14 DAY TRIAL // Parents, and especially new parents, are constantly trying to do everything in their power so that the little one does not lack anything. From clothes in various models to toys that are this close to coming to life before their eyes, anything goes, and parents hardly think twice before taking out the wallet to pay for all this stuff. In fact, as a new poll reveals, moms and dads spend an estimated £27,500 on baby stuff before the child is even 3 years old.
Conducted by the social networking site for parents Gurgle on over 3,000 moms and dads, the poll reveals that money is rarely an issue when it comes to buying baby stuff. Moreover, two thirds of the estimated £27,500 that most parents spend in the first three years of the child’s life go out in the first year. £4,000 is spent even before the baby is born, with expectant mothers shelling out this amount on baby clothes and furniture, and, of course, toys.
However, the expenditure starts even before that, meaning, even before the baby is conceived, which is a period that was taken into account as well. Seventeen percent of future moms spend considerably large amounts of money on weekends away – with the very purpose of getting pregnant –, while a smaller 13 percent go for acupuncture and other such treatments that are supposed to help them conceive.
Once the baby is born, all these expenses are amplified, as the poll reveals. For instance, an overwhelming 94 percent of all queried parents admit to buying a Christmas and a birthday present for the first year of the baby’s life, despite the fact that he or she will not remember anything about it. Moreover, the poll has shown that parents will take out of their wallets an estimated £68.83 on these two presents alone.
When the line is drawn and all these numbers are added up, the final figure of £27,500 is entirely justified. However, parents have started to feel that such costs are no longer affordable as the recession rages on, which makes them reconsider the option of expanding their family. Things don’t necessarily have to be that way, as Nifa McLaughlin of Gurgle also points out.
“There are lots of ways to keep the costs down, from accepting hand-me-downs to making your own baby clothes to knowing where to go for free activities.” McLaughlin says of how parents could effectively reduce costs during the first years of the baby’s life.