Parents of under fives spend a pound more on average on toys this year, says Childwise.
Parents of under fives are spending a pound more on average on toys this year – up to £18 compared with £17 last year, according to new figures from Childwise.
Figures from the Childwise Monitor Preschool Report 2018 also show spending on toys is more likely to be higher on boys than girls, with an average spend of £19 on boys and £17 on girls.
Parents were asked how much they spend on their preschoolers across nine different categories per month: clothes, days out, organised activities, toys, footwear, books, magazines, DVDs/Blu-Rays and apps and games.
As last year the highest spend is on clothes, and on average parents spend more than £100 month across the nine categories. Toys were the category with the third highest average spend.
There is no difference in average spend between boys and girls aged under two, but a gender gap forms by the age of three to four.
More than one in 10 parents spend in excess of £40 in a one-month period, while one in five continue to spend less than £10.
“The preschool market is unique, with spending mainly in the hands of parents, but with a growing sense of children’s own preferences and interests,” said Jenny Ehren, Childwise research manager. “The majority of parents spend money on toys for their preschooler each month, largely unchanged since last year. But among those spending, amounts have increased for the third consecutive year.
“There is also a higher average monthly spend of £18 on toys for the under twos, decreasing to £17 a month for older preschoolers.”
