the Wedding Planner

Irish Wedding News

14/11/2013

Parents Spend £135m On Baby's 1st Xmas

New research released by the Post Office has found that parents will spend an average of £166 on their baby as they celebrate their first Christmas.

In the UK as a whole, this equates to a total of £135m.

The study, which was carried out among 1,000 parents of children aged three and under, found that on average, parents of newborns spend around £166 on gifts to mark their child's first Christmas.

Younger parents were found to be the most generous spenders, with 18 to 24-year-olds admitting they'll spend around £245 on gifts alone. In addition to this, friends and family, when buying presents for other people's children, will spend around £50 on a baby's first Christmas.

However, more than half of those polled said the large amounts of money spent are not worthwhile.

- - - - - - Advertisement - - - - - -
Fairy Tales The Wedding & Events Specialists

Some 52% felt that buying on presents isn't the best use of the cash, with 32% preferring to receive a contribution to a savings account instead.

A further 17% of parents said they have no problem in returning received gifts and buying an alternative. Among those responses, parents confessed to having returned Christmas gifts intended for their baby and bought iPads, clothes, jewellery and even contributed to a 'holiday to Egypt' for themselves instead.

When it comes to gifts, the humble teddy bear still takes the crown as the UK's favourite present for a baby at Christmas, with educational games taking second place in the national countdown by the Post Office. Baby clothes and shoes, a photo album of 'Baby's first Christmas' and jewellery, such as a locket or bracelet, also made the top ten list of baby presents.

Sarah Willingham, personal finance expert and consumer champion, said: "The research shows that the nation is divided when it comes to how best to celebrate a baby's first Christmas. I know from experience as a mother of four that it's a balancing act between feeling you are celebrating the occasion appropriately, whilst not wanting to knowingly waste money on an event the child will not remember.

"I think it's a really positive trend that we're seeing here of parents being practical when it comes to their child's first Christmas."

(JP/IT)

Top stories


20/03/2020
LeToya Luckett-Walker Is Pregnant

Charlotte Crosby Finds New Romance

Lydia Bright Gets Candid About Giving Birth

Lana Del Ray Splits From Boyfriend

Angelica Ross Learns Of Boyfriend's Secret Life

Ashley Graham's Breastfeeding Struggle

Susanna Reid's Mother's Day Plans

Lin-Manuel Miranda Homeschooling Kids

Kristen Bell Speaks Of Pride For Daughters

Prince George & Princess Charlotte Now Homeschooled
more infomore info
0.015625 3.147.66.224 Ban:1, But:3 22/12/2024

"New research released by the Post Office has found that parents will spend an average of £166 on their baby as they celebrate their first Christmas."