Can Parents Trust AI for Parenting? How to Use It Wisely

A few years ago, I was frantically Googling “when to start solids” or “should I give fever medicine to my toddler” across Google, Facebook, Reddit, and Pinterest. I never imagined that just a few years later, I’d be slicing fruit while casually asking my phone: “Can you recommend a list of science books for an 8-year-old?”

AI—especially conversational tools like ChatGPT—has quietly slipped into everyday parenting. From meal plans to homework prompts, from calming meltdowns to planning weekend activities, AI often feels like a “24/7 co-pilot,” giving parents’ brains and schedules some much-needed breathing room.

But the question remains: should we, and can we, really trust AI with parts of parenting?

AI as an “emergency kit,” not a “navigation system”

In the US, a survey of Latina mothers found nearly half already use AI for parenting support—planning meals, inventing bedtime stories, even asking for tips when children had emotional outbursts.

And there’s no denying it: AI can be incredibly helpful, especially in those exhausting parenting moments.

• When you’re cooking dinner and your child suddenly asks, “What were humans doing when dinosaurs went extinct?”, AI can play the role of instant encyclopedia.

• When you’re stuck on a late-night school project, it can be your brainstorming buddy.

• When you’re juggling family activities, it can give you a quick list of rainy-day games.

• 
  

In the chaos of family life, AI really can feel like an “efficiency lifesaver.”

The real risk: blind trust

The Guardian recently noted a shift: many parents now turn to AI as their first response to their child’s questions or emotions, trusting that AI will always be more rational or patient.

That’s a dangerous mindset.

AI doesn’t have lived experience or judgment. Its answers are stitched together from data patterns, and sometimes it confidently produces information that’s simply wrong—what the industry calls “hallucinations.”

For example, ask “Can my 9-month-old eat nuts?” and AI might give a vague answer, without considering allergy risks, swallowing ability, or family history.

If parents hand over their intuition to AI, parenting risks becoming about “outsourcing answers” instead of offering presence and connection.

Co-parenting with AI, not being replaced by it

Some worry that relying on AI will make them “lazy parents.” But the real issue isn’t whether to use AI—it’s how to use it.

• If AI is used as a tool—for gathering ideas, saving time, or offering structure—it can be a positive force.

• If it becomes the first voice you turn to, replacing your own listening and observation, then it becomes a barrier.

  
  

Parenting isn’t just about finding the right method—it’s about building connection. AI has no arms for hugging, no eyes for listening, no warmth for waiting. It will never replace that.

Smarter ways to use AI in parenting

Here are a few tips parents are already practising:

• Set boundaries: Use AI for information and ideas, not value judgments. It can give you a list of ways to comfort a child, but only you can choose which fits your child.

• Be transparent with kids: For older children, don’t hide that you’re using AI. Say: “I’m not sure either—let’s ask AI together and see which answer makes sense.”

• Teach critical thinking: Just as we teach kids to spot fake news, they also need to know: not everything AI says is right. This is part of future literacy.

• Take responsibility: When AI suggestions flop (like a picnic ruined by rain), own it together. Don’t say, “Well, AI said so.”

  
  

I believe the stronger the technology, the more we need to return to the essence of parenting. What matters most is not perfection, but those small moments—when, in the middle of a messy night, you pause to really hear your child say: “I’m not happy today.”

That kind of presence can never be replicated by AI.

📷 Images courtesy of Unsplash