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.

While over 70% of American women with kids are now part of the labour force, rising childcare costs mean that paying for nursery isn’t always an option. In the first of a two-part report, we look at why there’s a childcare crisis, and how governments and alternative carers are helping out.

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?

Bringing a new person into this world can be one of the happiest, yet most alienating, moments in someone's life. Postnatal depression is hardly a unknown affliction, but many are hesitant to seek help through formal channels. Now, pkBoo makes it easy for new parents to get support.

"Where are you?" It's the most commonly sent text, and whether it's Mum wondering where you are or your boyfriend chasing you as you’re late for a date, we like to keep track of one another. Life360 allows us to do just that. But how has it made tracking loved ones seem convenient instead of creepy?

The role of dad has changed from breadwinning head of the family to friend, protector, role model, teacher, and carer, and there's now a record number of single dads. But while 75% of dads are responsible for their kids’ well-being, why do only 20% see that reflected in media?

Nearly 80% of teens in the US have a mobile, but their parents have no control over who they're texting or how much time they are spending on Facebook. Virgin Mobile Custom lets parents monitor and control how kids use their phone, but does it signal the end of net neutrality?

With mobile devices increasingly being used to support parents looking after their kids, Apple has released an advert for the iPhone showing how it helps people to be better mums and dads. Called ‘Parenthood’, it depicts a full day of typical family activities assisted by the iPhone.