4 Parenting Trends We’re Ready to Say Goodbye To

Like home decor, fashion and all things wellness, parenting too is subject to trends that ebb and flow (remember the Baby Einstein videos of the ‘90s?). And while some fads are worth embracing (oh hey, sittervising), others not so much. Here, four parenting trends we’re ditching in 2024.

There’s no escaping it—modern parenting has gotten weird. And by weird, we mean that it can sometimes feel like we’re in a version of The Truman Show where we’re raising kids with the sole purpose of impressing an invisible (or online) audience. Dubbed earnest millennial parenting by the New York Times, the author notes that “more than ever, parents can watch one another (or at least a filtered version of one another) which creates community—and anxiety.” Whether it’s your old classmate from high school bragging about her kid’s acceptance into Harvard (she’s only 12, can you believe it?) or your awkward playground script that you got from social media (like one writer experienced here), the internet has turned us into a group of performers less concerned with doing what’s best for our kid and more concerned with racking up the likes and nods of approval from fellow parents who follow the same gentle parenting Instagram account. We say, no more! Let 2024 be the year we say goodbye to performative parenting and let kids be kids and parents be parents—whether someone’s watching or not.

First it was LOL Surprise dolls. Then it was the Surprise Minis. And now, you can’t walk into a toy store without seeing a beloved plaything in miniature (Rubik’s Cube, ViewMaster, you name it). The Toy Association named microtoys as one of the top toy trends of this year, and while we appreciate the budget-friendly price points, our poor feet (or laundry machines) can’t take it much longer. Bring back the mega robots and oversized stuffies! We don’t care if we don’t have the storage space for larger-than-life playthings, there’s something creepy about a small tub of Vaseline or Skippy peanut butter that has no purpose.

2023 was the year of beige, from our homes to our wardrobes, and even, our parenting. Understated, minimalist, earthy… call it what you will, but beige everything is undeniably bland. And while that may not be such a big deal when it comes to, say, kitchen cabinets, it’s a pretty sad state of affairs when you’re talking about your kid’s wardrobe or bedroom. Because when else can you get away with wearing a fuzzy pink sweater teamed with bright blue pants and electric green shoes and a glittery hat to go with it? And why not make your toddler’s bedroom look like a bag of Skittles exploded in there? Colors are fun and they make people happy… don’t we want our kids to have fun and be happy?? Let’s wave goodbye to the sad beige parenting agenda for good and embrace all the colors of the rainbow. Which brings us to our next point…

There are a lot of opinions about kids and screen time and social media. We’re not here to tell you when it’s OK for your kid to start playing Roblox (10? 13? Seriously, we have no idea). But we do have strong feelings about using children in bizarre social media challenges that seem to have no purpose other than ensuring family therapists never go out of business. One such challenge this year was the #eggcrackchallenge that has amassed over 94 million views on Tiktok and involves cracking an egg on an unsuspecting child’s head. While some children laugh, many are confused, sad, angry, and um, physically hurt. As Sarah, the woman behind parenting account @mom.uncharted, asks: “When I see these videos, I think like, ‘Are we that bored as parents and desperate for content?’” Let the answer be a resounding no and let’s quit using kids for likes, OK?