We built a reading app that wants you to put it down

Hi makers 👋

Every reading app we tried for our two baby girls wanted more of our attention, but excessive screen time is bad for kids. It also felt backwards for something that’s supposed to be about paper books and each other.

We’re parents and psychology researchers, so we built the opposite. ReadiBean is live on Product Hunt today 🎉.

How it works:

• Scan the barcode. It lands on your family’s shelf in a few seconds.

• Put the phone away and read together.

• One bedtime cue (“after brushing teeth, two books”) instead of streaks. Missing a night breaks nothing.

• Record storytime and keep those voices with each book.

• Picks for your child based on the kinds of books they actually read, with stories from cultures around the world, all year.

• Magical library whose rooms wake up as you read, with magical companions who keep your children looking forward to the next book.

• Reading challenges. Upcoming is Children’s Book Week challenge runs Oct 26 – Nov 15, with a printable bookmark, a new companion, and a $10 book card to earn.

Our best measure so far: both our girls now ask for stories every day after a few months of following the app's tips. We’re 26 days and counting. Friends’ kids have taken to it too, and it’s working quite well in their homes too. But that’s a small sample, so feedback from more families means a lot to us!

Product Hunt families get 1 month of Pro free with code PRODUCTHUNT (valid until Dec 1).