2026 Trends: What's In, What's Out, and What Needs to be Gently Retired

0:00The following podcast is a dear media production. Today is one of our favorite episodes of the year because it requires absolutely no credentials, no degree, no emotional labor. We are officially declaring this episode the Supreme Court of Trends. We're talking what's in for 2026, what's already dead, and what needs to be taken out back and gently retired. And just like past years, we have almost no idea what we're talking about. Dean and I are not fashion gurus. We are not trendsetters, nor are we really trend followers, although we have talked about how I'm a little more of a trend follower.

0:42You are. I am. Like, I'm interested, but I won't actually wear anything different than my leggings. You know what I mean? Welcome to After Bedtime, where the house is finally quiet, but the real noise begins. the thoughts, the questions, the wondering if you're doing any of this right. We're Kristen and Dina, child behavior experts, moms, and co-founders of Big Little Feelings. And we're not here to give you more pressure or perfect parenting energy. Nope. We're here to tell the truth, the unfiltered, beautiful, brutal truth about what it means to raise kids and re-raise ourselves in the process.

1:18Because parenting isn't just about sleep schedules and snack hacks. It's about healing. It's about breaking cycles. It's about becoming the kind of adult you want your kids to grow up to be. This is the place where we say the quiet parts out loud, and we're so glad that you're here. Dina, hi. Hi. Hi. Hey, I've got energy today. Oh my God, good for you. Where did it come from? I don't know. How did we get it? I don't know. I was looking at pictures of my kids. I think that's where it came from. Whoa. I don't think that would work for me. I think I would feel like guilty and like I'm doing something wrong by being here.

1:57You know what it is to actually. Tell me. Oh, sorry. I just didn't even respond to your feelings. That's normal. Go ahead. It would be like asking me like how I'm doing. You know what I mean? It's never going to happen. Go ahead. It's never going to happen. I think I'm just really excited for the topic today. That's what it is. I'm hyped. You know what? Me too. Actually. Yeah. I actually feel that way too. This is a fun one. Yeah. Whoa. I don't feel that exhausted either. Yeah. Whoa. Wow. Whoa. The trend episode. Real quick, though, how are you today? I mean, you're full of energy. That's good.

2:32Yeah. I, I, I, I. well I was trying not to do the thing where it's like I'm good you know I'm like how well how am I sometimes it takes me a second to process true to get underneath to the real the real stuff yeah why don't you go first okay do I have anything I don't know I mean housewives are really good right now that's like what came into my mind when you asked how I'm doing like housewives all of the housewives that i'm watching are giving life and that's what i need right now because sometimes it can be a little like you know we're grasping at straws salt lake city beverly hills the new season of beverly hills banger incredible are you watching you don't watch housewives beverly hills sometimes i do so like right now though are you actively i'm not i'm not but i will hit a moment where all of a sudden i will binge it okay well tell me what obsessed.

3:31I mean, Rachel Zoe is there. I could go on and on. I won't, but it's giving it's what's giving me life right now. I like that. Well, I've been watching football, so this is the exact opposite. We're at a real disconnect here. Yeah, I don't think anyone wants to hear about it. People do. Okay, for the besties who care, the Thursday night games, I just have to say, have been so good. The two-minute drill off the chain for so many games. You know what I mean? just got unexcited about this episode again like i felt that's what i'm saying oh i felt like you really go down there and it's not your fault it's football's fault i know i know taylor swift can try all she wants to rebrand football but i just can't i can't and i can and that's why we're friends yeah i i support you but it really brings my vibe down you know i was watching this stand-up special last night god i don't even remember what her name is she's all over instagram and she pulls her hair back and she has little glasses but she was talking about how everybody's a little gay and i always think that too by the way like everybody's a little gay and i think we've talked about this before and how you're not even a little gay but we'll continue yeah it's baffling yeah everyone's a little gay but she was talking about how men especially are a little bit gay and you think about it how every Sunday they wake up with like full full chub if you will can I say boner on our own podcast or you can not okay that's approved that's they wake up with a full boner on Sunday they put on a shirt that has another man's name on the back there's another man's name on the back that they went out and purchased like another man's name on their back and wake up on a Sunday, every Sunday.

