From benign neglect to celebrating the small wins, here are 5 parenting trends to have on your radar for 2024

The world of parenting is constantly changing, so what can we expect for 2024? 

As the end of the year approaches, we've seen the rise of the 'boy mom', and 'teen-ternity' emerge that shape the world of parenting, and while raising little ones doesn't mean you have to follow the trends, it's always interesting to see what's in and what's out to empower you to do parenting your way.

We've looked at hot-off-the-press data to see what the forecast looks like for the year ahead.

1. Celebrating the small wins

Milestones such as birthdays and graduations always get the most air time, but new data from Pinterest’s 2024 report suggests that parents won’t be waiting for specific days on the calendar to celebrate the big occasions.

Pinterest analysed user intent and reported a huge uptick in searches for things like end of school year party ideas, monthly milestone ideas, baby naming ceremony, potty training rewards ideas and my first tooth party. So far, so adorable!

“In 2024, tiny triumphs will make the heart grow fonder as parents sprinkle party vibes on their kids’ not-so-grand moments. Baby’s first tooth? Here’s a cupcake. Potty training success? Extra sprinkles, please,” Pinterest reports.

If you're throwing your child a 'little win' celebration, check out our kids' party games for some inspiration.

2. Time’s up for sharenting

Sharenting – posting photos and details of your child’s life online – is a rite of passage these days. After all, keeping your family and friends up to date with back to school photos or  in your first attempts at baby-led weaning can be done in one fell swoop at the click of a button. But now we’re waking up to the dangers of sharing details about your child’s life – knowingly or not – and some parents say it’s game over. 

Exploring the world of ‘generation shared’ is @mom.unchartered on Instagram (real name Sarah), where she uses her platform to vocalise how much sharenting can impact children. Speaking on a reel in November 2023, the content creator said: “We have created a society where it’s normal to overshare these things right and quite frankly I just don’t think most parents have stopped to consider the significance of their child’s digital footprint and how this might affect them in the future.”

3. Some benign neglect is OK, apparently

The number of parenting styles to choose from are exceptional these days, and while every family is different, celebrity parents are putting “benign neglect” back on the agenda. Jennifer Garner has recently spoken about her hands-off approach to parenting her three kids: “I just think they’re such cool people and I want to hear everything, and I want to be around. But I also think it’s OK if they suffer from a little bit of benign neglect.”

The actress, who co-parents her three children with ex-husband Ben Affleck, continued: “Their lives are their own. I’m not trying to live their life, and I don’t mind that they see that I love mine.”

4. Investing in second-hand shopping

Gone are the days of buying an outfit for a special occasion and wearing it once, never to resurface again, as it seems that your Gen Z teen is investing in more eco-friendly shopping habits. According to the 2024 Instagram Trend Talk, Gen Z are focusing their efforts on sustainable fashion next year, and “they are most likely to buy fewer new clothes, repeat outfits and shop locally.” 

Why? Well, they care about the environment and they’re not willing to overpay for items that could be a fraction of the price. Rati Sahi Levesque, co-CEO and president, The RealReal, a top luxury resale marketplace commented on its  2023 Luxury Consignment Report and said: "A potential recession, the climate crisis, and global unrest are all reasons that, going into 2023, consumers are making shopping decisions based on value – with 66% saying they shop resale primarily to get a good deal – as well as personal values."

5. There's a soft spot for sensitive names

Choosing from the myriad of cool baby names or unusual baby names is a super personal decision. Gentle parenting is on the rise, and centres around empathy, respect and understanding, so it makes sense that parents are choosing a name to reflect this alternative parenting style. 

The experts at Nameberry reveal in their Top Baby Name Trends for 2024: “We're seeing a direct correlation with gentle, soft-sounding names. 

“Parents are favouring names with calm auras and mellow sounds. Vowels feature prominently in these names, along with fluid consonants like C, F, L, and S. Girl names that end with A are both popular and gentle.

“Many of the top gentle parenting influencers have children with soft names, such as Laura Love's son Jonah and N'tima Preusser's daughter Anabel.”

In other parenting news, Sienna Miller says she’s sick of feeling the need to ‘make a joke’ about being a middle-aged mum and Meghan Markle put her parenting skills into action with selfless gesture that helped a mum and her newborn baby.