Parenting trends for 2018, according to Pinterest

Wooden toys

Many parents are replacing plastic with wooden toys in their children's playrooms. And these natural toys go beyond blocks. Now you can find wooden toy tools, trains, animals and more. Last year, saved pins for "wooden toys" were up 173 percent, according to Pinterest.

Michele Chiaramonte created her wooden toy company, Little Miss Workbench, shortly after moving to Bellport and giving birth to her daughter, Amalia, now 5. Amalia loved playing with Chiaramonte’s expensive camera, so Chiaramonte decided to use the table saw she’d gotten for home renovations to create a wooden toy camera, with a magnet so she could swap out the wooden “lenses.”

Chiaramonte, a former elementary school teacher in Islip, makes the cameras, as well as wooden “smartphones” with a chalkboard, using maple that’s naturally antibacterial and non-splintering, vegetable tanned leather and an organic beeswax sealant. The toys inspire imaginative play, which Chiaramonte says is important to kids’ development. She sells them on her website, littlemissworkbench.com.

“Their faces light up when they see the toys, and they immediately start to play with them,” Chiaramonte says. “It’s really awesome to make things that aren’t saturated in the market already.”

Perma-forts

Forts don't have to be a once in a while thing. Now, they’re becoming part of the furniture. From loft beds to fairy netting and more, check out Pinterest for more "bed-style forts." Saved pins for “forts” were up 108 percent.

Melville resident Dorothy Kugler’s 13-year-old daughter, Jolie, wanted a high bed. The bed she purchased from The Bedroom Source in Carle Place has a tent underneath. The “fort” has a queen mattress inside. The fort’s pink and brown color scheme matches the rest of the bedroom designed by her sister, Wantagh-based interior designer Wendy Lepkoff. 

“None of her friends have a fort, but some want to have it now,” Kugler says.

Wall decals

Removable wall art is super popular right now. It lets your children’s rooms grow as they do, so you can transform from an animal safari theme to superheroes, rainbows and other kid-friendly trends. According to Pinterest, saved pins for “wall decals” up 219 percent.

Wall decals were an easy way for Merrick resident Melissa Holtzer-Jonas to change the decor of her 4-year-old son’s room as he grew older, and so Ben wouldn’t feel left out when they decorated for the new baby, Noah, who was born in December.

Melissa and her husband, Oscar, took down the jungle-themed decals they had purchased for Ben from Babies R Us and replaced them with characters from the “Cars 3” and “Minions” movies. Noah’s room is decorated with “Finding Dory,” Mickey Mouse and alphabet decals.

“Ben helped us put Noah’s decals up,” says Melissa, 36. “They were very easy to put up and just as easy to take down. It was nice when Ben was helping us because we didn’t have to correct him if he put it up crooked. We just fixed it later. And they’re inexpensive enough that I’m not worried about Ben being sick of Lightning McQueen a year from now."

Sip and sees

A casual twist on a baby shower, sips and sees are drop-in parties to introduce a newborn to family and friends. They’re usually thrown for moms who’ve just had a second, third or fourth baby, with appetizers and wine. Saved pins for “sip and see” parties were up 218 percent, according to Pinterest. 

Jackie Mangiolino, a Bellmore-based invitation designer, has created invitations for “sip and see” parties, thrown by parents to introduce a new baby to friends and family. Most of Mangiolino’s clients for these types of parties were new mothers in Texas. 

“I love the idea of sip and see parties and wish they were more common here on Long Island,” Mangiolino says. “As a mother, myself, it would have been nice to have had a few hours set aside on one specific day for guests to come meet the baby. It’s so important to have time to bond and rest with baby, and I personally felt a little overwhelmed with the number of guests in the first few weeks home with my son.”

Personalized party tees

Special occasion shirts are perfect for celebrating in style and unison, like “squad” and “I’m the birthday girl" T-shirts. Matching vacation shirts for families are also a big hit. Saved pins for “birthday shirt” were up 250 percent, according to Pinterest.

For their daughter Lexi’s third birthday party in December 2016, Tracey and Adam Frank of Dix Hills made up shirts with the name of each member of their family of six. The shirts, printed by a local business, had the name of the wearer highlighted in a different color. 

“The response from everyone was beyond incredible,” says Tracey Frank, 36, who likes to buy similarly personalized gifts for the birthdays of her friends’ kids. “They all thought it was amazing and wanted to do the same thing.”

Teething necklaces

Teething toys just got an upgrade. Moms can wear stylish teething necklaces for their baby to chew on to alleviate gum pain. Saved pins for "teething necklaces" were up 146 percent, according to Pinterest.

Attelia Baby, a boutique in Port Washington, carries teething necklaces from New York company Chewbeads, which creates fashionable jewelry for moms made with soft, silicone beads that babies can safely chew on. 
Attelia Baby’s Yi Wang says the necklaces have become popular since she started carrying them a couple ago. The Perry teething necklace sells for $36.50.

Boho baby showers

Gone are basic pinks and blues for baby showers. These days, moms-to-be are choosing boho-chic florals, antique rugs and vintage pillows. Saved pins for "boho shower" were up 306 percent. Check out Pinterest for more ideas on how to throw a shower with a tented gift area, macarons for dessert and more.

Baby trackers

Many parents like to track everything from small moments to big milestones, as well as a newborn's feeding and changing schedules. Luckily, it's easy keeping tabs with helpful apps, cheat sheets and more. Saved pins for "baby tracker" were up 58 percent this past year, according to Pinterest.

Nesting

Parents can assume that free time is limited once the baby arrives. Moms and dads are looking for quick and easy dinner ideas, such as make-ahead freezer meals, Crockpot time-savers, as well as checklists for the hospital, bucket lists to do before baby is born and more. According to Pinterest, saved pins for “baby prep” are up 207 percent.

Eco-friendly clothing

Saved pins for "eco-friendly clothing" were up 750 percent, according to Pinterest, with many parents looking to leave a smaller footprint. From cloth diapers and recycled clothing to eco-friendly gear and accessories, there are many ideas on how to create a "green" baby registry.

Pom poms

Pom poms are popular for decorative use in rugs, baby mobiles, blankets, hats and more. The DIY style is cozy and colorful, with saved pins for "pom-pom decor" up 444 percent.

Modern nurseries

Modern nursery trends feature gender neutral, monochromatic colors, chic light fixtures, non-traditional cribs and more. These sweet, yet simple ideas are soaring in popularity, with saved pins for "mature nursery" and "modern nursery" up 85 percent, according to Pinterest.

Sprinkle showers

A sprinkle is like a baby shower, but smaller in scale and more intimate. It's held for a second or subsequent child, when the mom (or parents) has already had a full-blown shower for the first baby, or when a mother of boys has her first girl or vice versa, and needs items for the new gender. Saved pins for "sprinkle baby shower" increased 180 percent, according to Pinterest.

Weighted blankets

Weighted blankets can calm your child, put them to sleep and relieve your own stress during the night time routine. Saved pins for “weighted blankets” were up 259 percent, according to Pinterest.