Babies want to hear about your day – they won't get bored listening to you read your work emails. In fact, children benefit from listening to anything the people around them say in the first four years of their lives. Starling tracks the words parents say to their baby, setting them daily goals.

The loss of a child’s beloved toy can cause upset beyond measure, but the tantrums and tears that follow can leave parents as aggrieved as their children. Richmond Sausages has cleverly taken advantage of this to win over parents, offering a ‘toy tracker’ with every purchase.

Parents can regret the lack of quality time spent with their kids – a guilt that’s magnified for those who travel for work. Lufthansa is helping parents relieve this guilt by installing recording studios at departure gates in airports. But do kids want a bedtime story sent straight from the terminal?

Becoming a parent is one of life’s most stressful – albeit cherished – moments. With Brits spending an average of £1,619 to prepare for a baby, some mums are buying on their smartphones at all hours. But how do new mothers really like to shop? And which brands are meeting their needs?