Apps to Keep Every Type of Family Organized

Appointments, playdate pickups, medications, game schedules — every caretaker needs a safe place to store and share information. Most family organization tools are designed to meet the needs of a traditional nuclear family—parents and kids living under one roof. But not all families fit that mold. There are grown children taking care of parents, divorced parents with joint custody and people who want to track their pet's care. Fortunately, there are apps for every type of family. Here are my picks.

For traditional families

AboutOne knows that there's a lot more to keeping your family organized than keeping a family calendar. The service goes beyond with easy ways to store medical information and your home inventory, share pictures, notes and videos and save important documents—receipts, college applications and family member care sheets. And, you can manage everything with the AboutOne app on your iOS, Android, Windows Phone or Windows 8 device.

The basic service is free and comes with 1GB of document storage, room for 6 family members and contacts and emergency management. For $5 per month you get 5GB of data, 10 family members and, when available, a family calendar that syncs with popular calendar programs.

Price: Free at iTunes, Google Play and Windows Phone app store

For divorced parents

Managing the lives of busy children between two homes can be challenging. But Two Happy Homes makes it a little easier with a communication and organization service built specifically for co-parenting. Parents keep a joint calendar and contact list, can send private notes and share medical information, documents and pictures. There's even a place to track and pay expenses online.

The basic service is free and includes the calendar, notes, expense tracking and 10 contacts and documents. For $14.98 per month, you get unlimited documents and contacts, plus medical information sharing, and payment of expenses through PayPal.

For adult children taking care of parents

When parents need the help of their adult children, caretaking can become a family affair. CareZone helps ease the way with a free service that lets family members share care. There's a journal to record what's going on, notes for day-to-day communication, a place to store important documents and a shared to-do list. Medication dosages, doctor's visits and prescriptions can be easily tracked. And, there's one shared contact list and calendar. Better yet, everything can be tracked on your iPhone.

Price: Free at iTunes

For pet parents

Keeping on top of feeding, grooming exercise and medical care of a pet requires organization. Pet Master Pro keeps you organized with easy tracking features for medications, vaccinations, insurance and even microchip information—invaluable in any emergency situation. In addition, you can manage appointments with the groomer or dog walker.

Price: Free at iTunes or $4.99 at Google Play.