90 per cent of modern mothers rate their smartphone as a vital parenting companion, with 56 per cent saying they would struggle to carry out their parenting duties without it.
The figures come from a study carried out by, parenting and baby specialist Mothercare, which analysed the mobile activity of over 1,000 mothers and mothers-to-be to mark the release of its new retail and parenting app.
Women with children under 10 and expectant mothers now own more smartphones than any other demographic group, with 81 per cent saying they have a smartphone – a 20 per cent increase in the last 12 months and 19 per cent more than the national average.
New mothers spend an average of one hour a day reading parenting websites and blogs via a smartphone with 74 per cent admitting they would be ‘lost’ without them. Only 10 per cent of smartphone-owning mothers said that it did not significantly help them when it comes to raising children.
Communicating to family and friends is the most popular smartphone usage for mums (56 per cent), followed by on-the-go shopping (40 per cent); checking parenting websites (37 per cent); and seeking out parenting tips and advice (35 per cent). New mothers buy more clothes for their children through their smartphones than they do for themselves, and 27 per cent say they trust the advice they find on the internet more than that given by family or friends and rely on mobile access to the web to help them be good parents.
“The way mums use mobile has changed dramatically in the last five years, with smartphones now being used as an important parenting companion, not just for on-the-go shopping, but for seeking out parenting tips and advice,” said Mothercare CEO, Simon Calver. “Mothercare recognises that mums and mums-to-be are the amongst the biggest smartphone users in the UK so we are delighted to be releasing our free dedicated parenting app, which gives access to thousands of Mothercare products and a whole host of useful features that give impartial advice and expert guidance to new parents.”
The Mothercare app offers an on-the-go shopping experience including checklists and wishlists; a Baby Name Generator; Baby Tunes; a Pregnancy Week-by-Week guide; a store locator; and access to the Mothercare blog and Mothercare TV.