As inexperienced first-time parents we shower our baby with gifts and document their every milestone . But second children are left to rely on hand-me-downs , with around £500 less spent on them in their first year of life . More than a third of mothers clothed their second baby in one or more hand-me-downs , with 46 per cent giving them toys bought for their elder sibling . Second children are left with hand-me-downs , and around £500 less spent on them in their first year of life . And though 82 per cent have a memento of their first child , such as a lock of hair or a video of their first steps , only 23 per cent have a keepsake for their second , a report by Debenhams found . The new Royal baby may be about to force Prince George to share the Royal spotlight , but most second borns in the family have every reason to feel hard done by , the research shows . Doubtless the latest addition to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 's family , due next week , wo n't have to put up with many hand-me-downs , but he , or she , will be a baby that bucks the trend , says the new study . The report for the high street retailer found on average the second born has over £500 less spent on them in the first 12 months , than the first sibling who is showered with attention and given the best of everything . Second children have to put up with having fewer new clothes bought for then as well as having a poorer record of their upbringing , with noticeably fewer photos and home movies taken of their young life . It happened with Prince William and Prince Harry as babies . The Duke of Cambridge has 124m images and mentions on social media of him as a toddler compared with 116m for the younger brother . Prince Willam and Prince Harry : The Duke of Cambridge has 124m images and mentions on social media of him as a toddler compared with 116m for the younger brother . Over eight out of ten mums ( 82 % ) say they have a memento of their first child , such as a lock of hair , a video of the first step , or the first drawing while less than one in four ( 23 % ) have a keepsake of their second . A third ( 32 % ) of second time mums admit to clothing their new baby in one or more hand-me-downs and almost half ( 46 % ) say they give them toys which had been brought originally for the elder brother or sister . Mums confess to wasting money on the first born due to , 'inexperience ' , and the , 'excitement ' of a first baby , but also report a sharp decline in gifts for the second- born . They also say they are more knowledgeable about toddlers ' demands when it comes to subsequent children and realise they do n't need so much . The new Royal baby may be about to force Prince George to share the Royal spotlight , but most second borns in the family have every reason to feel hard done by , the research shows . Four of five mums say they bought , or were given , more expensive items than were required when their first child came along . Designer outfits promoted by fashion loving celebrities were rated as the biggest luxury with only 12 % of second children being bought clothing with a designer label compared with 38 % of first-borns . More than half of first-time mums also admitted to splashing out on clothes their children have never worn . First children have on average 14 cuddly toys by the age of six months , whereas the later child makes do with an average of eight . Mums said they asked friends and relatives for specific practical gifts for the second child rather than relying on chance , which cut down on presents that were never used . When asked about family albums of their children up to the age of two , three quarters admit that those photos almost always include the older sibling . It was only when a toddler started nursery school that the second child started having more photos taken . Debenhams head of childrenswear , Shani Delargy said : 'Having a baby at any time is a momentous experience but it 's understandable that mums adopt a much more practical approach by the time the second child comes along . 'Whilst mothers want the best for all their children . It 's all about being sensible and looking for good value products . At Debenhams we recognise this and offer a great choice of baby products and clothing for all budgets , including designer labels at high street prices . ' According to the Office for National Statistics the average age to have a second child is 30.1 years , while the average age of first time mothers is 28.1 years old . The Duchess of Cambridge was 31 when Prince George was born and is now aged 33 . And though 82 per cent have a memento of their first child , such as a lock of hair or a video of their first steps , only 23 per cent have a keepsake for their second , a report by Debenhams found .
Parents spend more on first child because of excitement and inexperience . Survey by the Office for National Statistics shows more pictures and videos taken of first child . Second children have to put up with fewer new clothes and cuddly toys .