5:17And like that's their version of being able to be a little gay because like they can't really, you know, go all the way. Exactly. Thank you for allowing my input on football. Yeah. Let's get to the episode. By those terms, I think I'm a gay man. So I guess we can start now. So Dina, you are a little gay. Great. It's full circle. This is good news. Who's Robbie Hoffman? Oh, the comedian I'm talking about is Robbie Hoffman. You're right. You're right. Her last name is Hoffman. I remember that. Robbie Hoffman, Netflix special. Thank you to our wonderful producer. It was very funny. And that was all her joke that I just said.

5:55And I just it just makes so much sense. It does. Besties, I am doing some decluttering to the max. I am sick of everything that is in my house, everything that is cluttering my brain, everything that is cluttering my phone, everything that is cluttering my life, including my subscriptions. I sign up for things, I pay for things, and it's like, oh, cancel anytime. I'm never going to cancel. I'm never going to cancel. So Experian helped me cancel subscriptions like you would not believe. It takes the pain out of canceling subscriptions by handling it for you. Just keep the ones you want and put money back in your pocket.

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7:09Paid membership with connected payment account required. See Experian.com for details. Get started with the Experian app now. Results will vary. Not all bills or subscriptions eligible. Savings not guaranteed. Paid membership with connected payment account required. See Experian.com for details. Here's something that keeps me up at night as a parent. Our kids are the first generation growing up on ultra processed foods and the long-term effects we are only beginning to understand them. So while everyone else is promising to hit the gym more in 2026, I'm focusing on something that'll actually stick.

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9:30Here is something that I am obsessed with still to this day, and it is Peloton. Cody Rigsby is my boo for life. And now Peloton has the brand new Peloton cross training tread Plus, powered by Peloton IQ. Peloton's most elevated equipment with real-time guidance and endless ways to move alone or with your favorite instructors. It's cross-training reimagined with features designed to help you reach your goals effortlessly. Honestly, it just helps me stay on track. It helps me stay motivated. It helps me get the biggest bang out of my buck while I am working out. It really motivates me to have like peak performance, if you will, for me.

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10:51Hit me with it. I'm so excited. Are you excited? Trend number one, huge bows again. Fuck yes. That is a big yes from me. Dina was shaking, shaking as she said that. You love a bow. I love a bow. You love a bow. The moment we said it on our last Trends episode was the moment I wore a bow every single day. You literally wore a bow every single day ever since our last Trends episode. And if I'm understanding you correctly, are you saying the bows can be bigger this year? Here's the thing. The bows are a little different because big bows had a moment last year. Hair bows the size of your head, bows on sweatshirt, bows on Stanley Cups.

11:312026 update. Okay. The bows are bigger. Wow. They are floppier. Huh. They're floppier. Okay. How do you feel about that? I could get down with this. Wow. I'm trying to grow my hair out a little, so I feel like the flop would work. Actually, I think you're exactly right. To me, it's a little bit sad, like a little sad girl energy, but I feel like you can give that energy. You know what I mean? I can. I'm a sad girl at my core. I've done a lot of therapy around that. We're okay with sadness. Yeah. Okay. I'm comfortable. All right. so you're fuck yeah are you're i mean my prompt was gonna be in or out but you're so like jazzed up today i feel like it should be like fuck yeah or so no yeah okay so you're fuck yeah it's a fuck yeah big bows all right what about you you know the bows i love for you okay respectfully it gives like pedophile for me oh interesting a little bit you know it's like sexualizing like gross you know like i'm a little kid i'll bring that to therapy with me okay cool okay all right next or maybe i should who knows oh god you're not gonna like this one and i who all right let's just get let's just say it just rip the band-aid off leggings are dead no no no i'm not doing this are dead wait for it track pants what's in this one stopped me in my tracks when i was researching it felt personal it still feels personal i have seen it everywhere i'm seeing it on tiktok i'm seeing it on instagram i'm seeing it like the skim where it's like wrapping up the skim is a newsletter it wraps up the fashion trends right now leggings are out instead when i say track pants i'm talking like seventh grade Limp Bizkit concert, Adidas, you know, stripe down the side track pants.

