British parents are spending more of their disposable income on their young children than ever before, with the typical couple splashing out £27,500 in the first three years alone.

That is according to new research which has found that the costs of having children are now starting to pile up even before conception, with many women spending hundreds on getting pregnant, while expectant mothers then spend an average of £4,000 over the course of their pregnancy.

In addition, the study by the social networking site for new parents Gurgle, found that mothers and fathers tend to spend an average of £68.83 on their child’s first Christmas present, despite acknowledging that they would be too young to appreciate it.

Notably, a sizeable proportion of those new parents polled for the study admitted that money worries were making them think twice about having more children, though Nifa McLaughlin of Gurgle has noted that it’s possible to have a family without spending tens of thousands of pounds.

"There are lots of ways to keep the costs down, from accepting hand-me-downs to making your own baby clothes to knowing where to go for free activities," she said.

This comes as a separate study by the Post Office found that around one in ten Britons are giving up treats such as chocolate and coffee-shop drinks in order to save money.