Most mothers intend to buy digital devices for children’s Christmas gift, survey finds
One-fifth of mothers of children aged 4-7 intend to buy them a digital device for Christmas, according to a recent survey.
The MummyPages.ie study, which examined responses from 972 mothers in Ireland, also found that the 'Digital & Gaming Device' category of present ranked first place in three age groups: 8-12yrs, 13-16yrs, and 17yrs+, and third place for children under 4-7.
Traditional toys including books, board games and crafts ranked low on the scoreboard in all age brackets.
Some 41% estimate their children will spend two hours or less in front of a screen, 44% will spend between two to four hours in front of a screen and 15% will spend four to eight hours in front of a screen.
A third of mums surveyed admit to feeling guilty about how much time their child spends looking at a screen.
Almost one in four mothers (24%) say they struggle to maintain a balance with the amount of time children spend in front a screen time compared to time spent outdoors.
When it comes to spending, 64% of mothers set a budget for their Christmas gifts, helping parents to keep track of the average spend of €254 per child at Christmas time.
The survey also found that more than a quarter (28%) lie to their partner about how much money they've spent on their children's gifts.
A similar proportion (27%) admit arguing with their partner about how much money to spend presents for their children.
Some 21% say they spend €100 or less per child, 39% spend between €101-200, 24% spend €201-300 and 16% of parents spend €300-600 per child.
The research revealed that 84% of respondents still prefer to buy their Christmas gifts in-store rather than online, in contrast to UK counterparts where 72% of mums prefer to shop online.
When buying Christmas presents, 93% of mums buy one main present and a number of smaller presents, 2% buy one main present and 5% of mums buy a number of smaller presents.
"Savvy parents can reduce this amount of money by taking advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday special offers which have already started in many retail outlets, in addition to buying some gifts second-hand," said Laura Haugh from MummyPages.ie.
"Of course, managing your child's gift expectations is the key to not putting yourself under immense financial pressure.
"Children remember experiences more than the toys they receive at Christmas, so plan some fun days out with the family over the festive period and spent time together enjoying one another.
"When it comes to buying gifts for young children less is more, one main present and a couple of smaller presents is plenty. Christmas morning can be an overwhelming time for children with all of the presents they receive from Santa, parents and relatives.
"Sometimes putting some away and reintroducing them slowly over the Christmas holidays can be a good idea for children who get so much that they don't know what to play with!"
"Our Christmas Shopping Habits research highlights one particularly concerning fact that only 10% of mums check to make sure gifts are age appropriate for their children.
"Also, for parents with older children, video games today are very graphic and may contain content unsuitable for children under 18yrs of age."
"Our research highlights the rise in popularity of ‘Digital & Gaming Devices’ and how much time children and teenagers are spending in front of screens.
"Ireland is currently experiencing an obesity epidemic, and according to recent research, we are on track to become the fattest nation in Europe. I
"t is therefore especially important for mums to manage their children’s screen time by establishing some ground rules in the home and by ensuring children are involved in physical activities."
