A recent survey by Sheila’s Wheels discovered that the average cost of a child’s wardrobe in the UK at present is £1,677. In addition, 62 per cent of children owned at least one garment that was a designer brand, while a third had their first piece of designer childrenswear before the age of two.
There was a time when the most expensive period in a parent’s life would be the run up to Christmas, when they would rush off to Hamleys with their offspring’s Christmas present lists in hand and a credit card ready to buckle under the strain.
Now, it seems that expenditure on clothing for children looks likely to outstrip what parents spend on presents, even including Hamleys toys.
The research found that parents were spending on average around £764 per year, spread over approximately 64 individual items of clothing, for each of their children. For six per cent of those interviewed, that figure rose to around £1,500 a year per child. An average child in the UK now owns 154 items of clothing. Their shoes alone are valued at around £190.
It is not just clothes where children’s expenditure can seem excessive. The survey also found that children often wear accessories that are expensive, with 26 per cent regularly wearing a designer watch or item of jewellery, while eight per cent regularly wear an accessory with a value of up to £200.
At first glance, these figures can seem unduly expensive. When it comes to children clothes are cheaper than the comparable clothes in adult sizes, while clothes for children do not qualify for VAT.
On closer examination, however, the figures do not tend to show the seemingly unrealistic and frivolous attitude parents have towards spending on their children, as has been portrayed in the media.
A spend on a child of £764 per year sounds a lot of money; however, this breaks down to £63.67 per month. Again, this may seem excessive, but when you factor into that the fact that many children receive clothes as gifts from parents on birthdays and Christmas (and increasingly at Easter, too) and the fact they will experience growth spurts and thus grow out of clothes and shoes does contribute significantly to this figure.
These are not frivolous spending sprees, but simply addressing the needs of the child.
It is also worth considering the fact that children will require specialist clothing, such as sports kit, school uniform, uniform for cubs, brownies and the like, on top of their normal clothing needs, so suddenly £764 a year does not seem such bad value after all.
For parents who are pressed for time, online shopping at vendors like MyCinnamonGirl can not only be nicer to your wallet, but to your schedule. Online summer sales are just a click away on www.mycinnamongirl.co.uk, amongst other high street retailers.
Certainly, parents who spend nearly double this on expensive items of designer clothing may need to curb their spending, especially in tougher economic times for us all; but given the increasing cost of living, parents should be thankful, rather than horrified, at the average amount they spend each year on their children’s attire.