Childhood & Design

Covid-19, together with job insecurity and the absence of welfare policies, has accelerated a drop in birth rates.

The Institute for Health Metrics at the University of Washington notes that the global fertility rate has gone from 4.7 children per woman in 1950 to 2.4 in 2017, further estimating it to reach 1.7 by 2100. In Italy, over the last twenty years, there has been a decline of 28%, the exceptions being only in the provinces of Bolzano and Parma.

On the other hand, countries such as Sweden, with an effective welfare system, have managed to curb the decline in the birth rate. Although some look favorably on the decline in births in terms of sustainability, there is no doubt that it would mainly imply a world with prevalence towards the elderly, with related complex effects on the entire social fabric.

The economic situation and the lack of widespread policies postpone family planning. In Europe, in the seventies, people had their first child at 23.5, while today this occurs around 29.

The situation is not at all rosy, but the positive data shows an important and significant trend that parents today are more aware and involved in the lives of their children, while also being attentive to sustainability.

Ecological shops have been proliferating and there is more and more talk of baby wellness in the daily lives of these little ones. From when they eat from totally recyclable materials derived from vegetable fibers to when they bathe with organic products and use technology for temperature monitoring, or even when they rest using fabrics that are pleasant to the touch and using sophisticated monitoring systems. 

Furnishings are also increasingly transformative and multifunctional, able to change as needs change. Educational toys and activities with intergenerational appeal are chosen, capable of promoting motor skills and the development of the five senses, as well as developing Social Emotional Learning. The future may also hold mind-controlled toys. Those belonging to the promising Toys go Green category are enjoying great success and Toy Sharing is becoming more and more widespread to avoid unnecessary waste.

Growing urbanization (over 60% of the population will live in urban areas by 2030) also affects the industry linked to the world of children. Furniture and products are preferred that are able to respond to the logic of rationalizing spaces, as are manageable, lightweight strollers in perfect urban style. Throughout this varied landscape, design reconciles different and evolving needs thanks to the design of smart and aesthetically pleasing products, which respect the environment being left to our children.