Having children means everyday tasks take up to TWICE as long

Having children means everyday tasks take up to TWICE as long, a study has found.

A poll of 2,000 Brits found getting ready and leaving the house in the morning takes 45 minutes for people with a child, compared to just 22 minutes for childless adults.

And the more children you have, the longer it takes – an average breakfast takes 24 minutes for those with three kids but just 18 minutes for one child families.

Doing the food shop will take 30 minutes longer with the kids in tow while shopping for clothes and shoes will also need an extra half an hour than if you were on your own.

Packing for a holiday or trip away, cleaning the house and meal times are also among the daily tasks which will take longer once you have children.

Simon Wilson, Head of Buying at Deichmann Shoes, which commissioned the research, said: “I think all parents out there will agree that having kids is really rewarding.

“But simple tasks that you didn’t even think about before – such as shopping – suddenly become a mission worthy of planning with military precision.

“What used to take you a few minutes can now suddenly take up a huge chunk of your day.

“Even just getting out of the front door can be a task, and shopping is often something parents dread having to do with children.

“Our stores all have a rack room style layout, with all styles and sizes available for people to help themselves to.

“With our shoe measuring service and Back to School offers, including buying one pair and getting another half price, hopefully shopping for school shoes will be one less thing for parents to plan with such exactness.”

The study found 67 per cent of parents admitted they had no idea how much longer it would take to do everyday tasks once they had children.

In fact, the research revealed that almost all of a parent’s day is spent completing tasks, with the average mum and dad getting less than two hours of spare time a day.

But those without children will enjoy more than three hours to themselves.

As a result, 35 per cent of parents admit they miss the pre-child days when they could get everyday tasks done in less time.

And nearly half have had to ask someone to babysit for a few hours so they could complete some jobs without kids in tow.

When asked what they would most like to do if they had a moment with no children to worry about, 30 per cent of parents simply said ‘sleep’.

A quarter would curl up and get lost in a good book while 29 per cent would give their house a good, top-to-bottom scrubbing to get it as clean as a whistle.

One in five would use it as an excuse to catch up on some must-watch television they hadn’t got around to watching yet.

It also emerged that of those adults without children, only a quarter believe they’re currently prepared for how much longer tasks will take once they add kids into the mix.

The research was carried out by shoe retailer, Deichmann Shoes, to mark the start of its ‘Back to School’ season, across nearly one hundred UK stores and online, where buying one pair of school shoes entitles you to another pair of school shoes half price.

Josephine Soei, Deichmann Marketing Manager added: “’Back to School’ is a very important time of the year for parents in the UK and we want to ensure that children start the academic year in the best possible way.

“Our wide range of comfortable and high-quality school shoes means that parents can focus on the important aspects of starting a new academic year without having to worry about where to go for school shoes.

“We have a fantastic Buy One Get One Half Price deal on our ‘Back to School’ range which gives mums and dads an affordable option for their children’s footwear.

“Parents already spend a great deal of additional time on everyday activities because of their children, so we hope our rack room concept where all available sizes are displayed on the shop floor, gives them a bit of time back with a quick and easy way of shoe shopping”.

Top 10 list of most time-consuming things to do with children:
1. Packing for a holiday – 36 minutes longer
2. Cleaning the house – 35 minutes longer
3. Clothes shopping – 33 minutes longer
4. Ironing – 30 minutes longer
5. The weekly food shop – 30 minutes longer
6. Shopping for shoes – 30 minutes
7. Cooking – 28 minutes longer
8. Completing life admin – 26 minutes longer
9. Dinner time – 26 minutes longer
10. Walking the dog – 23 minutes longer