We all know that having a baby isn’t cheap right!
But did you know that parents spent over £70m on baby gadgets last year! (from ONS Data 26 Feb 13 and based on the 807,776 new births that took place last year). That, on average, £700 is spent on them in the first 2 months after the birth. That 27% of new parents utilise to 3 extra gadgets each week (like baby monitors and sterilisers). The NCT can help save money by lending out equipment, meaning that people do not have to buy them. Or why not visit a nearly new sale. My advice, for the breastfeeders, is do not buy sterilising equipment and bottles, and shields etc before the baby is born “just in case” because A. chances are you will not need them and B. most places have an accessible 24 hr shop to get them if the need arises.
Beverley Maguire, energy efficiency expert at E.ON says that new parents often do not consider how a new baby affects their energy consumption. In the first 2 months of their baby’s life more than half (64%) increase their energy consumption and a considerable amount in just under a fifth (18%) of parents. That only a third of new parents aren’t finding this energy increase with a new baby.
28% do more loads of washing. That 26% do up to 3 loads a day – adding £30* to their bill in just the first 60 days of their baby’s life. Try to avoid unnecessarily changing your baby, utilise muslin squares to keep clothes clean at feeding times.
40% of parents tumble dry more in the first 2 months – these are really energy eating appliances, and by cutting down one load a week could take off around £30 (Based on electricity prices of 15.15p/kWh. Correct as of November 2012. Tumble dryer – uses 3.83kWh per cycle). A washing line or clothes horse are obvious money saving ways to dry them, but if you need to use the dryer then a quick extra spin in the washing machine will mean they will dry much quicker
On average new parents watch 3 ½ hours more TV and 3 hours more of radio a day. This is due to spending more time at home. With mums, as opposed to dads, being more likely to increase their consumption in the first couple of months, with 8% watching up to 6 hours extra a day. Why not try to go out for a walk. The fresh air will help baby sleep, the exercise will help you get back into shape and you may even run into someone for a chat.
Other tips from E.on are:
If your baby wakes you a lot at night, try using energy efficient LED night lights around the house to avoid having to use the main light – and also meaning that the baby is more likely to go back to sleep.
To cut back on the amount of water you use then why not use a small tub or baby bath divider to wash your baby.
Try to avoid putting too much hot water in the bath that you end up having to cool down.
Use a draught excluder to help maintain the right temperature in baby’s room.
To view more ways to save energy usage, download E.ON’s Ways to Save booklet.
E.ON also offers innovative energy services and technologies tailored to meet its customers’ needs, and is helping customers become energy efficient by encouraging them to insulate their homes, moderate their energy usage and even generate their own power.
Research carried out amongst UK parents of children up to 18 years by www.visioncritical.com in March 2013.
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This is NOT a sponsored post.
Thank you kindly to E.on for providing this information.