Every so often, a client asks a fair question:
“Why am I seeing my ads around content made for toddlers when we’re trying to reach young adults?”
The short answer is simple. We are not advertising to toddlers. We are advertising to the people who are with them.
And the data backs that up.
Toddlers Are Watching. Parents Are Watching Too.
A recent Pew study highlighted two numbers that matter to media planners.
First:
62 percent of parents say their children under age 2 watch YouTube, up from 45 percent in 2020. That is a massive jump in a very short time.
Second, and more important:
95 percent of parents of toddlers say they watch YouTube with their kids.
That second number is the whole story.
Toddlers are not sitting alone, making purchasing decisions. Their parents are right there. Phones in hand. Coffee nearby. Paying attention. Often watching more than they realize.
What Are They Actually Watching?
This is not random or chaotic content. It is predictable, repeatable, and trusted programming that has become part of daily routines in young households.
Some of the most popular examples:
• Cocomelon: Animated songs about brushing teeth, making beds, sharing, and basic learning. It runs on repeat in many homes.
• Blippi: An energetic guy in suspenders exploring trucks, construction sites, zoos, and museums. Kids love it. Parents tolerate it. Everyone knows the theme song.
• Ms. Rachel: A real person on camera, modeling speech, sounds, and basic sign language. Many parents actively seek this content out for early language development.
This is living-room media. Kitchen-table media. Background-while-life-is-happening media.
And that is exactly why it matters.
Young Adults Don’t Consume Media in Silos
Media plans used to assume neat categories. Adult content for adults. Kids content for kids.
That is not how households work.
Young adults with toddlers consume media together. Algorithms adapt to household behavior. Playlists repeat. Screens stay on longer than anyone admits.
When we include toddler-friendly programming in a media plan, we are acknowledging real life, not fighting it.
This Is About Reach, Not Targeting Kids
To be clear: reputable advertisers are not trying to persuade toddlers to buy cars, legal services, or financial products. Creative is age-appropriate. Placements are chosen carefully.
What we are doing is reaching young adults where they already are.
Parents of toddlers are some of the most valuable consumers there are. They are buying homes, cars, insurance, legal services, furniture, groceries, phones, streaming services, and more. Their lives are changing fast, and their purchasing decisions reflect that.
Ignoring a major part of their daily media environment would be inefficient.
The Bottom Line
Including ads around toddler programming is not a loophole. It is not a trick. It is not about kids.
It is about households.
When 95 percent of parents are watching alongside their toddlers, that content stops being “kids programming” and starts being shared family media.
Good media planning follows behavior, not assumptions.
If this kind of thinking is what you’re looking for from your new marketing agency, let’s talk. You can reach out to us at [email protected], of just fill out this form and we’ll be in touch.