Buying habits of toddler mothers
By Daphne Garland-McLean -- Kids Today, 5/1/2007
It's a brand new world of excitement and curiosity for toddlers, both young and old. You can bet it's an exciting and busy time for moms as well. According to a study conducted by the American Baby Group in 2006, more than half of the mothers with toddlers are juggling a career and family and more than two-fifths of toddler moms are under the age of 30. And even if this isn't the first time they've faced toddlerhood, nine out of 10 say child-rearing and parenting tips are just as welcome as they were when they were brand-new moms.
That means a toddler mom's time is precious and her buying habits will vary based on her schedule and the schedule of her family. When purchasing for her toddler, the toddler mom will look for quality and durability at a reasonable price. Almost eight out of 10 toddler moms say they are willing to spend more on toddler items that will last and that can be repurposed/reused with a new baby.
In keeping up with a busy, growing family, more than four out of 10 say using as few stores as possible when shopping for their toddler and family is particularly important.
Less important to toddler moms is a store's loyalty program or finding the latest and greatest in terms of technologically advanced products.
Popular television programming for toddlers also influences mothers when purchasing products for their children. Of the survey participants, more than three-fourths have purchased DVDs/videos of popular television shows for toddlers. And, nearly one-half say they often buy products with TV or cartoon characters because their toddler asks for them.
In this information age, when toddler moms are also career women, the Internet becomes very important in obtaining information about various products in a timely manner. The Internet is accessible to 90% of mothers with toddlers —with nearly four-fifths of those having home access. In fact, 96% of those with Internet access said they had been on the Internet within 30 days of taking the American Baby survey. The survey shows that almost 60% of toddler moms rely on the Internet (baby/parenthood Web sites in particular) for information regarding toddler products to buy.
Older moms (over age 30) and more affluent moms (household income of more than $75,000) say baby/parent Web sites are important for toddler care and toddler products, more so than their younger or less affluent counterparts.
Furniture buyingWhen it comes to furniture, quality, price and durability are the three most important factors in the purchase decision. Age makes a difference in how moms view these considerations, though. Younger moms (those under 30) put price slightly ahead of quality. For older moms, quality is significantly more important than price. For both, durability ranks third. When it comes to safety, affluence seems to be the deciding factor. Less affluent moms (those with household incomes under $75,000) place more importance on safety than do more affluent moms. Brand name is fairly far down the list of considerations regardless of age or affluence.
While nearly all moms (95%) own some type of toddler furniture, toy chests are the most popular. Other furniture owned by more than half of the moms surveyed are convertible cribs, toddler dresser/bureaus, toddler-sized table and chairs, toddler bookshelves and toddler beds. All were purchased new by about one-half of the mothers surveyed by American Baby.
Toddler-sized table and chairs, bean bag or reclining chairs and convertible cribs topped the list of furniture gifts. Younger moms especially are more likely than those age 30 and older to receive toddler dressers (23% compared to 14%, respectively) and toddler-sized table and chairs (42% compared to 33%) as gifts.
Affluent moms are more likely to purchase bean bag or reclining chairs (74% compared to 54% of moms with household incomes of less than $75,000).
Toddler beds are more popular among younger, less educated and less affluent moms. Older and more affluent moms are more likely to own toddler-sized table and chairs than their younger and less affluent counterparts. Toddler-sized tables and chairs are particularly popular among moms with 4- and 5-year-olds.
Toddler toy buyingMoms have much the same criteria when it comes to selecting toys as when selecting furniture for their toddlers. Price (by 65%) and quality (by 63%) followed by educational value are the most significant factors in the purchase of toddler toys, according to the American Baby Group's report. Moms want items that will stimulate her toddler's intellectual development. In fact, moms report that half of their toddler toys are labeled educational. Safety is more an issue with younger moms than older ones, but neither have it high on their selection radar — only 26% say it's an important factor.
Far more important, say toddler moms, is the need to seek out toys that will aid in the intellectual development of their child. Almost eight of 10 look for that characteristic, while seven of 10 also want to buy high quality, durable toddler products that they can use again with a new baby.
Toys are popular gift items — nearly three-fifths of toddler moms received toys as gifts.
While blocks, sorting and bath toys are popular items among toddler moms (94% own these for their children), action/outdoor toys are equally as popular, with 93% of moms owning these, according to the survey. And, this percentage increases even more as the toddler grows older. Ninety-six percent of toddler moms have action/outdoor toys by the time a toddler is 4 to 5 years old.
| Quality | 80% |
| Price | 74% |
| Durability/can pass to baby | 55% |
| Safety | 40% |
| Brand name/reputation | 21% |
| Used with an older child | 10% |
| Recommendations of family/friends | 6% |
| Less than 5% of moms say they are influenced by consumer recommendations on the Internet, requests by their toddler, in-stock availability, coupons, designs with TV or cartoon characters or an Internet Web site Source: American Baby Group, 2006 Toddler Products Tracking Study |
|
| Child-rearing info/parenting tips are just as important and helpful the second time around as they are for those having their first baby | 89% |
| I am willing to spend more on toddler items when I know that I will also be able to use them for my new baby | 78% |
| Buy high quality, durable toddler products that can pass along to new baby | 66% |
| Use as few stores as possible when shopping for toddler and family | 42% |
| Shop for items at store with buyer loyalty/frequent shopper program | 29% |
| Find the most technologically advanced toddler products | 26% |
| Percentage of moms who say extremely or very important or percentage of moms who completely or somewhat agree Source: American Baby Group, 2006 Toddler Products Tracking Study |
|
| Toddler mom's age | Household income | Toddler Child(ren) age | |||||
| Under 30 | 30 or more | Less than $75,000 | $75,000 or more | 1 to less than 2 years | 2 to 3 years | 4 to 5 years | |
| Toy chest | 68% | 65% | 66% | 69% | 67% | 67% | 67% |
| Convertible crib | 59% | 58% | 58% | 61% | 61% | 55% | 55% |
| Toddler dresser/bureau | 57% | 57% | 55% | 64% | 58% | 56% | 57% |
| Toddler-sized table and chairs | 53% | 60% | 51% | 71% | 53% | 58% | 62% |
| Toddler bookshelf/storage | 51% | 54% | 49% | 63% | 52% | 52% | 56% |
| Toddler bed | 62% | 45% | 56% | 44% | 50% | 56% | 55% |
| Bed rails | 34% | 48% | 38% | 53% | 36% | 42% | 44% |
| Bean bag or reclining chairs | 31% | 30% | 28% | 34% | 28% | 30% | 34% |
| Source: American Baby Group, 2006 Toddler Products Tracking Study |
|||||||
| Purchased new | 84% | |
| Overall | ||
| Received as a gift | 53% |
| % receiving as a gift | % purchasing new | |
| 10% | Bed rails | 65% |
| 14% | Toddler bookshelf/storage | 64% |
| 18% | Toddler bed | 48% |
| 18% | Toddler dresser/bureau | 52% |
| 30% | Convertible bed | 51% |
| 33% | Bean bag or reclining chairs | 59% |
| 37% | Toddler-sized table and chairs | 46% |
| Based on toddler moms who own product Source: American Baby Group, 2006 Toddler Products Tracking Study |
||
| Bath toys | 78% | Tricycle, bicycle | 62% |
| Hard blocks | 61% | Electronic learning toys | 78% |
| Multi-piece plastic farms, houses etc. | 61% | Educational DVDs/videos | 60% |
| Ride-on toys | 77% | Dolls | 54% |
| Source: American Baby Group, 2006 Toddler Products Tracking Study |
|||
|
