New trends for modern parenting
FROM GOING ‘FREE-RANGE’ TO TRACKERS ON KIDS, A TRENDS EXPERT TELLS LISA SALMON HER PREDICTIONS FOR MUMS AND DADS IN THE YEAR AHEAD
FROM children being seen and not heard, to controlled crying and the naughty step, parenting trends come and go. But what might 2017 hold for child-rearing?
Joanna Feeley, chief executive of the ‘lifestyle futures’ agency Trend Bible, works with global parenting brands to predict change years in advance. Here are the trends she predicts will feature in the coming 12 months...
GOODBYE BAD COFFEE
JOANNA says parents are fed up with drinking bad coffee in soulless soft play areas, and in 2017 will seek spaces which accommodate the needs of both the parent and child.
“Soft play areas might seem really great fun to children, but parents don’t see why they should tolerate bad coffee and stale muffins,” she points out.
Parents also have higher expectations of what their children eat in these play areas, she adds, and as a result, many more ‘play cafes’ will pop up throughout the UK, and established cultural venues, such as galleries and museums, will switch their menus to provide better quality food for parents and children.
FREE-RANGE PARENTING
FREE-RANGE parenting is about fostering exploration and an adventurous spirit, with mistakes seen as an important part of the learning process.
“Young parents seek to relate to their children on a peer level, and provide them with choice, freedom of expression and valuable experiences,” says Joanna. “They’re willing to take risks to equip their children with the life skills needed to make independent, intelligent decisions.”
PLASTIC NOT FANTASTIC
ISSUES around sustainability, and reports of harmful chemicals surrounding plastic, means modern parents are concerned about the use of plastic in the baby and children’s markets, says Joanna, who predicts that with safety at the front of parents’ minds, this will be a growing concern in 2017.
TRACKING DEVICES
PARENTS will increasingly use devices and smartphone technology to track children, too.
Joanna says: “Monitoring children was viewed with suspicion by most people until recently, but parents are desperate to afford their kids the opportunity to explore the world beyond their back garden. The safest and least intrusive way to do this is to get them to wear a monitoring device.”
PRESS PAUSE
BEING able to take a step back from it all, breathe and appreciate right now will be a key focus, says Joanna, and a lesson parents are desperate to teach their children. Expect to see more mindfulness and yoga classes for children in schools.
While parents are aware technology will play a huge role in their children’s future careers, Joanna stresses: “It’s a challenge trying to balance this with an ability to switch off and take control.”
FLUID LIVING
MOBILE and on-demand technology’s created a huge shift in routines, leading to multi-screening in the same room. Families can sit together in one room while on independent screens, and these behaviours can have a considerable impact on family life.
“We’ve seen an increase in the popularity of open-plan living, to the extent that the whole family now lives, eats and socialises in