How much do you spend on your child’s clothes?
A survey in the Guardian newspaper has revealed that the average cost of a child’s wardrobe is £1677, with 62% of children having at least one item of clothing from a top designer brand and 39% owning the first designer item before their second birthday.
The average British parent is spending on average £764 a year on the latest clothing for their children, with 6% spending up to £1500 The study showed that on average each child was found to have more than 154 items of clothing, as well as shoes valued at more than £190. This is in addition to the toys that on average were found to be worth £1676.
Some critics have suggested that parents are being influenced by the extravagant clothing that the children of celebrities who enjoy fashion such as Suri Cruise and Romeo Beckham are usually seen wearing in the newspapers. The research found that 26% of children where either a designer watch or an item of jewellery, with over 8% having at least one accessory which was valued over £200.
Two thirds of parents admitted to having bought items of clothing that their children had only one wants. In addition over half of the parents insisted on buying brand-new clothing, and a third said that their children would be unhappy with hand-me-downs.
So what are the reasons behind this seemingly irrational behaviour? Over 25% of the parents polled admitted that they feel guilty if they don’t buy that are the latest fashionable clothing. Nearly 40% noted that they felt felt it was their duty to keep their kids in the most up-to-date fashionable clothes which followed the latest trends. And a further 36% were worried that their children might be bullied at school if they were not seen to be wearing the right type of clothing and following fashion like the school friends.
With the huge cost of bringing up children including buying them clothes, whether they be the latest fashion or just a new pair of jeans from Marks & Spencer’s, the costs certainly are still spiralling. Many parents are now looking for a place to sell staff for cash, this can include things like old laptops old CDs, DVDs, in fact pretty much everything in your house is worth something to someone.
