- 98 percent of Welsh children pester their parents for treats when they are out and about.
- 75 percent of Welsh parents admit they spoil their children
- 72 percent admit that their children consider them a “soft touch”
“Pester power” costs Welsh parents an average of £3,536 a year, according to a new study by Quidco.
New research has revealed the extent to which modern parents feel pressure from their children – with more than a third (31 percent) admitting they succumb “most of the time” to requests from their children to spend money.
A further three quarters (75 percent) of parents admit they are guilty of spoiling their children – the average parent shelling out £68 per week on spontaneous purchases.
And the study showed that almost all Welsh children (98 percent) pester their parents for treats when they are out and about.
Of the parents polled – 19 percent admitted to spoiling their children because their own parents were unable to spoil them – while a further 14 percent said bribing helps keep the children’s behaviour in public in check.
And 33 percent of parents say their youngsters have embarrassed them by throwing a tantrum in public because they haven’t got their own way.
However keeping up with their offspring’s peers was also a factor in why modern parents over indulge – 22 percent said they wanted their children to “maintain the same lifestyle as their friends”.
Vix Leyton for cashback and rewards site Quidco said: “Pester power’ is by no means a new concept, but with the advent of iPads, in-app purchases, and instant downloads of music and games, the cost of it has certainly escalated for Welsh parents.
“It’s hard to say no to children for a variety of reasons, but with the prevailing one most likely being you don’t want to disappoint them. But with that in mind, if you are looking to fork out for more than a packet of Starburst at the checkout, it’s worth asking them to meet you halfway and wait for you to shop around and get the best price. That way, if they haven’t forgotten about it by the time you get home, getting the best deal possible will at least take the sting out of the unexpected spend.
Online shopping opens up a world of choice, with immediate access to the best cashback, sales and loyalty deals, and anticipating the item’s arrival can even be part of the fun.”
The study showed that 72 percent of parents admit their children consider them a “soft touch” with 42 percent of the mums and dads polled saying that disagreements over spending money on the children regularly caused arguments between them.
And a further 44 percent of parents said they secretly spend money on the children and don’t tell their partner.
The majority of children only need to ask three times for what they want before parents cave in.
Sweets emerged as the most likely treat for parents to give in and buy – with 56 percent of parents claiming it is the top item they buy for their children.
Snacks (36 percent), magazines (31 percent) and toys (31 percent) also came high up in the list of “impromptu” treats requested regularly by Welsh children.
Video games (25 percent), souvenirs (14 percent) and apps for the iPad or iPhone (6 percent) are also frequently bought by the nation’s parents.
