World Book Day might be all about the kids, but parents seem to be feeling the pressure to buy or create the best outfit.
Seven out of 10 parents, out of 2,000 surveyed by ChannelMum, said they felt parents, specifically mums, were becoming "too competitive" attempting to "outdo each other" on the outfits.
Out of those surveyed, 41% of parents admitted that preparing for the day, which sees pupils across the globe dress up as their favourite book character, was "very stressful".
And 75% of parents said they knew mums or dads who dressed their child up as a character in a book to impress others, despite their child not having read the book.
"World Book Day does a great job of encouraging children to read, but it can also encourage some mums to get a little too competitive," ChannelMum founder Siobhan Freegard said.
"It shouldn’t be about which child looks picture perfect as an obscure character, but about fostering a love of books and the desire to read."
The survey also revealed while 44% of mums make their own costumes, those who had shop-bought ones were frustrated at the price hikes.
A third of parents thought retailers deliberately increased prices to "rip off" families before the event, forking out an average of £16 per costume.
To make it that little bit harder, some parents also revealed schools had banned any costumes related to films, reducing the number of Disney princesses and Spiderman characters.
According to the survey, this year the top outfits are predicted to be Greg Heffley from 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid', the Dinosaur from 'The Dinosaur Who Pooped a Planet', Harry Potter and The Gruffalo.
SEE ALSO:
World Book Day 2016: 14 Easy Costume Ideas For Children Dressing Up As Story Characters
World Book Day 2016: David Baddiel On Why Adding Comedy To Kids' Books Is like A 'Spoonful Of Sugar'
