IF YOU dress your baby in designer clothes and push him or her around in a Bugaboo as you head for your latest dose of Botox, the chances are you are part of the multi-billion-pound drive to be the perfect "yummy mummy".
Research has found that new mothers in the UK are spending almost £7 billion a year in their efforts to keep up with celebrity mums such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham.
But with the average woman spending over £1,000 in a bid to reach "y
ummy mummy" status, finances are under strain. Childcare experts warn that parents could be spending money unnecessarily on items they would hardly use.
The latest research, conducted by the online bank Egg, asked over 1,000 women about their spending habits - before and after their baby arrived.
It found that women were spending an average of £939 - rising to £967 in Scotland - on pre-baby things. These included must-haves such as designer clothes, a Bugaboo buggy, and bespoke furniture.
But after the birth, women start to feel added pressure to lose weight and look good themselves, spending an average of £123 - £91 in Scotland - to feel better about their appearance.
Almost nine out of ten admitted buying new clothes and having their hair done shortly after the birth. Others visited a beautician (15 per cent) or hired a personal trainer (2.8 per cent), while less than 1 per cent had Botox to deal with troublesome wrinkles or cosmetic surgery.
The pre- and post-birth costs added up to an average of £1,062 - meaning a total spend of £6.7 billion for the UK's 630,874 new mothers every year.
Rachel Roe, from Egg, said there was nothing wrong with women wanting themselves and their babies to look good. "The concern comes when mothers get into debt because they are spending money they have not got on things they feel they are under pressure to buy or do."
Yesterday Lynne Frew, 30, of Currie, Edinburgh, who has a 16-month-old son Joe, said: "When Joe was born I didn't really treat myself. I got my hair done but that was about it. I would normally want to buy him more than I would for myself."
Mrs Frew explained that on an average weekend she could spend up to £50 on clothes for Joe. She said: "Today I've spent £25, including some winter clothing for Joe and a bowl that will stick to his high chair, so he can learn to eat on his own."
She added: "I think mothers are spending so much money because there is a wide variety available these days, and you're always going to want your kid to look nice when you go out."
Marc Page, manager of the babywear and nursery department at John Lewis in Edinburgh, said parents were spending more on their children, including making bookings with the store's personal shoppers: "Bugaboo prams are par-ticularly popular. This is, in part, because of the number of celebrities using them."
Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, said: "It is one of the times in your life when economic matters are put aside because everyone wants the best for their child. So we have parents rushing out and buying things which they will hardly use."
She agreed that women were also feeling the pressure to look good at a time in their lives where they were having to adapt to looking after a baby.
"People forget when they look at these celebrities that they have personal trainers and dressers and personal assistants."
The full article contains 611 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
