Counting by Feel, Without a Device
Counting kicks needs only your own sense of your baby's movements and a way to record them. Bumpi Kicks records what you tap, with no belt, sensor or Bluetooth pairing, so the count is always what you felt rather than what a device measured.
What counting by feel involves
Just your phone
There is nothing to charge, pair or wear.
You decide what counts
The app counts taps. You decide which movements to tap for.
A record, not a measurement
The numbers are your entries. They are not readings from a sensor.
Home heartbeat kits are a different thing
The NHS says not to use a home Doppler to check your baby's heartbeat yourself, and the RCOG says not to rely on home kits. A kick counter records your own counts. It does not check a heartbeat.
Questions about this
Does the app listen to my baby?
The counter does not use the microphone. The app has a separate listen and record feature that does, and iOS asks permission before it can.
Do I need to buy anything else?
No hardware is needed. The app needs a Pro subscription to count.
Can the app check my baby's heartbeat?
No. The counter records the movements you tap and cannot tell you whether your baby is well. The separate listen and record feature saves sounds from your microphone and is not a medical check.
Sources
These are the sources behind the statements on this page. We opened each one and checked it on the date shown.
- NHS, Your baby's movements, page last reviewed 8 July 2024
The NHS says not to use a home Doppler (a heartbeat listening kit) to try to check your baby's heartbeat yourself.
Limits: NHS advice is written for the UK. Advice elsewhere differs, and your own midwife or doctor comes first.
Checked . Read directly from the source.
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Your baby's movements in pregnancy (patient information based on Green-top Guideline No. 57, February 2011)
The RCOG says not to rely on home kits for listening to your baby's heartbeat, and never to go to sleep ignoring a reduction or change in your baby's movements.
Limits: UK patient information published February 2019 and based on a 2011 guideline. The RCOG published a second edition of the guideline in 2026, which this site has not read. Advice elsewhere differs, and your own midwife or doctor comes first.
Checked . Read directly from the source.
Start a daily record today.
Bumpi Kicks keeps a simple log of your kick counts that you can look back on and show your care team.
Free to download. Counting needs a Pro subscription, and the App Store paywall shows the price and any free trial before you pay.