Moms post in the What to Expect Community once every five seconds about everything from trying to have a baby to managing a rambunctious toddler. Behind the scenes, a whole team of moderators helps these conversations stay useful and safe … so they happen to be the first to know about new parenting trends since they see so many discussions happening in real time. 

"Moms come to the What to Expect Community with urgent, day-to-day questions and real-time experiences," explains Amy Phelps, assistant director of the Community team. "When topics rise across multiple groups, it's a genuine signal, not an isolated anecdote."

This team has identified the biggest parenting trends for 2026 out of the 6 million-plus posts and comments shared so far this year. Here's what's poised to occupy parents' minds in 2026, according to the What to Expect Community.

Dads will get their own push present 

Push presents — a special gift given to a mom when she gives birth — are nothing new. But the protocol around them is changing. Next year you might hear about push presents for dads. Here's what some lucky fathers will unbox to mark the milestone of becoming a pop: 

  • Special dad hats: "I definitely want to get my husband one of the Dad Gang hats! He wears hats a lot and it’s a freaking milestone in his life too!" — tracellen
  • Sports jerseys: "I got my husband a baby version of a hockey jersey for the team he likes." — katiefc6
  • Coffee machines: "I actually gave my husband a new coffee machine [so] he can stock up on enough energy during the first few weeks to help me to take care of baby." — internationalmum
  • Fancy cowboy boots: "My husband has made my pregnancy so unbelievably calm and peaceful … So yes, I got him a pair of Lucchese boots he’d been eyeing for a couple years as a 'thank you.'" — lokal830

Millennial gray and beige parenting will fade away

Gone are the neutral nurseries done in cream, taupe, and silver. Sage green, terracotta, mocha, and other earthy, saturated colors are flooding the baby market in their place. Here's what WTE moms have planned for their babies' rooms: 

  • "I want a predominantly green nursery, with a forest or a garden theme for our baby." — Blissipined  
  • "We're planning something similar with sage green walls and wildlife decor." — 35989921
  • "We're thinking shades of blue and [a] mallard duck theme for our boy!" — icebergh
  • "We're doing a safari theme but mostly just want it to be very fun and colorful." — Mamabrankell

AI will step in as moms' co-parent

A 2025 What to Expect survey found that 75% of moms now say they use some form of AI for parenting, up from 61% of moms in 2024.

Next year, expect to see more moms using AI to help with everything from pumping to understanding prenatal appointments to even naming their babies. As one What to Expect Community user succinctly put it, "We're co-parenting." Here are some ways moms will use AI: 

  • To augment ultrasound photos: "I saw someone asked it to enhance an ultrasound image and that was super cool, so of course I did it." — babygirl12060204
  • To guess their baby's gender: "I tried it last night, and it was pretty cool! It analyzed [the ultrasound] based on nub theory, skull theory, and Ramzi theory." — rainbowbabe323
  • To compare pregnancy and baby products: "I have *no* idea what bassinet to consider. I have been using ChatGPT to compare and contrast."   — littlelu3
  • To pick baby names: "I feel like it's good at pinpointing your name style and gives pretty good suggestions. I ask it things like 'uncommon boy names with a strong but whimsical vibe' or 'girl names with French flair,' etc." — hello-cupcake 

Moms-to-be will use their watches and rings to help conceive and predict when they'll go into labor

Wearable tech devices have gotten more popular, and they're increasingly capable of measuring different fertility and pregnancy markers like body temperature, heart rate variability (HRV), and contractions.

In the What to Expect Community, moms are sharing their experiences with making these fertility trackers work for them, and while their experiences aren’t exactly vetted by doctors, it can be interesting to compare anecdotal information:

  • "Has anyone who uses a fitness tracker (Oura ring, Fitbit, Apple Watch, etc.) noticed a resting heart rate and/or temperature dip around implantation? … I had a weird dip last night … [and I'm] wondering if that's signaling anything." — EmmyLou522
  • "My Oura ring is extremely accurate … Oura ring temps caught my o[vulation] day to a T." — NM2225
  • "My symptoms radar is showing major signs of something straining my body today. Has anyone with an Oura Ring found that the symptoms radar or any other metrics did certain things right before labor? I'm 38 weeks and five days."  — AbigailRehm
  • "I wear a Garmin that tracks my HRV … according to my trend, I'll likely go into spontaneous labor at 41 weeks (my HRV inverted at 35 weeks). I’m so excited!"  — rmejia781

Posting your registry on social media won't be a faux pas

While 65% of moms think it's a great idea to share a baby registry on social media, only 30% have actually done so, a What to Expect poll found earlier this year. Expect to see that second number catch up as it becomes more normalized to tap your virtual village for baby gifts.  Here's how moms will share their wish lists: 

  • "[I'll] caption [my registry post] with something like 'Several people have asked for our registry, and this is the easiest way for us to share it with our whole family. Thank you to anyone who supports our growing girl.'" — Krk4
  • "What I did was create photos of an invite on Canva for a baby shower with the registry details … We texted it to everyone, and it had a link to the RSVP website and registry." — Annamaks
  • "Depending on how you use social media, I would assume you have friends, family, maybe coworkers, etc. [following you] … Those are the people who would want to buy stuff for you and your baby. I posted mine and was pleasantly surprised at how many old friends and colleagues purchased gifts." — sarahDan

Families will celebrate micro-milestones

Yes, those first smiles and steps deserve serious acknowledgment. But when life feels crazy, it’s important to celebrate — in a big way — the mini milestones too. In the What to Expect Community, parents love to share and congratulate each other on all of the little wins. Think:

  • Throwing a "baby dust" party for an embryo transfer: "If we didn't plan something, it would be just like any other day: the two of us at home, probably watching TV and feeling so separated from what’s happening with our surrogacy journeys." — Matt Tolbert
  • Doing a mid-pregnancy photo shoot: 'When I was pregnant, I did 'half-baked' (20 week) photos with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream." — MamaToTwo1824
  • Making a half-birthday cake: "We did [a] watermelon cake! It was hilarious; she shoved her face into it and was sucking away. [We] also did a little photo shoot with a baby party hat that said 1/2." — beccab333
  • Giving a partner a vasectomy basket: "I made him a silly recovery basket to show how much I love and support his decision because I know it wasn’t an easy one to make." — Brynne

Kids will have "low-stim" play

There's a time and a place for Blippi … and for some parents, that's never. Moms are leaning into low-stimulation TV shows, Montessori-style wooden toys, and even old-fashioned landline phones for their young kids. It's a rejection of the often super-saturated and noisy forms of child entertainment out there. Here's what you'll see in play rooms in 2026: 

  • "Old school Sesame Street (from the '70s/ and '80s) is not as stimulating as the newer episodes. Nature documentaries were a huge hit for us." — GreenJollyGiant
  • "We watch Little Bear, Bear in the Big Blue House, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie … Those are our before bedtime shows because they aren’t so in-your-face and get the kids hyper." — ebchristison
  • "I'm an occupational therapist and … plan to avoid toys that make sound on their own or light up, especially because we live in an extremely overstimulating culture anyway." — onlyonepeej
  • "I subscribed to the Lovevery play kits … They're amazing and developmentally appropriate, Montessori, wood etc. Some people complain about the cost but in my opinion [it] works out the same as a million cheesy plastic toys at the end of the day." — HJHCE