Is 'kidflation' putting pressure on your finances?

Updated

For many parents the school holiday comes with a hefty rise in the weekly shopping bill.

And according to new research, it could be worth weaning the kids off those sweet treats and quick-fix foods because the cost of children's favourites is on the rise.

cost of children's items soars
cost of children's items soars



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The survey, by shopping website mySupermarket, found that a basket filled with popular children's treats has risen by 17 per cent in the last year.

Buy a packet of Jammie Dodgers, for instance, and you'll be paying a massive 40 per cent more than you did last year, while popular yoghurt brands have risen by 22 per cent and burgers are up by 19 per cent.

It's not just in the supermarket that your wallet will take a hammering either.

A separate study by Santander revealed that the price of clothes, entertainment and other items linked to children is rising faster than products aimed at adults.

Over the past three years, 'kidflation' has seen products typically bought for or by children soar by 14.3 per cent, compared to 8.5 per cent for general goods and services.

Children's clothing has risen by 17.4 per cent, the cost of entertainment and recreational activities has increased by 13.6 per cent and the price of soft drinks is up 16.2 per cent.

Nici Audhlam-Gardiner, director of banking at Santander, said: "Inflation is generally considered to be something that only affects adults.

"But it's clear there has also been an impact on children. Children are seeing the costs of their everyday purchases rising at a very worrying rate, and parents are also being affected, with the costs of children's items apparently increasing more than the standard adult measure of inflation."

And with price hikes hitting parents everywhere, it's bad news for the nation's children - 10 per cent have seen their pocket money slashed and two per cent of parents have stopped the weekly handouts altogether.

What do you think - are manufacturers cashing in by hiking the price of children's items? Leave a comment below...

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