13:32You know, there's an elastic waist. We're slightly swishy. The sound is swish. Okay. I can't do this. I can't do this. And the reason I like yoga pants is partly a sensory thing. I don't feel them. They're just there. They're hugging. There's no rubbing. The track pants are going to rub my legs. I can't have that and the sound the sound the sound the thing for me is that leggings have been my personal emotional support clothing item for at least a decade yeah and when I say emotional support clothing item like also just emotional support person like they've been there for me Kristen do you know how deep this goes for me anytime you've ever seen me wear jeans in the past 10 years.

14:20I've had yoga pants under the jeans. I know this about you. You wear them underneath. I know. I know. Because I can't tolerate the feeling. You're going to put your logo. Yep. You're going to put your leggings underneath your track pants. Oh, I guess I could do that. You could do that. I'm a little more open now. Dina's going to be wearing an Adidas track suit with leggings underneath at school drop off with leggings underneath. Track pants require so much confidence. Leggings, even though they're like they're skin tight and you're basically naked, somehow they're also forgiving and like like a tracksuit it's just like all my like it's my hips my waist which like there's nothing wrong with my hips and my waist but it's just it's so unforgiving it's so unforgiving right but as you say that you know with yoga pants like your whole butt showing you're cool with that though i'm not cool with any of it dina to be clear i'm not like clothes i mean let's just decide is it a fuck yeah or a fuck no or you're i mean i guess you could throw something else in there.

15:16It's a we'll fucking see. Whoa. If you show up with a bow in your hair, like a sad bow and a track suit, I'm going to be stoked. I'm going to do it right now. I might do it just for you, girl. OK. Mine is a fuck no. I'm going to continue wearing whatever does not make me cry at 745 a.m. You know what I mean? And that's leggings. Yeah. The only thing I can put on that's going to make me not cry. Roll with it. OK. Trend number three. Color shift. Oh. All right. I'm curious. beige moms sad beige sad oatmeal gray it's out we're going in 2026 is deep reds forest green navy chocolate brown actual color is creeping back in not fun color we're not talking like you know fun zone orange red we're talking like you know serious color oh thank god okay okay yeah No, I can't do like blue and orange.

16:11Yeah. Purple. Sure. Maybe like a burnt orange. Maybe falls into this category. Perhaps. That's the hot I have in my bag right now. So are we ready? Are we emotionally ready for color or are we still kind of in our beige era? I'm ready. I know you didn't see that coming. Whoa. I'm ready. I'm not saying I'll participate, but I'm ready. You're ready for other people to do it. Ready to watch you guys do it. Not have it be completely assaulting when somebody else does it. Exactly. the forest green i'm in i'm in for that too it feels it feels not overstimulating which is great you know it feels like we can do this i think i might give it a whirl actually you know what now that you think of i think about it yeah mike and i were looking at green couches the other day see i do like like a deep green green couch okay just envision this okay green couch okay with some more indoor trees green to accent it mirrors yes right wallpaper yes with jungle cats but that's me that's not for everyone i mean please come do that to my house okay that would be great i just furnished my entire house in beige so we'll figure that out later um next trend okay next trend it's an internet trend.

17:25So the trend is everything is a quote unquote core. Okay. Every personality trait on the internet is a core. So there's tomato girl core, coastal grandma core, mom core, tired but hot core, emotionally available but text me back core is something that I literally saw somebody post the other day. So are we into continuing the like core language on the internet or are we done with it. I think it's out. I think it started off strong and then it's going to be meaningless real fast. Whoa. I was about to say the word meaningless. Wow. Wow. Well, we can move on real quick. I think we abandon core, but we do come up with something worse.

18:06You know what I mean? Like I want something in its place. Yeah. Me too. Yeah. And then I want to be sick of that at 2027. I want to overuse it. Yeah. And then move on to something else. And then never be as disgusted as I am with core. Dog water. Is that OK? I was talking to Tyler about this the other day is that real yeah that's a real one right now besties dina was trying to tell me what the youth say there were like seven phrases you came up with i knew six seven because i have a nine-year-old and a six-year-old but she said the word dog water yeah comes from the gaming world the youth are using it and it means something or someone's not good right or something's not good it's dog water and i love that here's what tyler my darling husband vp hype squad and i were trying to figure out you like if Kristen Bell walked up to you and slapped you in the face you would have no idea who she is like you don't respectfully respectfully in the best way you don't know a lot of things in the world like you're very intelligent and you know a lot but then when it comes to like the world and like trends celebrity like no idea so how like how physically did you learn seven youth phrases like dog water?

