Parents are spending more than £50 a month per child on entertaining their little ones rather than take advantage of free activities like a walk in the park, a new study has found.
A survey by money-saving website VoucherCodesPro revealed how parents are racking up the amount spent on their tots with trips to the cinema, shopping sprees and splurging on pricy gadgets.
And it’s all because children have increasingly expensive taste in their leisure activities, with one in three asking to be taken to see a film and 14% wanting to go bowling.
‘While treats are nice to offer occasionally, a child can easily become bored and take them for granted’
With the cost of family entertainment mounting up to almost £650 a year per child, you might think parents would want to cut back a little – but two-thirds admit that they don’t specifically look for free or low-cost days out to entertain the troops.
Rather than packing a picnic and setting off for a countryside stroll, three-quarters of parents asked said their children aren’t interested in inexpensive activities.
George Charles, spokesperson for the website, said it is ‘a shame’ that rural roustabouts and long afternoons in the local park are becoming a thing of the past.
‘Taking a child to the cinema and sitting in total silence for two hours is not a way to spend quality time with them – and while eating out, takeaways and trips to the local bowling alley are nice treats to offer occasionally, a child can easily become bored and take things like this for granted,’ he added.
Are you worried about how you’ll afford children’s entertainment for the Easter holidays, have a look at our top 10 things to do with your baby list.
Got a plan to keep entertainment spents down this Easter? Share your tips in the comments below.