93 per cent of UK mothers now regularly use a smartphone, according to a study from retailer BabyCentre – outpacing laptops, used by 76 per cent.

Smartphones are winning out in terms of time spent, too – mothers spend an average 2.1 hours a day online through their smartphone, compared to one hour on a laptop, and 1.9 hours watching live TV.

Unsurprisingly, parenting and pregnancy apps are one of the popular uses for these smartphones, accessed by 59 per cent of mothers, just ahead of finance (52 per cent) and shopping apps (47 per cent).

60 per cent do more of their shopping online since they became pregnant – with nearly half saying they now do the majority of their shopping online – and 44 per cent regularly make purchases on a tablet.

Of the surveys 1,880 participants, around half were aged 18-32. These millennial mums are 26 per cent more likely to pay attention to digital ads than the older generation – and 51 per cent more likely to pay attention to ads on their smartphone. Ads with deals, sales or other money-saving offers were the most popular, with 75 per cent of millennial mums saying these ads are likely to get their attention.

“It’s increasingly clear that the most important route to mums is through mobile advertising,” said Julie Michaelson, BabyCentre head of global sales. “With millennials making up the majority of new mums, brands and agencies need to think of this valuable demographic as tech-savvy and mobile-first, if they want to earn their interest and loyalty. This means building mobile into the centre of their advertising plans and specifically designing for these platforms, rather than using cut-down television