Brits spend £1.4billion putting on the perfect party for kids

British families spend almost £450 a year, on average, celebrating children’s birthdays, according to research from American Express.

As the BBC’s The Madness of Modern Families shows how parents compete to throw the best birthday parties for their children, research from American Express shows that families across the UK collectively spend £1.4billion on their children's first birthday parties.

The research shows that:

Parents spend £87, on average, throwing their child’s first birthday party and a further £84 on birthday presents;
A quarter of parents spend more than £100 on the party, with one in 10 of these spending more than £150, on the party;
While on presents the spend grows to more than £125 for one in six parents.

Beyond birthdays

The cost of birthday parties doesn’t stop there for families. The research also looked at how much other children’s birthdays cost parents through the year. With the average family receiving seven invites per child and spending an average of £7 per gift, going to birthday parties costs £49 a year. This means that for the average family with two children, the cost of celebrating kids’ birthdays totals almost £450[1] every year.

Kate Harris, Vice President of UK Partnerships from American Express, said: “Throwing parties can be a joy for parents and their children alike, however many families find that the cost of entertainment, venues, catering and presents soon adds up.”

“For everyday shopping, and to get something back from that birthday party spend, the Nectar Credit Card allows parents to ‘double dip’ at Nectar retailers, by paying with the Nectar Credit Card and presenting their Nectar Loyalty Card to earn 4 points for every £1 spent. These points can be redeemed to reduce party spending; against treats including days out at theme parks and cinema tickets; or for money off the all-important birthday cake”, adds Harris

Clowns and cakes

In their bid to get the party right for their child, 70% of parents of children aged between 3 and 12 say that the entertainment – be it clowns or face-painters – means the difference between squeals of delight and tears before bedtime. Delivering gourmet jelly and ice cream (55%), and going to amusement parks and cinemas (53%) are the other ‘hot tips’ from parents wanting to make the party a success. The poll spells bad news for all those the young would-be princesses and pirates, just 2% of parents agreed that getting their child’s party outfit right would add to the success of the celebration.

Peter Robertson, Director of Twizzle Parties, voted the UK’snumber one children’s party planner by Harpers & Queen, said: “Children’s parties are getting bigger and better as parents increasingly look to inject some imagination into their child’s birthday. We help busy parents to create a party that their child will never forget. We’ve brought mini farms to young animal lovers, set up fairy schools and magic lessons, provided tanks and batmobiles, and even given budding popstars the chance to cut their own record in a studio. We find that cost is not really an issue for parents, as long as they get good value for money.”

Not just about the kids

Two thirds of parents said they threw great parties because they felt their children deserved them, while a quarter said they hadn’t been given good parties as children so they wanted to ring the changes and give their children birthdays to remember. However, one in 10 admitted they threw parties just to impress friends, family and other children’s parents.

Rides and bouncy castles

The research found that amusement parks were the number one choice for parents (32%), closely followed by any venue with a bouncy castle (28%). Coming in third were swimming pool parties (9%).