ● Information on nearby facilities (hospitals, kindergartens/nurseries, parks, childcare facilities, etc.).

[Childcare Diary: Dekiyō Kinenbi] ● Record child's growth with photos. ● At anniversaries, upload photos with a "First Anniversary Template" including the date and phrase (e.g., first kick/roll over/sit up/crawl/stand/walk, etc., recording up to approximately 150 items).

[Data Sharing] ● Child's growth records and health data can be viewed on family members' smartphones and posted on social media.

Our company's vision is to eliminate friction in pregnancy and childcare. To achieve this, we are promoting further expansion and integration of support areas (maternal/child health checkups, vaccinations, infant checkups, etc.) through "Childcare DX®"※2, establishing one-stop applications and procedures for childcare-related matters, and promoting the sharing of mother-and-child health information with related organizations (medical, childcare/education, specialized institutions, etc.). This aims to reduce parental anxiety and burden, and co-create a secure and convenient childcare society with local communities.

Service Name: Urugikko Mother-Child Handbook App Monthly Fee (Tax Included): Free Access Method

・App: Search for "Boshimo" on the App Store or Google Play (Supported OS: Android 8.0 or higher, iOS 15.0 or higher) ・Web Browser: Access https://www.mchh.jp

※Even those not residing in the target municipality can use the service, but please check the official website for information specific to your municipality. ※Available features may vary slightly depending on your municipality.

※1: Ministry of Children and Families Agency website "Initiatives Policy for Promoting Child Policy DX 2025 Reference Material Collection" https://www.cfa.go.jp/assets/contents/node/basic_page/field_ref_resources/6cfab22c-d2bf-4dd1-81ea-49308519ac3a/6f948f38/20250630_councils_kodomo_seisaku_DX_6cfab22c_08.pdf

※2: For details on the "Childcare DX®" service, please visit: https://www.mchh.jp/boshimo-kosodatedx

※"Childcare DX" is a registered trademark of Boshimo Inc. ※Google Play and Android are trademarks or registered trademarks of Google LLC. ※App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. ※iOS is the OS name of Apple Inc. iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and is used under license.