DadTalk

Parents favour their youngest child

Parents with two children favour the youngest by taking their sides in arguments, a study has found.

A study of 1,803 mums and dads showed on average the younger child receives a more favourable response than their elder sibling on 59 per cent of occasions.

Parents are more likely to side with a younger child in an argument, lavish them with more attention, let them have their own way and spend longer reading with them, it emerged.

The study also found the younger one also benefits from more treats and cuddles, because their parents find it harder to say no.

And more than half of those polled admitted feeling closer to their youngest child.

Lisa Penney of www.bounty.com said: ''Very few parents are willing to admit they have a favourite child, and even though research indicates this is the case, we certainly aren't suggesting parents love one child more than another.

''But the fact remains that in the majority of scenarios, parents favour their younger children.

''This might be because they are the baby of the family, because they are more demanding, or because they find that children simply need less attention as they get older.''

The study also found although elder children are often side-lined in preference to their younger sibling, more than half of parents polled claimed to have bonded more quickly with their first child.

And 64 per cent of parents felt they have more in common with their eldest child, sharing interests and finding it easier to have a conversation.

Three out of five parents said their elder child was more likely to confide in them, and have done since an early age.

Older children are also more transparent, with 63 per cent of parents feeling confident they know 'them inside out'.

Being the eldest also tends to mean these children are better behaved - with 53 per cent of parents finding them easier to discipline.

And being second favourite isn't all bad - as older children tend to have more money spent on them, they're allowed to rule the roost, they have bigger helpings at dinner and usually decide what the family watches on television.

Lisa Penney added: ''The research shows that there are definitely benefits to being either the youngest or oldest in the family.

Read more at The Telegraph website