• by MaryLeigh Bliss , Columnist, November 13, 2015

More attention is being paid to Millennial parents, who are growing in number and in influence. We’ve been keeping tabs on the next generation of caregivers for some time. Our 2014 trend New Parents on the Block declared: The era of Millennial parenting is about to begin…and understanding how they’re approaching this new role will be vital for brands who want to attract them.

We’re only continuing to keep tabs on Millennial parents’ behaviors and beliefs. In our most recent monthly survey, we asked parents 18-33 years old all about their family experiences, fears, and attitudes. Here are three things we learned: 

1. 40% of Millennial parents stay home with their children during the week

Less than half of Millennial parents are staying at home with their children during the week. When we look at males versus females, 57% of Millennial moms say they are staying at home, while 21% of Millennial dads are stay-at-home caregivers. Though their number is smaller, stay-at-home dads shouldn’t be ignored: 83% of Millennial parents say they think advertising for parents should appeal to both mothers and fathers equally.

2. Target and Walmart are their top stores to shop for kids

Millennial parents are turning to one-stop discount shops for their family purchases: 61% say they shop for their children at Target, and 61% say they shop at Walmart. But online retailer Amazon isn’t far behind: 56% say they shop for their kids on the site.

3. 88% say they are trying to avoid becoming a helicopter parent

They are the offspring of Boomers, who notoriously became helicopter parents. But Millennials don’t want to recreate their overprotected childhoods. The majority (88%) say they are trying to avoid becoming a helicopter parent, and 62% say “I have or will let my children play unsupervised.”