I find myself asking my own mom endless questions about what she did when I was a baby. It’s fascinating to hear how alike, yet how different her experiences are to my own. She was the only caregiver of four children (my dad not lending a hand too often), used only cloth diapers, and had no fancy toy to hold my attention. Yet, she didn’t fear germs, strangers or turning on the T.V. BabyCenter.com recently conducted a survey among its mom readers about “what modern motherhood is really like, and how it compares to previous generations of motherhood.” The results were very insightful, and highlighted in the article, The best and worst things about being a mom today.
Interesting to hear that “53 percent of [mothers surveyed] said the previous generation had it easier” siting examples of how modern technologies, work/home balance, “mommy guilt” and the media onslaught bring stress to everyday living. In particular, we read how conflicted moms are about consumerism today:
“[Moms] love how convenient shopping is now, when anyone with an Internet connection can snap up bargains, necessities, and splurges with the click of a mouse (24 percent), but [moms] hate the increased materialism and consumerism of modern life (39 percent).”
It’s hard to resist purchases when adorable baby outfits, convenient gadgets and interactive toys catch our eyes so frequently. In the BabyCenter survey, mom’s listed “sheer variety of things to buy” as their second-favorite feature of modern motherhood. There is something for everyone out there these days. The vast quantity of products in the marketplace is welcomed by moms, because it gives them options to fit their lifestyles that prior generations didn’t have. But on the flip side, the sheer volume of merchandise is overwhelming, and moms begin to glaze over much of it.
To help them sort through the clutter, moms are turning to modern tools to help them make purchase decisions. “Upwards of two-thirds of online moms of young children research products online,” according to the eMarketer Report Moms Online: Browsing, Researching, Buying. “Among those who do research online, the three top information sources are search, e-newsletters and branded product sites.” (Prospectiv, April 2008). What’s more, online social networks allow moms to converse with other moms beyond their local communities. And you can bet that sharing product reviews are hot topics among moms online. Moms not only welcome the variety of products, but they welcome information that will make shopping for them more convenient and efficient.
The survey also revealed that moms feel guilty because of all the things they are expected to buy for their children, so moms are buying more than they need. Before we know it, our homes are piled high with ‘stuff,’ most of which gets outgrown or tossed to the side in favor of something faster, cooler, greener and so on. This cycle of guilt, purchase and more guilt frustrates moms. How can brands take the guilt out of consumerism for moms? Some have linked special causes to their products, so moms feel better about their purchases. One mom even created a new company called Baby Plays, where moms can RENT toys. Children can interact with a toy until they get bored with it, and then mom gets to send it back in exchange for a new toy. This service allows moms to consume products without having to own and store them. So rather than developing new versions or entire lines of new products, perhaps brands should consider innovating how people consume them. Moms don’t necessarily need something better and bigger to make their lives easier. Sometimes they just need something simpler, that’ll bring them back to the good old days they envy—without losing all of our modern day conveniences of course.
