Wales has seen the largest surge in the cost of holiday childcare, a recent research study reveals.

The new findings from Moneyboat suggest that holiday childcare prices are escalating at a rate quicker than inflation across the UK.

Between 2014 and 2023, UK inflation was 32.25 per cent, but holiday childcare prices increased by 63.61 per cent on average during the same timeframe.

The research comes just in time for the school summer holidays, and many parents are setting budgets to tackle the increasing costs.

Moneyboat's study, examining the cost of holiday childcare from 2014 to 2023, shows prices have soared almost twice as fast as inflation.

The study presents data on how much parents can anticipate paying by 2030 if this trend continues.

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Among the nations, Wales faced a whopping 163.84 per cent increase, with average weekly childcare costs rocketing from £63.75 in 2014 to £168.20 in 2023.

The study predicts that by 2030, parents in Wales might be spending an average of £357.71 per week.

Meanwhile, Greater London experienced considerable price hikes, with weekly childcare costs almost doubling since 2014.

Conversely, the North West experienced the lowest increase in prices, but still 43.7 per cent, more than 10 per cent higher than the UK inflation rate.

Parenting coach Isobel Mary Champion offered her insights on the research and some suggestions for parents who want to cut back costs.

She said: "There are so many summer camps and activity clubs available these days - the choices are mind boggling!

"Coding camps, robotics camps, math camps, sports camps, performing arts camps, craft camps - there is a big trend and thriving market for holiday activities right now, and parents are often in a race against time to book their child a place at the best clubs."

She also emphasised the relevance of exploring other childcare solutions that are friendlier to the wallet.

Ms Champion advised: "Sharing childcare with another family is a great idea - suggest taking turns to look after each other’s children once or twice a week.

"Do ask all available relatives for regular childcare help - aunts, uncles, grandparents, godparents can all enrich your child’s life (never be afraid to ask, these people are all part of your child’s network of support)."

She also spoke about families with more than one child saying: "If you have two or more children, then the cost of summer camps and activity clubs really does skyrocket!

"Paying per child for an activity isn’t always the best option for larger families, so it might be worth considering another childcare option that doesn’t multiply in cost depending on the number of siblings, such as hiring an au pair for the summer (one of the cheaper childcare options), or asking any students you know if they would like to gain some babysitting experience over the summer."

With summer fast approaching and childcare costs on the rise, these insights are vital for parents navigating their spending in the holiday season.