Frequently asked questions
Answers to what parents ask us most.
What research are the exercises based on?
The exercises in Rosteo are slow breathing, gentle movement, rhythmic touch and kindness towards yourself. For breathing and self-compassion we draw on research. Movement and touch are there as another option. They are short moments for you and are not a replacement for therapy.
For both breathing and self-compassion, meta-analyses describe benefits mainly for programs that run over several days or weeks. The short exercises in Rosteo have not been tested in research on their own.
Sources: Fincham et al. (2023): meta-analysis of breathwork, Ferrari et al. (2019): meta-analysis of self-compassion programs.
Five states: from calm through tension to shutdown
The five states in Emotions (Calm, Tense, Under pressure, Tired and Disconnected) describe how activated or subdued your body feels and how pleasant that is. This comes from a common psychological way of describing moods by activation and pleasantness. It is a tool to help you name how you feel. Which state goes where is our own choice.
Source: Russell (1980): A circumplex model of affect.
Caring for yourself is part of caring for your family
How a parent is doing is linked to how their child is doing. Research shows this as an association. A direct effect has not been shown yet. Caring for yourself has value in its own right.
Source: Zimmer-Gembeck et al. (2022): meta-analysis of emotion regulation in parents.
Breathing or movement
When it all gets too much, slow breathing helps some people first and movement helps others. For each state we offer two short exercises. Pick what suits you, and if something doesn't feel good, it's fine to stop. When you're tired, rest is an option too. Which exercise we offer for which state is our own choice.
Where the exercises come from
- Box breathing: a common breathing technique of counting to four. WebMD.
- Butterfly hug: tapping your shoulders in turn. It comes from therapy practice and has no controlled study as a standalone technique. Trauma Research UK.
- Self-compassion break: from Kristin Neff's Self‑Compassion approach. self‑compassion.org.
Rosteo is not therapy. If things have been too much for a long time, ask for help.
If you'd like to read more, we recommend the book Self‑Compassion (Kristin Neff).
What are the developmental phases in Rosteo?
Based on the month and year of birth, Rosteo places a child in one of six rough phases:
- Baby: 0–12 months
- Explorer: 12–24 months
- Creator: 24–36 months
- Storyteller: 36–54 months
- Buddy: 54–72 months
- Schoolkid: from 6 years
The phases are rough age groups. We chose the boundaries ourselves so they are easy to find your way around, and they are not a norm or a developmental checklist. For each phase you'll find what often happens at that age and what might help right now. On Home, one short tip is added each day.
Every child has their own pace
Healthy children start walking on their own anywhere between roughly 8 and 18 months. That was shown by a WHO study of 816 children from five countries that followed gross motor development. So we don't use the phases to assess a child, and we don't compare them with anyone.
Children develop at different paces. But if something worries you, don't wait. Ask your pediatrician, even at a routine checkup.
Source: WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group (2006): WHO Motor Development Study.
What the phase texts are based on
The phase texts and daily tips draw on developmental psychology and expert recommendations. Some of them come from our own experience. We are also inspired by the educational approaches of Maria Montessori and Emmi Pikler, which is where the emphasis on a child's independence and free movement at their own pace comes from. These are ideas from those approaches that research has not verified on their own.
Routines and predictability
What gives a child security above all is a close, reliable adult. A regular day can add to that. A systematic review of 170 studies links family routines, such as eating together or bedtime, with children doing better. The studies are mostly cross-sectional, though, and show an association. They can't tell us the cause. A day can have a structure without running by the clock.
If you'd like to read more, we recommend The Absorbent Mind (Maria Montessori) and the publications of the Pikler Institute.
How much does the app cost?
You can use Rosteo for free, with no time limit and no payment card. If you want more, there is a paid subscription, Rosteo Family. A new family gets the first 7 days free.
Free
The core features, so you can get to know Rosteo with no commitment:
- Child info: profile, age, photo and basic details for both parents in one place.
- Milestones: record first steps, first words and small wins.
- Developmental phases: a rough overview of what often happens at a given age and what might help right now.
- Parent journal: a private space just for you. Write freely, or pick up to three of four sections: what you're grateful for, what went well for you as a parent, what was hard and what you realized about yourself.
- Plan: shared tasks you both see. For free you have three tasks at a time, finished ones don't count.
- Family community and events: find families near you, for example with kids of a similar age, and let them know you're interested in their events. For free you can reach out to two families, and you can accept incoming requests without limit.
Rosteo Family
One subscription for the whole family. It covers both parents, so you don't need to buy it twice.
What Family adds
- Emotions and exercises: name how you feel right now and take a short exercise, under two minutes, just for you.
- Unlimited connections: two families for free, as many as you like with Family.
- Unlimited Plan and energy sharing: as many tasks as you like in the Plan, they can repeat and you can take turns. You can share your energy with your partner, so they see how much you can take on today.