Grandparents are spending more this year on Christmas gifts for their grandchildren with an average spend of £560 per family.
Kind-hearted grandparents are splashing out on average £140.36 on each grandchild, up by £14 compared to last year. With an average of four grandkids to buy for, this adds up to a total average spend of £561.44.
Research from SunLife found grandparents in London spend the most on the Christmas gifts, spending £202.11 per grandchild, which is almost double what people in East Anglia spend, at £101.10 per grandchild.
Nanas and grandads struggling to find the right gift may want to end their search as half of children aged between 8 and 16 would prefer to have cash than be given a gift. Six in 10 teenagers said they would rather have money.
The research found the most popular gifts for under threes is an indoor trampoline, while kids aged three to eight would like a story book.
The most popular gift for kids aged eight to 12 is LEGO Minifigures while teens aged 13 to 16 would most like to find some airpods waiting for them under the Christmas tree.
This is how much grandparents in each region are spending on average per grandchild:
- London – £202.11
- North East – £190.61
- Scotland – £162.57
- Wales – £150.48
- East Midlands – £148.98
- West Midlands – £145.55
- Yorkshire & Humberside – £139.03
- North West – £136.34
- South West – £109.93
- South East – £105.91
- East Anglia – £101.10
- Northern Ireland – £79.52.
The cost of Christmas gifts for the grandkids has continually increased in recent years, with grandparents spending on average £112.66 per grandchild in 2021 and £103.86 in 2020.
SunLife has a Christmas Gift Finder tool to help grandparents find the ideal gift for their grandchild this year.
A mum recently told Express.co.uk how she has reduced her Christmas shopping costs by £300 thanks to shopping app Basket.
Mum-of-two Helen, from Buckinghamshire, said: “Getting started on bigger things as soon as possible, like bunk beds, which you don’t need immediately and can wait until you get a notification on price drops – or you can get them in the post Christmas sales. Don’t forget to get your Christmas decorations for next year in the January sales.”
She has also made some savings this year by making her own gifts, such as snow globes, rather than spending £20 to £60 on buying them from a shop.
To help out her loved ones in choosing presents, Helen tells friends and family what she wants so they don’t waste their money or end up panic buying something just before the big day.
She said: “When family members like my sister-in-law ask me what the kids would like for Christmas, I usually have a think about what they have in common, like Lego, so they don’t have to buy two separate gifts for the kids.
“Video games or board games are another options for kids with a bit more of an age difference.”
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