19:21Where did it come from? I don't know who updated my code. Whoa. You don't know where like we were very we spent too long trying to figure it out. We're like maybe she saw it on Instagram. No, that doesn't feel right because she's that's not her algorithm. Maybe she saw it like maybe somebody told her. No, she doesn't know any young people. I don't know. OK, next is the answer. I have no idea. Can you circle back? Yeah. OK. The next trend is AI is everywhere. So AI is no longer just scary tech bro vibes. It's no longer just Elon Musk over there doing his thing. AI is everywhere. It's AI journaling prompts, AI bedtime stories for kids, AI planners that talk to you nicely, AI telling you that you're doing great.

20:05It feels a little bit like outsourcing emotional support now rather than sort of the like outsourcing maybe the physical load or grocery list. We're now outsourcing emotional support. I agree. Okay. I want to hear you go first though. In or out? Oh, this is a hot take. This is a hot take. I think I'm in grandma era. I'm scared of it. I'm done with it. I don't like it. I don't like where it's going to go for our kids. It's making us dumb. There's all these studies now that are showing that our brains are declining like 40 % when we're using it too much. We're losing human connection because instead of like texting our friend and being like, what should I say back about this or what should I wear?

20:45Where instead we're just like chat GPT. Correct. And I feel bad. I know we should like keep up with the trends and like we're going to get left behind. But like I guess I'm in my Aunt Linda era of like I'm going to get left behind. OK, that's where I'm at. So we're super aligned. I'm out. I'm out. And it's actually made it really hard for me to even scroll Instagram or be online. I feel like it is just AI garbage everywhere. Yeah. right now is what that's called ai slop ai slop okay yeah done but even for like even for like trying to do daily life things your grocery list or i don't know we're getting dumber we're getting dumber and a lot of times it's not even like accurate you know i feel like it's mine's mine's really accurate i just disagree then with the advice i'm given so accurate that i'm like this is not healthy And the part that's really yucky, too, is where it gases you up.

21:37It's like, yes, Kristen, you're on fire, bitch. You're going to take over. Because obviously yours probably doesn't sound like that. But mine sounds like you're a queen and you are going to make so much money and be so pretty. And I love you. And of course, you should do that. Whatever you're saying. Of course, you should do that. And like some of my ideas are fucking dumb and I shouldn't do that. And I need a real friend to be like, Kristen, no, no, no. OK, we're not go buy seven kittens today. That's a bad idea. And AI is like, yas, girl, live your truth. OK, do buy the kittens, but don't listen.

22:09You're the wrong friend to text. Don't listen to chat. You're my real life AI. You're always correct. You're always truthful. And you're always going to gas me up and be like, if you want seven kittens, girl, go get it. But I'll still tell you when to stop. OK, but we're laughing. But I have read horror stories about how that goes very, very, very wrong. We're talking about the youth and the detailed suicide plan. or other horrible things. I can't. Okay, but that's what I was actually like, like seeing in my brain when I was like, I can't. It's gone too far. We can't do it. Agreed. And if we just accidentally made you nervous, go listen to my episode with Lars where we had a tech expert on, we dive deep into how to talk to your kids about this, how to protect them online.

22:55You will feel so at ease after listening to that episode. I don't feel that at ease, but I do feel more enlightened and empowered after listening to your episode. It was very, very, very helpful. But I'm just like more still scared for like the world. You know what I mean? That's just the innate nature of it. That's just the innate. But I feel good about, you know, what to do with in terms of our children, in terms of screen time. So that was a really good episode. Best we can do. Moving on. Best we can do. Moving on. I love the energy.

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24:18Okay, parenting trends is what we're moving on to. So the trend of 2026 is parents are pulling kids out of nonstop activities, saying no to enrichment opportunities or play dates or whatever when everybody's just kind of at their limit. They're skipping the color coded calendars where everything is just really full, really bustling. They're choosing fewer things and maybe they're just choosing like better things because they're prioritizing fewer, better things. What do you think? This is a fuck yes for me. This goes right into regulation. This goes with mental health. This is about staying present and not completely overfilling yourself and stretching yourself so thin that you're just about to snap.

