Australia has a childcare problem; rising costs and long waiting lists make it tricky for parents to return to work. Kindy is hoping to disrupt the babysitter market by locating trustworthy carers at the touch of a button. But do parents want to rely on ‘the Uber of childcare’ to look after the kids?

In the US, 83% of new mums are Gen Yers, and though 88% of this generation want to avoid becoming a ‘helicopter parent’, many are happy to use tech to check on their kids. In the second of a two-part report, we ask if more dads will take paternity leave, and look at the rise of the ‘drone parent’.

The number of men becoming ‘mannies’ in the UK doubled between 2009 and 2016, but at just 3.1%, that still leaves professional male child carers in the minority. Hoping to change that is Manny and Me – an agency that provides mannies who double up as tutors and sports coaches.

The myth of the French mother is of an impeccably dressed, slender woman with well-behaved children, thanks to the superiority of the French culture and lifestyle. But in reality, it's France’s financially supportive social policies, such as affordable childcare that have had a much greater impact.