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 While online shopping may eliminate in-store tears from kids, the
Internet is prompting more millennial moms to make expensive online
impulse purchases.
According to BabyCenter.com, 53 percent of moms feel overwhelmed
trying to create the perfect life for their children. Almost half of
those mothers, some 46 percent, have gone into debt as a result.
Just ask 33-year-old Sarah Caplan, the mother of a 23-month old son
in New York City. She actively participates in a Facebook moms'
group.
"If I see a picture of a kid with a scooter, I'm now going to Google
the scooter, and see if it's right for my child," says Caplan.
As creative director at KidsShoes.com, a shoe shopping site, Caplan
knows a thing or two about online shopping. But she insists the urge
to splurge is not about social pressure or envy - instead she is
just exposed to so much more stuff to buy.
In her case, the list includes a second foldable stroller at $300,
the aforementioned scooter ($110), a $65 swing, a $35 playmat, plus
a lot of $25 to $50 purchases of cute clothes she saw kids wearing
in posts on social media. The total cost: more than $500.
DOUBLE THE DIAPERS
For 33-year-old Valerie Ramkhelawan, the financial hit after the
arrival of her twins - a boy and a girl - has been a shock to the
system.
The delivery of large amounts of baby supplies, including more than
300 diapers and 800 baby wipes every month via Amazon.com, is a huge
help.
But Ramkhelawan also has access to the spending patterns of other
moms, thanks to the Internet. And that can lead to conspicuous
consumption.
"You get the baby nurse, the lactation consultant, the sleep trainer
because that is what other good moms are doing," Ramkhelawan says,
noting that a baby nurse clocks in at $300 a day.
KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS
Also driving spending patterns: the photos celebrity moms such as
Gisele Bündchen, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian are sharing on Instagram
and Twitter.
BabyCenter.com financial contributor Andrea Woroch says this hits
millennial moms the most, because they are the biggest users of
social media.
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"People post the best versions of themselves and then others want to
keep up with the e-Joneses on social media," says Woroch.
This results in pressure to take the right vacations as well as
elaborate birthday parties and far too many extracurricular
activities, experts say.
There is a "fear of missing out" syndrome - and it can drive us to
buy more and spend more than we can afford, says Kimberly Palmer,
author of "Smart Mom, Rich Mom."
But Palmer also notes that there are benefits to sharing your
shopping secrets on social media.
"You might get an idea for a baby product you've never seen that
actually helps you out," she says.
That was the experience of Hilary Kiley, a 34-year-old single mom in
Charleston, South Carolina. She uses a local Facebook moms' group to
swap clothing and discount codes. She recently spent $25 on a bundle
of toys for her five-month-old son which she figures has a retail
value of at least $175.
"There is camaraderie among mothers that is helping mothers to
save," says Kiley. In fact, before she starts a new full-time job
soon, Kiley was able to get babysitting gigs from the other moms in
her Facebook group.
(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist
for Reuters)
(Editing by Beth Gladstone, Lauren Young and G Crosse)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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