A birthday is a major milestone for any child, and a time of great excitement, but we can understand why parents may not feel the same way.
According to new MummyPages research, based on feedback from readers in the parenting community, parents in the Republic of Ireland can expect to pay an average sum of €5,460 over a 10-year period, from pre-school to sixth class, on children's birthday parties.
While birthday parties usually call for celebration, it seems that not everyone is so delighted to see that pretty party invitation coming home in the school bag, with eight-in-10 mums admitting to dreading the expense of the primary school birthday marathon.
And it’s not hard to see why parents feel stressed out or pressured over birthday parties; with a child invited to at least 12 parties per year, the average spend of €180 a year on gifts alone is enough to send chills down your spine.
No doubt many of you presume that you can save a bit more money by hosting a party at home, but our research has proven otherwise. Indeed, while the average cost of hosting at home tots up to €387, holding the event at a commercial venue is quite a bit cheaper, at €344.
All talk of money aside, it seems that time is another valuable resource invested into children’s birthday parties, with the average amount of time spent on party-planning coming in at six weeks.
Would you agree with our research? Are children’s parties a source of stress for you?
