UK spends £1.8 billion decorating nurseries

Last Modified: 13 Jul 2007
Source: ITN

Parents are spending an average of more than £2,600 furnishing and decorating a nursery for a new baby, a survey has shown.

Goods purchased by expectant mums and dads include plasma televisions, designer furniture, rare film memorabilia and signed football shirts for their child's room, according to Halifax Home Insurance.

Other items bought for a nursery have included hand-carved antique chairs and original works of art.

The group said parents were collectively spending £1.8 billion, or £2,628 each - half the cost of a new Peugeot 107 car.

One in five children under three has a television in their room, while 5 per cent of parents have even considered installing CCTV so that they can keep an eye on their little one.

Two-thirds of people with children under three or who are expecting a baby admitted they had not set a budget before they started decorating their nursery, while one in ten of those who had set a limit overspent by more than £1,000.

Vicky Emmott, senior manager of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance, said: "The new baby boom is all about the amount parents are spending, to ensure their children start life in a luxury home nursery.

"Parents are spending almost half the price of a new car on their children's home nurseries. Many expectant parents are unaware how the costs of cribs, Moses baskets, baby monitors and toys soon mount up."

Parents in Wales and the West spend the most decorating their child's room at an average of £4,927, while those in Scotland spend the least at just £574.

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