Keep an original before editing anything
Save the export exactly as your old app produced it. Make a working copy if you need to edit a spreadsheet. Keep any separate media download with it, and note the export date and which child it covers.
Opening a CSV in a spreadsheet can change date formats, long numbers or leading zeros when it is saved again. If the file looks wrong, return to the untouched original before trying to repair it. Do not rename a file extension to make it look like a supported format.
Use the provider’s own export option where available. A screenshot of a graph is useful context, but it is not a structured history that an importer can reconstruct reliably.
Inspect a small, varied sample
Choose a daytime feed, an overnight sleep, a measurement with units and an entry with a note. If you have more than one child, check each separately.
| Original record | Check in the preview or new app |
|---|---|
| 04/05/2026 | Is this 4 May or 5 April in the original export? |
| A sleep crossing midnight | Are both dates preserved and in the correct order? |
| A bottle recorded in fl oz | Is the unit preserved or explicitly converted? |
| A breastfeed with sides | Are sides retained, rather than converted into milk volume? |
| A photo or note | Is the content present, or does the importer explain that it is skipped? |
These are fictional format examples. A preview should tell you what will be imported and what cannot be read. An unexplained mismatch is a reason to stop and investigate, not to import more files. For a hands-on example, follow six fictional CSV rows through the generic importer.
Separate missing records from duplicates
Compare records within the same date range. Different apps may group a breastfeed and a bottle as one session or two entries, so matching the total entry count is only a starting check.
Do not repeatedly import a file just because an entry is hard to find. First check the selected child, date range, time zone and entry type. Read the importer’s duplicate rules before retrying. Cocoon shows an import preview, skips recognised duplicates and provides an immediate undo; inspect the result while that option is available.
If caregivers are still logging in the old app, agree a switch time. Otherwise, the gap between the first export and the final move may contain records that never came across.
Use a short completion checklist
Before retiring the old tracker, confirm:
- The original export is stored somewhere you control.
- A few records match for each child, including dates and units.
- Any skipped notes, fields or media are understood and kept separately if needed.
- Everyone knows which app to use from the agreed switch time.
- You can export and open a sample from the new app too.
Cocoon’s import hub links to instructions for supported trackers, journals and CSV files. Keep your original history until you are satisfied with the result; an import success message alone does not prove that every source field was available.