THE BABYMOON BOOM – NEARLY A THIRD (28%) OF EXPECTANT PARENTS NOW CONSIDERING ‘BABYMOONS’, WITH 59% TRYING TO RIVAL EXTRAVAGENT A-LIST CELEB HOLIDAYS

• The Babymoon boom: 28% of new or expectant parents are now considering babymoons for the future and a further 37% regret not going on one in the past
• Over one in ten (15%) of Brits would rather go on a babymoon without their partner, with 24% of Londoners wanting to go solo
• Dads more influenced than mums by celebrities – 64% of men admitted that all or most of their babymoon choices would be influenced by celebrities, but only 57% of women felt the same
• Wales and the South West prove themselves to be the most frugal, with 65% of Welsh parents managing to spend under £350 on their most expensive pre-baby purchase

21st September: New research out today has revealed a new celebrity trend of ‘babymooning*’. But it’s not just the rich and famous taking advantage of a last-minute getaway, with findings by comparethemarket.com revealing that 16% of new and expectant parents have been on a babymoon, with a further 28% considering a babymoon for the future. However it’s not necessarily about relaxing nights in with a partner– more than 1 in 10 (15%) of Brits would actually rather go on a babymoon without their partner, and Londoners show themselves to be even more independent with 24% wanting to go it alone.

Comparethemarket.com have teamed up with celebrity mum, author and blogger Giovanna Fletcher to create a ‘Babymoon hub’ of handy information, hints and tips for anyone planning a getaway.

With more and more celebs spotted on the beach, showing off their baby bumps, it’s clear to see they are providing inspiration to Brits. Well over half (59%) of new and expectant parents claim that all or most of their babymoon decisions were influenced by celebrities. Surprisingly it is men, rather than women, that are more swayed by the draw of the rich and famous – 64% of men admitted that all or most of their babymoon choices would be influenced by celebrities, but only 57% of women felt the same way. The biggest factor people look to their favourite celebrities on is the country of choice, with 45% of parents saying celebrity babymoons influenced that decision for them. 25% of parents even admit to going to a specific resort or hotel after finding out a celebrity stayed there. Scotland is the region most swayed by celebs on babymoon decisions – with a huge 92% saying that all or most of their decsisions would be influenced by celebrities. Northern Ireland on the other hand prefer to choose their own path with only 11% feeling heavily influenced by the holidays of the stars.

It’s not just babymoons that people are taking inspiration from celebs on, new parents appear to be choosing the extravagant over the economical across the board  – 16% of parents have bought baby clothes as a result of seeing celebrity offspring sporting the same look, 11% bought a copy cat pram and 11% based their maternity fashion on on-trend stars. Despite going their own way on holiday, the Northern Irish are the most likely to emulate celeb style with 17% taking influence for their maternity wardrobe. The South West take the least influence, with 75% firmly stating that nothing they have bought has been the result of a celeb having similar.

Over the course of the pregnancy 28% of Brits spend over £1,000 on non-essential items or luxury/designer versions of essential items, although less than 1% of Brits claim to have spent over £10,000. Again, it is actually dads rather than mums going overboard on spending, with 27% of men saying they spent over £2,000 during the pregnancy, compared to 20% of women. When it comes to splashing the cash Scotland also lead the way, with 7% spending over £5,000 on their one most expensive pre baby purchase. Wales and the South West prove themselves to be the most frugal, with  65% of Welsh parents managing to spend under £350 on their most expensive purchase, and 75% of South West parents spending under £999 in total over their whole time expecting.

Gemma Sonfield, Head of Travel from comparethemarket.com says “It’s important that as well as preparing for the new arrival, expectant parents allow themselves time to relax and unwind and a babymoon is a great way to do this. A key thing to remember, wherever you go on a babymoon, is to check that your travel insurance covers every pregnancy eventuality. It’s important to shop around to find a travel insurance policy that works for you and your trip. Our new babymooners hub is a helpful site providing top tips, dos and don’ts alongside accounts from celebrity mum and mummy blogger Giovanna Fletcher, as well as other parent bloggers providing information on how they did their babymoons.

Find out more by clicking here.