What the Laundry Basket Can Reveal About the Changing Needs of Parents

Becoming a parent changes more than you might expect – even habits that feel completely routine, like doing laundry. When we track laundry routines among Baby Journey users, we see how everyday life shifts almost immediately once the baby arrives. It’s not just about washing more often; the entire routine changes – less planning ahead, more spontaneous needs, and a completely different pace. This shift highlights how life with young children takes shape, and how it influences buying behaviour, priorities and consumption patterns.

What the data shows – a clear shift in laundry routines

During pregnancy, 77% said they did laundry weekly, and only 11% did it daily. After the baby arrived, daily washing rose to 24%, and another 41% wash every other day. Weekly laundry, once a stable routine, is now less common: only 1 in 3 parents still follow it.

This change is felt immediately in daily life. With a baby at home, the laundry basket fills up faster than you expect. Small clothes, many outfit changes, and a pace where laundry simply can’t wait until the weekend. Parents shift from planning their laundry to dealing with it as it happens.

What this tells us about life with children – and why it matters for brands

Shifting laundry routines reflect something bigger about family life. As the pace increases and needs arise more often, shopping habits and priorities change too. This affects everything from which detergent parents choose to which household products become “must-haves” to keep things running in daily life. This is a group that doesn’t plan as far ahead – problems need to be solved as they appear. Products and services that are easy, accessible and top-of-mind win.

For companies, this means that relevance and long-term relationship-building need to start early, ideally before the new routine fully takes over. It’s an important insight for shaping communication, offers and customer journeys.

Baby Journey’s role – seeing the everyday life behind the data

By following behavioural patterns like laundry routines, Baby Journey gains a close, realistic view of how families actually live, not how we assume they do. This allows companies to make decisions based on real needs and real situations.

With these types of data-driven insights, brands can create communication and offerings that truly resonate – at the right moment, with the right tone and in a way that reflects real family life.

Want to understand this audience better – or reach them at the right moment? Get in touch with Baby Journey to learn how our insights and data can support your brand.