would you put makeup on a toddler?
Hearing the words “she looks like her mother” or “he has his father’s nose” is a common conversation between family and friends after a baby is born. However, one in 12 mums and dads don’t always look on their little one as the cutest bundle of joy, as these parents secretly fear that their baby is ugly.
Just under a quarter of parents admit to buying beauty products in order to improve their child’s looks, with eight per cent worrying that their child is ugly, according to new research from www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.
Mark Pearson, Chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, said: “After noticing an increase in searches for baby beauty products on the site, we thought it would be interesting to look deeper into why people may be searching for them, and whether or not parents feel they need to buy beauty products for their child.
“The results were definitely surprising; it seems that quite a few parents feel like they need to improve their child’s looks, and are turning to the likes of make-up and fake tan to do so!”
“It’s important to remind parents that beauty products are usually meant for adult skin and should not be used on children.
The discount website’s research revealed a 115 per cent increase in the past three months for searches of the term ‘baby beauty products’. The study anonymously polled 1,352 parents from across the UK, each with at least one child aged four and under.
Those taking part were initially asked, “Have you ever purchased beauty products to use on your child?” to which 23 per cent of the parents said “yes”. These respondents were then asked to specify what kinds of beauty products they had bought for their child in the past.
According to the results, UK mums and dads bought a range of beauty products to cover the insecurities they feel about their child.
Findings showed that 35 per cent of UK parents bought nail varnish to use on their child, 28 per cent bought lipstick or lip gloss, while 23 per cent opted to buy mascara, 12 per cent went for concealer and eight per cent bought fake tan to use on their child.
The respondents who admitted to buying beauty products for their child were then asked to specify why they had done so. Just under two fifths justified buying beauty products for a “special occasion”, whilst 30 per cent claimed that they simply wanted to make their child look “prettier”.
A further 14 per cent admitted doing so “for fun” and nine per cent said their child had asked for certain beauty products.
Mark added: “It’s important to remind parents that beauty products are usually meant for adult skin and should not be used on children.
“Parents have plenty of time to worry about buying beauty products for their children when they grow up, and must remember that no child should be put in make-up to ‘improve’ their looks!”
Just over half of parents who admitted to having secret fears that their child was “ugly”, also confessed that they were “ashamed” of their fears.
Furthermore, 27 per cent of the parents taking part, admitted to finding one of their friend’s children “ugly”.
For more information and for the latest discount deals, visit www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk
Would you put makeup on your baby or young child simply to make them appear more attractive? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
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