British families will shell out £1.8 BILLION this year – to repair damage caused by their kids.
Accidents such as drinks spilled on carpets, ripped wallpaper or food stains on furniture leave a £105 dent in the family finances every year.
Other common mishaps include children shoving foreign objects into a DVD or CD player, plastering the walls with stickers and breaking beds by using them as trampolines.
The study also found the typical family will spend around £2,000 fixing things their kids have wrecked before their offspring leaves home.
That means across the country the 17.1 million households can expect a repair bill of £1,788,831,000.
The report was issued by esure home insurance after they carried out a study involving 3,000 parents.
Yesterday Nikki Sellers, head of home insurance at esure, said: ”Easter holidays mean more family time together in the home.
”And with kids’ friends coming over coupled with visits from relatives, it is a prime time for breakages.
”Energetic children desperately searching for ways to amuse themselves can rack up hundreds of pounds worth of damage, especially when it comes to more expensive items such as beds and electrical goods.
”That’s why it’s crucial to have ample accidental damage cover.”
Other damage commonly caused by kids includes smashed cups, plates and crockery, and painting or drawing on walls.
Kids are also responsible for blocking toilets and drains, putting household objects in the washing machine and leaning on cupboard doors until the hinges break.
Drinks spilled on curtains, broken vases and ornaments and smashed televisions also regularly leave parents will big repair bills.
Boys cause the most damage, with 60 per cent of parents claiming their sons wreak havoc at home.
Seven in ten parents say their children cause more damage in the house than they do.
The poll revealed 18 per cent have replaced at least one carpet, while 12 per cent have bought a new bed.
One in 10 regularly replace lamp shades broken by hurled toys – and one in 20 have been forced to buy a new television.
A fifth of families had to wallpaper an entire room after failing to remove their child’s ‘artwork’.
But more than half of parents don’t think their kids have damaged the house intentionally, preferring to believe they get a little over excited when playing.
Three out of ten adults put the damage down to kids’ clumsiness.
Only 13 per cent said their child showed a complete lack of respect for their belongings.
KIDS DAMAGE – THE TOP 20
1. Spillages on the carpet (65 per cent)
2. Drawings or paintings on the walls (48 per cent)
3. Stickers on walls (44 per cent)
4. Food stains on the furniture (40 per cent)
5. Ripped wallpapers (30 per cent)
6. Smashed plates, cups and crockery (29 per cent)
7. Drinks stains on curtains (21 per cent)
8. Blocked toilets (20 per cent)
9. Food or foreign objects in the CD and DVD players (18 per cent)
10. Smashed ornaments and vases (17 per cent)
11. Household objects in the washing machine (14 per cent)
12. Broken bed frames after used as a trampoline (12 per cent)
13. Broken cupboard doors (11 per cent)
14. Smashed televisions (10 per cent)
15. Smashed pictures and photo frames (10 per cent)
16. Pouring / spilling something into the television (8 per cent)
17. Holes and pulls in the carpet (8 per cent)
18. Broken knobs and buttons on washing machines, cupboards, oven, dishwasher etc (8 per cent)
19. Mobile phone down the toilet (7 per cent)
20. Smashed lampshades (6 per cent)
