Share This Post

Mum and Dad

Parenting trends sure to be hotter than Hades in 2018

by

Whitney Barthel

posted in Parenting

There are a million things that influence ones parenting decisions. Things like politics, natural disasters, celebrity news, and Pinterest trends have shown to majorly impact how we raise our children.

To be honest, it can be a little overwhelming. To keep your 2018 parenthood anxiety to a minimum, I am here to package all the important trends this coming year will have to offer into a tiny, very manageable bite-sized little morsel.

Here are 5 trends you can expect to be hotter than the sun in 2018. Everything else can probably be ignored or forgotten.

1. Lots of parenting advice in books and articles dealing with boundaries and harassment. Ending the year with countless sexual assault allegations from some pretty major celebrities like Matt Lauer, Al Franken, and Harvey Weinstein has parents of young boys and girls reeling. How the heck do we teach our girls not to put up with this garbage? And, how do we teach our young boys not to turn out to be complete douchebags who take advantage of women?

Personally, I have no idea, but I am sure there will be plenty advice from experts floating around this next year.

2. At least one technological device promising to revolutionize parenting. While most kids these days seem to be toting their own iPads, iPhones, and i-whatevers, the truth (from the experts) is that there is still a major gap between what the tech industry is pumping out for parents and what parents actually need.

Just two years ago a study found that electronics only accounted for 9 percent of baby product sales. Ian Sherr, techie guru and contributor at CNET, partially blames the outrageous price tags many of these devices come with. He states,

“ When it comes to stuff that’s supposed to help me in my life as a dad, there are plenty of products that pass the “oh, that’s clever” test. But few justify their price by truly upending the way I parent.”

And while I definitely don’t intend on spending $1,000 on the “smart breast pump” mentioned in Mr. Sherr’s article, there are two parenting-related devices I might just have to splurge on this year. First,  wearable GPS tracking devices for children.  As a special-needs mom to a child who likes to wander, I have been keeping my eye on these for a few years. However, this just might be the year we give it a go. Second, Tile Bluetooth tracker For tracking everything I misplace that doesn’t happen to be one of my children. I mean, what parent wouldn’t want one of these after seeing this commercial?

 

 

And of course where would 2018 be without looking at things that trend on Pinterest? Pinterest recently released a list of 100 items that were just starting to explode at the end of 2017. They stated, “People use Pinterest to plan their lives, so rather than taking a look back, we take a look at what Pinners are searching for and saving to do in the future.”

With this mentality in mind, Pinterest is making its own guesses as to what they think the hottest parenting trends in 2018 will be.

3. The Perma-Fort. Seriously, it’s a thing. And, I can’t decide if I love the idea or hate it. The thought of not having to fix fallen sheets and blankets every three minutes is very appealing, but the idea of making a fort a permanent fixture in one of my kid’s rooms has my OCD screaming, “No. Nope. No way.” Regardless of what my OCD says, saves for pins involving forts is up 108 percent.

4. Weighted blankets. This concept has actually been around in the special-needs-parenting world for a long time, but it’s just starting to gain momentum in the every-child-parenting world.

You can find countless tutorials for making a blanket of their own on Pinterest; otherwise, these blankets thought to ease anxiety, sensory processing disorders, and insomnia can be found with the click of a button at many online retailers. (Saves for weighted blankets are up 259 percent). *See: 11 Weighted Blankets That Won’t Weigh Down Your Wallet.

5. Next-level nesting (up 207 percent). Talk about reinventing the wheel, Pinners have taken over good ol’ nesting and created some monster pre-baby bucket lists. 50 freezer meals to prepare BEFORE baby, anyone?

6. Eco-friendly parenting. If Pinterest is accurate at all, this will be the hottest parenting trend of 2018. Saves for things like recycled clothing and planet-conscious diapers are up a whopping 750 percent!

What parenting trends do you think will hit it big in 2018?

Photos by iStock

Share This Post