The Baby Budget survey results
gurgle's baby budget survey results show that the cost of having a baby
has risen to £18,000 in the first year and £27,000 overall by the time
your child is three! Gulp! Read our survey results to see what costs
parents can expect!
REVEALED: THE RISING COST OF RAISING A CHILD IN 2009
The Gurgle.com Baby Budget finds:
·
The average child costs more than £18,000 before their first birthday and over £27,500 by age three
·
Family and friends increasingly relied on to provide top-up cash for baby essentials
·
Recession set to impact on family size and lead half of parents to implement cost saving measures from accepting
hand-me-downs to homemade clothes and food
A
new study of more than 3,000 new mothers in the UK reveals that babies
are costing more than ever before with parents spending a staggering
£27,615 by the time they reach their third birthday, accounting for a
whopping £19.3 billion annual GDP!
The Baby Budget 2009 was commissioned by
Gurgle.com, the leading
social networking site for mums and mums-to-be to provide a
comprehensive overview of the typical cost of having and raising a
child up until the age of three in 2009. The research looked at all
possible outgoings including baby and maternity wear, toys and
entertainment, childcare, furniture, and food.
Pre-Pregnancy
Parents-to-be
spend an average of £311 on trying to conceive, with the most popular
items including pregnancy tester kits (56%), a weekend away (17%) and
treatments such as acupuncture (13%). Parents spent an additional
£5.06 per week on healthy food, vitamins and supplements while they
were trying to get pregnant, while 28% paid for fertility treatment
including IVF.
During Pregnancy
According
to the Gurgle.com Baby Budget the costs continue to mount during
pregnancy, with parents spending in excess of £4,000, including £91.45
on clothes and £71.79 on toys for the baby they have yet to meet.
Swimming is the most popular exercise for pregnant mums (62%), followed
by special antenatal classes (60%), yoga (47%) and pilates (44%), with
46% also paying for gym membership. Mums-to-be spend an average of
£91.11 on maternity wear, including underwear.
Before
their baby is born or in the first year, parents spend £3,383 on
decorating and furnishing the nursery and a further £605 on prams,
buggies and car seats.
The First Year
Parents
spend an average of £13,696 in baby’s first year of which they spend
£2,128.24 on childcare, including babysitting (3.3 times per month on
average). In year one, Mums estimate that they drop their income by an
average of £6,667.65 in order to stay at home to care for their new
baby.
The
vast majority of parents (94%) bought their child a Christmas and/ or
birthday present in the first year, spending an average of £68.83,
despite admitting that their baby was far too young to understand or
remember.
The Toddler Years
As
their babies grow, so the costs continue to mount up with parents
spending an average of £4,305 and £4,998 in the second and third years
respectively. Top expenditure items include childcare (£2555.71),
feeding (£596.92) and clothes (£547.18).
Parents
spend an average of £2,600 on classes and education during their
child’s first three years of life, with over half of those aged under
one attending a variety of courses such as baby massage (56%), swimming
lessons (55%) and music classes (51%). In the first three years of
their child’s life parents will spend £1,496 on feeding their child,
£1,142 on clothes and £1,289 on books and toys.
Many
parents admit to buying duplicate items such as dummies (52%), baby
clothes (48%) and bottles (36%) when they have been caught short while
out and about. Two fifths of parents (41%) revealed that they have
bought two or more buggies for their child with a smaller percentage
(30%) admitting that they discarded a perfectly useable buggy because
they wanted one in a different colour or style.
Credit Crunch
Two
fifths of parents (40%) reveal that the current economic climate has
had a direct impact on their decision to have more children with a
further fifth (20%) saying they are unsure about whether they will have
more children. Half of the parents surveyed (50%) said that because of
the recession they are actively trying to cut costs where they can by
implementing a host of cost saving measures.
Families
across the country revealed that they are; accepting hand-me-downs from
friends and family (48%), making homemade baby food instead of buying
packaged food (40%), buying second hand clothes, toys and furniture
items (39%), using re-usable nappies (25%), making their baby’s clothes
themselves (20%) and starting their child at nursery later than they
had originally planned (15%). A smaller number of respondents are even
trying to potty train their children earlier in order to save money on
nappies.
Top tips for saving money can be found in our baby budget features area.
Savings
Savvy
parents are also saving hard for their children's futures, putting
aside an average of £41.38 per month for their children to put towards
education or their first home when they are older. A generous 9% are
squirreling away at least £100 per month.
The
research shows that parents stump up for the majority of their baby
outgoings, however other family members and friends also contribute to
make up the deficit. Most popular items bought by others include
clothes (57%), buggy or pram (32%) and cot (26%). A third (31%) had
received a cash injection from friends or family to help them with
those all-important baby purchases.
Regional Spending
Parents
in the North West are spending the most, splurging £27,393 in baby’s
first year alone, compared with canny parents in the North East who
spend just £12,873. Parents in the North West report that the
recession has impacted upon their style of parenting with 64% actively
trying to reduce their costs and 57% revealing that the credit crunch
has affected their decision to have more children. However, parents in
Scotland are the most likely to be taking active steps to save money
with 51% making homemade food for their baby, 45% buying second hand
and 28% making their own baby clothes.
Pregnant
women in Northern Ireland spend the most on maternity wear (£127.54),
compared with women in the North East who spend just £74.75. Generous
parents in Wales spent £80.92 on birthday and Christmas presents in
their baby’s first year, compared with parents in London who spend just
£61.96.
Parents in the North West spend the most on childcare in the first year, an average of £3,681.11
in the first year followed by
£4,183.95 in the next two years, followed by parents in London who spend who spend £2,356.41
in the first year and
£2,577.83 thereafter. Mothers in the South West estimate that they reduce their income by £8,887.79
in the first year followed by London Mums who drop £7,474.65.
Nifa McLaughlin,
Gurgle.com site editor,
says: “The results of the Gurgle.com Baby Budget lift the lid on just
how expensive it is to be a new parent in the UK. But, while having a
baby is not cheap, 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 and social events with your child.”
For more information please contact:
Kat Taylor, Taylor Herring Public Relations or Lily Fallala, Force 10
kat.taylor@taylorherring.com
or lily.fallala@taylorherring.com
/ 020 8206 5151
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Last Modified: 06/04/2009