25:07I'm a fuck yeah too I'm a fuck yeah too and there's nothing listen if you're listening and your kids love activities and you love activities there is nothing wrong with that also every kid is different every family is different Dina you are never in your house with your kids because you are just like go go go go go and that feels good to you so it's like take this with a grain of salt but doing it just to keep up just because you think you have to you think that your child has to be in baseball, ballet, soccer, art activity, every single Spanish, every enrichment opportunity that exists because everybody else is doing it.

25:39And God forbid they're not on a sports team. That's what's out. That's a fuck no. That's a fuck no. Like your kid is super obsessed with ballet or art or acting or whatever they're obsessed with. Of course, just foster that. But we're not just overscheduling just to overschedule because everybody else is. Exactly. So maybe the takeaway here is if you felt like you needed permission to tone it down so that you feel more peaceful. This is it. This is your sign. This is it. I'm toned down. I've always been a little bit toned down, maybe too toned down. Next trend. Ooh, matching is out and chaotic kid outfits are in.

26:16I know where you're, I know where you're going. I know where you're going. Let's do a little background though, before you jump in for years, there was a lot of pressure for all of the kids to match. They all need to coordinate. The kids need to look put together. They need to have, you know, the matching outfits, the bows, the hair up. And this is yes, for family photos, but also just like going to grandma's house, sometimes even just going to play date. Go ahead. 2026 energy, Dina. Nobody's matching anymore. Yeah, we're free. Welcome. Not even just matching. It's also mixing with that beige, the beige being over.

26:53Yeah. We're no longer doing sad beige kids. Remember when sad beige? I'm going to be honest. I'm going to be honest. When my first was born, I kind of like sad beige energy. I liked matching neutral outfits. And when she picked her first pair of like sparkly shoes, I died on the inside. I was like, this is not our aesthetics. Girl, we are wearing rain boots with a Superman cape with a tutu with like two matching Crocs that are two mismatched Crocs, I should say, that are on the wrong feet. This is childhood. This is joy. So I've always lived this way. Always have lived this way. From day one, when my kids could pick their own clothes, I have always let them pick whatever they want to wear, because honestly, I do not care.

27:39My rules are it just has to be clean. Yeah. And it has to be safe for the day. Whatever we're doing, it's just got to work for the day functionally. And then if you want to wear your checkered pants with some, I don't know, like a sparkle shirt, you go for it. You know what? If you want to wear a jammy top because it's really soft, I'm OK with that. You are OK with the jammy with the jammy tops. You do that. Yeah, I love that. They're so cozy. I feel like this trend is happening for two reasons. I feel like one, it's happening because parents want their kids to fully express themselves. And that starts from birth.

28:15Like kids are no longer seen as sort of just an accessory. I feel like our generation, we were kind of like an accessory, you know, like I grew up wearing the matching, really itchy dresses and we were, you know, the presentation of it. And now we sort of see kids even from birth as being their own expression of themselves. Like the little girl might not want to wear a dress and she might not want to wear a dress when she's 25. Why would I force a two year old to wear a dress? I shouldn't do that. And I used to, by the way. The other reason I think it's happening is that parents are tired, but they're also letting go in the best way where it's like, do I really want to get in a fucking hostage negotiation fight at 805 in the morning over wearing a sad beige shirt versus a Spider-Man shirt to grandma's house?

29:03Like, wear a fucking Spider-Man shirt. Exactly. And there is something actually really beautiful about watching your kids become their own person and have their personalities and start to really express themselves with what they choose to wear when you let it happen. I love that. For some people who maybe like wouldn't see it that way. That's OK, too, because I could also see, oh, it's like, listen, their self-expression is not a purple Paw Patrol shirt. And you cannot tell me otherwise. That is not self-expression. That is an assault. Or that is just like a two year old. You know what I mean?

29:36But like, it's fine. I will say however the one spot that I do make my kids match I make them is when we go to an airport because it is so much easier to keep track of everyone when they are wearing the same thing I don't make my kids do anything to an airport because I do not have the will to fight anything on that day okay that's valid and they actually like matching but if that changes I'll probably be in your book this is now going to be the rapid fire in or out okay I'm ready Well, in or out or fuck yeah. I mean, feel free to be enthusiastic or not in your response. Okay. I can't be flexible like that.