Most of us can probably remember that when we were younger, we had nothing like the number of toys and games that children have today. In fact, it now seems that every single child just has to have the latest toy and gadget as soon as it has come onto the market.
There is no getting away with it either, as a child will catch wind of that toy by way of social media, TV advertising and other internet research methods and these fora have a lot to answer for when it comes to the kids keeping up with the Jones.
This only adds to the cost of having to bring children up nowadays. Whether it is baby costumes or nappies, sports trainers or the latest computer games, it is said to cost around the same price as buying a house to raise each child today.
Apart from banning your child from using the internet and social media sites, there is very little that you can do about this trend, unfortunately. No parent ever wants their child to stand out as having less than others - they realise that this can potentially open the floodgates to their child being bullied.
The companies that produce games and toys are constantly trying to find the latest innovation to appeal to your children and they are in it to make money from you. All you can do is to keep a lid on these fads, try to prevent the child from demanding the latest toys and if they do really want it, let them work for it themselves or use their own pocket money - at least this will teach them a valuable lesson in money management.