The study found that while a premature or sick baby is in hospital, parents spend an extra £189 a week. The average total for parents to spend while their child is in hospital was £1,885, but in some cases it reached as much as £15,000.
Parents said the highest cost was on travel to the hospital, which averaged £62, paying for food away from home at £24 a week and lost earnings through taking time off work.
But many of the 169 parents surveyed said friends and family were supportive, with six out of 10 parents able to rely on them to look after their other children while they were at the hospital.
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