Mothers in the UK are increasingly buying fashionable clothing for their offspring and are even downsizing their own wardrobes to buy designer gear for their children, new research reveals.

A poll by MINT found that new mothers are "turning from Primark to Prada", with 68 per cent of mums with kids under three claiming to spend more on outfits for their kids than for themselves, many influenced by celebrity mothers like Davina McCall, Angelina Jolie, Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow.

The financial services company reports that new mums now pay an average of £406 a year for their toddlers' wardrobe and a quarter spend more on their offspring's clothing than they do on nappies.

More than half of the mums quizzed (55 per cent) said that they have bought their children miniature trainers, 35 per cent dress their kids in designer clothes and 23 per cent are wheeling trendy Bugaboo pushchairs, favoured by celebrity mums.

However, in order to pay for expensive children's clothes and accessories, 55 per cent of new mums are more likely to shop in budget stores like Primark and Matalan than they were before having kids, 52 per cent are ditching designer dresses and luxury lingerie and 43 per cent are going without fashionable make-up products.

Jerry Toher, Managing Director of MINT, commented: "The financial pressures on modern mums are greater now than ever before without having to worry about budgeting for a baby's wardrobe. As long as people look to manage their money sensibly, credit cards can be an effective way to control short-term expenditure."

The recent celebrity phenomenon is having a huge effect on British mums, with 15 per cent feeling extra pressure to be glamorous and some even claiming to want their children to look like celebrity offspring like Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz Beckham.