British toddlers go on the rampage
Britain's toddlers are wreaking havoc on their parents' property, leaving millions of pounds' worth of damage in their wake.
Research by Direct Line Home Response 24 finds that more than a quarter of parents with children aged four or under (28 per cent) have had their homes damaged by their young children – with the cost of repairs totalling £172 million. (1)
As a result of their toddlers' fascination with turning on taps, a quarter of parents whose homes were damaged have had their houses flooded. Mischievous fingers have led more than a quarter of these parents (26 per cent) to suffer blocked pipes, and almost half (47 per cent) faulty electrics. Worryingly, more than one in ten (12 per cent) said that their toddlers have even broken windows.
Toddlers expressing their creative side can be just as destructive. Ninety-one per cent of parents with toddlers whose homes have been damaged said their young children indulged their growing artistic streak by drawing on walls, with 95 per cent saying that their offspring instead chose the furniture as their canvas. Little wonder that 68 per cent of these parents have been left with damaged furniture and 56 per cent with damaged walls.
The country's long-suffering parents are going to great lengths to minimise their offspring's destructive tendencies. Half of parents with small children whose homes have been damaged have rearranged furniture, moving items out of their toddlers' reach, while 21 per cent have established designated toddler rampage rooms. Almost a third (30 per cent) of these parents have actually banished their little ones from certain areas of the family home.
Kate Syred, Business Manager at Direct Line Home Response 24 said:
"Toddlers are at the stage in their development where curiosity and enthusiasm for the world around them outstrips both hand-eye co-ordination and any understanding of the consequences of their actions. While it is impossible to put measures in place that prevent every eventuality, we would advise all parents to make sure they are insured for tradesmen to rectify the situation and carry out any emergency repairs."
-ends-
Carmel McCarthy
Direct Line Press Office
Tel: 0845 8782178
Email: Carmel.McCarthy@Directline.com
Notes to editors:
This research was conducted online between 11th and 13th January 2005. YouGov interviewed a sample of 2,136 adults (aged 18 or older). Results were weighted to be representative of the UK population.
1. Current population estimates suggest that there are 40,107,400 Britons aged 18 or older (Office of National Statistics). Sixty per cent of YouGov's respondents were parents:
0.6 x 40,107,400 = 24,064,440 parents in the UK aged 18 or over
Of these, 28 per cent have had damage caused to their home by their children:
24,064,440 x 0.28 = 6,738,043
Of these, 19 per cent have children aged 0-4-years-old:
6,738,043.2 x 0.19 = 1,280,228 parents whose homes have been damaged by their children (who have children aged 0-4 years old)
The mean annual cost of repairs for damage suffered by parents whose homes have been damaged by their children (who have children aged 0-4) is £134.55. This gives an estimated annual figure incurred by parents whose homes have been damaged by their children (who have children aged 0-4 years old) of:
1,280,228.208 x 134.55 = £172,254,705
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