3 min read
Parenting 1:01
A closer look at the questions that keep parents up at night
Being a parent is the role of a lifetime. In fact, according to Google Trends data, in 2018, “am i ready to have a baby” was the most searched “am i ready to” question people had in the United States. And the questions about parenting — from the tactical to the personal — didn’t stop there.
“how to help my baby sleep”
… and other variations (like “how to soothe my baby” and “how to sleep train”) peak each night around 1 am PST. At the end of the day, when parents just might be out of patience or just feeling introspective, they look for solutions. And it turns out that, in the United States, people who are searching for “sleep training” are also searching for insomnia and… um, puppies? Yep. Puppies.
“how to raise a…”
Happy child. A wild child. A confident child. Every parent wants to know how to help their child be the best they can be, so it’s no surprise that, in 2018, “how to raise a happy child” was the top searched “how to raise a ___ child” people asked in the United States.
In 2018, Americans asked “how to raise a happy child”
“monthly milestones”
In countries all around the world, the most commonly searched topic related to babies is “month” (monthly milestones). Parents want to know if their kids are on track – with the top searched milestones being 6 months, 3 years, 2 years, and 4 months, worldwide. And of those baby milestones, people are searching most to understand when their baby will talk, the language milestone.
“for kids”
Out of everything people are searching “for kids”, “games for kids” is the most searched in the United States. But it’s not all fun and games, parents also want their kids to learn through activities. In 2018, of all the states, Arkansas asked about “coding for kids” the most, Iowa searched “painting for kids” the most, while New Jersey searched for “yoga for kids” the most. And all across the US, “climate change for kids” is being asked about more now than ever before – with New Yorkers searching for it most.
“how to help my teen”
Teens can be tough, but every parent knows that the job doesn’t end when they can walk, talk, and feed themselves. If anything, it gets bigger. In the United States, the top searched ways parents ask for help with their teens are “how to help my teen make friends,” “how to help my teen with depression,” and “how to help my teen lose weight.” Also high on parents' radar is "how to help my teen choose a career.”
Unsurprisingly, parenting, no matter the period of life, leads to some late-night soul (and Internet) searching: how to be a better step/foster/stay at home/single dad/mom are the top searched “how to be a better ___ mom/dad” parents ask in the United States… because parenting never sleeps.