Using digital devices and apps to make life easier and more connected is now second nature to many. Smartphone penetration makes this a global phenomenon, not just a developed world trend. And as more of the millennials who have grown up with these technologies reach childbearing age, there will be an impact on the baby care industry. This acceptance of technology is likely to manifest itself in a wave of new expectations and demands that are ripe to be met with innovation.

Many of the technologies we are familiar with today could be applied to baby care. Lack of digital transformation in this sector to date is largely due to consumer readiness, rather than technology gaps. But the tide is turning. And, as we’ve seen in other consumer sectors such as travel and finance, the pace of change could be immense.

Several converging factors indicate that 2018-20 could be a technological turning point for baby care.

In the developed world, working parents – especially mothers – are afflicted by ‘time famine’. At the same time, the pressures, expectations, and demands of parenting are more complex than ever, as summarised in a meme that’s doing the rounds on social media:

How to be a mum in 2017:

Make sure your children’s academic, emotional, psychological, mental, spiritual, physical, and social needs are met while being careful not to over stimulate, underestimate, improperly medicate, helicopter, or neglect them in a screen-free, processed foods free, plastic free, body positive, socially conscious, egalitarian but also authoritative, nurturing but fostering of independence, gentle but not overly permissive, pesticide-free two-storey, multilingual home preferably in a cul-de-sac with a backyard and 1.5 siblings spaced at least two years apart for proper development also don’t forget the coconut oil.

How to be a mum in literally every generation before ours:

Feed them sometimes.

Coordinating family life can be challenging, and parents are increasingly reliant on technology to manage day-to-day activities. From repeat-ordering groceries online to family organizer apps that give a single view of everyone’s schedules.

The arrival of a new baby – whether it’s a firstborn or not – is inherently disruptive. And solutions that bring some level of order to the inevitable chaos will perform well in the current market.