And baby makes it a £27,500 bill

He may be asleep, but he's still costing you a fortune

Shropshire parents spend a staggering average of £27,500 on their children during the first three years of their life, research has revealed.

Most of the cash – almost £14,000 – is spent on the youngsters before they turn one, a study of more than 3,000 new parents claims. The Baby Budget 2009, conducted by parenting website Gurgle.com, took into account outgoings including baby and maternity wear, toys and entertainment, childcare, furniture, and food.

It found that parents-to-be spend an average of £311 trying to conceive.

Much of the money is spent on pregnancy tester kits, health supplements and fertility treatment.

The costs keep rising during pregnancy with mums and dads spending on average more than £100 on clot- hes and toys for the unborn baby. The average bill for decorating and furnishing a nursery comes to £3,383.

Parents spend an average of £13,696 in their baby’s first year with more than £2,000 of that going towards childcare.

In the first three years of their child’s life, parents spend £1,496 on feeding them, £1,142 on clothes and £1,289 on books and toys.

Gurgle.com editor Nifa McLaughlin said: “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.”

The survey found that the recession is having an effect on parents’ spending habits, with 50 per cent saying they are trying to cut costs.

Popular tactics include accepting hand-me-downs, done by almost half of families, and buying second hand toys. A fifth of parents said they made their own baby clothes.

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.

Toys will also cost you more than £1,000 in the first 36 months

Almost half of the women surveyed said they paid for gym membership. Swimming is the most popular exercise for pregnant mums, followed by antenatal classes, yoga and pilates.

In the first three years parents will spend £1,496 on feeding their child, £1,142 on clothes and £1,289 on books and toys.

Two-fifths of parents revealed that they have bought two or more buggies for their child while a third admit that they discarded a perfectly usable buggy because they wanted one in a different colour or style.

By Carl Jones

COST OF BRINGING UP BABY

• £13,696: average spend during the baby’s first year.

• £4,000: buying clothes and toys before baby is born.

• £3,383: decorating and furnishing the nursery.

• £2,600: education during the child’s first three years of life.

• £2,000: childcare bills in the first 12 months.

• £1,496: food bill in the first three years.

• £1,142: clothes bill in the first three years.

• £1,289: books and toys up to the age of 36 months.

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