Dads Concerned Over Cost of Starting a Family

As cost of living continues to worry families across the UK, Graco reveals that new dads could be experiencing the most acute feelings of concern, with research revealing 74% of new dads admit that financial pressure was their biggest consideration when they became a parent. 

According to exclusive research with online community Dadsnet, 45% of dads spend over £1,000 preparing for their new baby, and the majority of dads only feel 3.5 out of 10 prepared for the arrival.

The research comes as Graco launches ‘The Graco Village’, a website that brings together leading experts in postnatal emotional and physical care, parenting media, communities, and influencers, so new parents can get advice, feel seen and not alone during the first 12 weeks post-partum - also known as ‘The 4th Trimester’.

Through research with 2,000 parents, Graco discovered that almost 9 in 10 parents feel like the first 12 weeks after having a baby are an emotional rollercoaster and Dads suffer a loss of self, heightened concerns over family finances, and an increased desire for an improved work/life balance.

Graco discovered that 87% of dads and 89% of mums feel that the first 12 weeks were an emotional rollercoaster. 34% of mums were aware it might be tough, but they didn’t expect it to happen to them. 47% of mums suffered from the ‘day three baby blues’ while 56% of dads don’t know even what that is. While you might expect 55% of mums to feel like they lost their identity, so did 54% of dads. Whereas 59% of mums started to feel more like themselves again after 12 weeks, for 57% of dads it took longer than a year. It’s heartening to hear that 57% of mums got the most reassurance from their partner, alongside 39% of dads.

The Graco Village aims to equip new parents with advice and support. It includes help on handling emotional stability from The Naked Midwives and the charity PANDAS alongside physical repair advice from experts Lansinoh and maternal fitness expert Nicole Chapman.

With this campaign, the team at Graco intends to raise awareness of the pressure caregivers face during the first trimester after childbirth. The brand wants to prepare more couples for the journey ahead by helping them take pressure off themselves and creating realistic expectations of the challenges of life with a newborn. All expectant parents should know that it’s natural to struggle at the beginning and by questioning yourself and your ability to parent, you can negatively affect your emotional wellbeing and physical recovery. 

Sharon Morrison from Graco explained, “In today’s society parents put a lot of pressure on themselves to present a perfect impression of their lives and to look like they’ve got it all together! Childbirth is a challenging yet exciting period of intense emotions such as doubt, love, worry and fear. Very few new parents are immune to this. Believe me, I know, as I went through this myself when my daughter was born. We want to shed a spotlight on this journey for both parents, provide a destination for them to connect to specialists, and most importantly raise awareness that it’s ok not to feel ok and that there is support out there when you need it.”

To Graco Village can be found at: https://gracobaby.eu/uk/graco-village-parenting-support

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Editors notes

Graco is one of the leading baby product providers in the world with a 60 year rich heritage.

NOTES:

Research undertaken in June 2022 via Mother & Baby and Dadsnet.