As a society, we talk a lot about what parents need, but not enough about who they need. If you think back to your own mom, she might have had people around her. Maybe it was family down the street, neighbours who knew your name, or grandparents who could step in – in short, a community rallying around mom. It wasn't a perfect support system, but it was a shared one. And in many ways, it made a big difference.

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Today, between forums, apps, guides and social media, parenting can feel like a solo journey. But in talking with thousands of moms across the world, we’ve realised that for most families, the village is still there – just rearranged, more spread out, and different than before. Grandparents are working longer. Siblings and close friends might live in different cities. The people who would have been your daily support system are now a flight away or a busy schedule removed. But the instinct that built those communities in the first place, the deep human pull to gather, to show up for each other, to share the weight of raising children, that hasn't gone anywhere.

What’s changed is how we find each other and the modern ways we “Share the Care.” According to Philips Avent research, 86% of mothers feel under pressure to be a "perfect" parent, and 74% say expectations on them have intensified over the past decade. At the same time, much of our support has moved online. The neighbourhood community has become a group chat on Next Door or WhatsApp. Extended family now follows milestones on social media or Facetime. These aren't bad changes. They're simply new ways of staying connected, bringing both comfort and complexity.

So, we adapt. We're creating new kinds of communities that fit how we live today. At Philips Avent, we see every day how small changes that invite others into caregiving can make a meaningful difference for families.

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The Comfort and the Pressure

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Let's start with what's great about this shift. Parenting apps and online communities have made support more accessible than ever. At 2 am, when your newborn won't settle, there's someone on a forum who's been there. When you're struggling in your fourth week, seeing another mom’s top five hacks video can make all the difference. Digital platforms offer spaces for advice, solidarity, and real human connection that didn't exist before.

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But that same accessibility comes with a trade-off. The spaces that connect us can also overwhelm us. Social media, parenting influencers, and the endless stream of curated moments sometimes bear little resemblance to real life. Meaning that the same platforms that offer support can also amplify comparison. What you end up with is a village that's always on, always available, and not always honest about what parenting really looks like.

Finding Your Way Through It

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From our conversations with moms, the pressure most feel doesn't necessarily come from the hard days, but rather from the feeling that they're supposed to handle those hard days by themselves. That's the part we, at Philips, are shining more of a light on. Families don’t need more information or more content. They need more genuine connection and practical support. The answer isn't to step away from the technology. It's to use it with more intention. To be deliberate about where you're putting your energy and honest about what's actually filling you up versus what's quietly draining you.

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In practice, that intentionality might look like choosing online communities where you leave feeling supported rather than inadequate. It could mean involving your partner earlier and more fully as an equal participant. And it may also mean widening your circle of support, pulling in the people who want to show up for you and giving them real, practical ways to do it. Your parents. Your siblings. A close friend. The neighbour who keeps offering and means it. A close coworker. Tools like Pregnancy+ were built with exactly that in mind, bringing partners and the people around you into the conversation from the very first weeks rather than somewhere toward the end. The fact that it's downloaded every two seconds tells you something important: families everywhere are actively looking for ways to share this journey.

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And when that sharing actually happens, parenting changes in ways that are hard to fully articulate until you've felt it. And that’s exactly what our Philips Avent Share the Care ethos was built on. The insight that drove that campaign was straight forward but striking: to care best for baby, we need to take care of mom too. And you can't do that when you're carrying everything alone. Our research showed that three-quarters of moms believe societal expectations on them have intensified over the past decade.

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So when the village does lean in to support the parents, they become more connected to that child and to each other. And yes, it does help take some weight off mom, but the joy of raising a child gets shared too.

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Building Your Summer Village

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That’s what a modern village looks like. Not a return to the past, but a rethinking of support for how families live today.  As we head into summer, when routines shift and things get messier, it’s a useful moment to pause and ask: where is my support coming from? And how is it shared? Start with one trusted connection. Whether it's a local parent group, a friend going through the same stage, or just someone you trust, invest in a space where you can simply be yourself.

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Pair that with practical solutions designed for shared care. Philips Avent bottles, sterilisers, warmers, and smart monitors are designed to enable the village to lean in, not as ‘backup’ or ‘just in case,’ but instead as participants alongside you.

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The research is clear, and I've felt it in my own life. When the people around you are genuinely in it with you, they too get to share in something that matters. The joy of it, the beauty of it, the hard and exhausting and completely worth-it work of raising a child. Your village might look different than other people’s, they might live in different places, require a little more intention to pull in. But the people who want to be in it with you are out there. And the best part? Once you bring them in, they won't want to leave!

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