Young Parents Seek Information On Mobile Search, YouTube

New and expectant parents conduct more searches on mobile devices compared with older parents. In fact, new and expectant parents perform 2.7-times as many searches online as non-parents, and are more likely to use their mobile devices as their primary device. The Google findings, published Thursday, integrate search trends and consumer survey data to help brands gear up for Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Young parents ages 18 to 34 search 54% more than older parents. Young mothers use smartphones as their primary device -- more often than fathers and older moms. Millennial dads conduct the most searches overall. When searching for maternity clothes, they type in "where to buy." Once the baby comes, they search for how to "clean" or "reuse" baby clothes.

Overall, mobile searches related to babies and parenting have risen 25% since 2013. Searches on mobile devices in general continue to increase, but not just on google.com. Google sees searches and video views continuing to rise on YouTube as well. While parents tune into YouTube more often for advice and product reviews on desktops, views of parenting videos this year are up 329% compared with the previous year, per Google.

Eco-conscious parents continue to search for "cloth diapers." In fact, searches in the category rose 218% since 2007, and searches for "stroller rental" also rose 291% since 2007.

Parents also are looking ahead into education-related topics like schools and colleges, beginning during pregnancy. The educational topics take a back seat once the baby is born, replaced by health-related concerns -- but as the baby becomes a toddler, education-related searches resume.

Searches about baby development increased 72% on mobile in Q1 2014. Health searches are also on the rise. In fact "health" searches top the list from pregnancy through newborn and on to the toddler stage. During pregnancy the topics rank health, safety, school, clothes, and college. At the newborn stage, the topics rank health, clothes, feeding, diapers, and shopping. The toddler stage topics rank health, school, college, safety, and clothes.

The Honest Company uses Google search ads and YouTube to reach consumers seeking out organic and sustainable baby products. Videos on their YouTube channel emphasize health and safety in their products, and their campaign video has more than 700,000 views.

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