Mothercare to launch parenting website Gurgle

The free subscription website, which was created by digital marketing agency MediaBurn, has been launched by Mothercare to provide parents with tips and advice from child development and health practitioners on parenting issues.

Gurgle will carry more than 1,000 articles and 52 tutorial videos across a range of parenting stages, including pregnancy and birth to bringing up toddlers.

The site will also encourage visitors to contact other parents on the site about their experiences of having children, as well as featuring an online ovulation calendar and a baby name search engine.

Parents will also be able to contact other mums and dads in their local area or ones who are at a similar stage of their child's development.

Mothercare said Gurgle had been developed in response to feedback from parents who said there was a need to create an online community for parenting issues, while the retailer's own research found that 63% of pregnant women went online for advice within three weeks of giving birth, rising to 81% by the third trimester.

Ben Gordon, chief executive of Mothercare, said: "Mothercare already has a well-established web presence and Gurgle.com is a natural extension, leveraging the expertise and authority of our brand combined with innovative online marketing opportunities, to reach and help a broader spectrum of customers.

"As the site will link to Mothercare.com, it also offers us the opportunity to engage with our existing loyal customers via a new forum as well as reach parents who otherwise would not be exposed to Mothercare."