What is the average cost to have a baby?

The most recent Cost of a Child reportOpens in a new window from Child Poverty Action Group reveals that the basic cost of raising a child until the age of 18 is £165,872 for a couple and £186,822 for a lone-parent family. And if you throw childcare into the mix then these costs rise to £259,028 and £290,807!

Just in the first month of your baby’s life, you’re more than likely going to end up spending closer to £600. That’s on average:

• £60 on nappies
• £243 on clothing
• £70 on feeding equipment
• £200 on things like toys and furniture

 Use our baby costs calculator to help you budget before the big day and prepare for the costs to come.

If you don’t know anyone who’s getting rid of the essentials like a cot, bath or a pram then unfortunately these are costs that you can’t avoid.

• Average cost of a cot – a new cot can be anywhere from £70 to £800
• Average cost of a pram – the cheapest end of the scale is £100 but prices can soar to over £2,000. Consumer group Which?Opens in a new window (Opens in a new window) suggests parents spend on average £490 on a new pushchair
• Average cost of a car seat – prices start around £100 (Which?Opens in a new window) although these can go up to around £500 at the top end
• Average cost of a moses basket – around £125
• Average cost of baby monitors – prices start at around £30 for audio monitors (average cost £49.61), with video monitors starting around £30 - £50

With any of these costs it’s about what you can comfortably afford. The cheaper range of prams and car seats will have gone through the same safety tests as the top end items, so don’t feel that you need to spend over a grand, as cost doesn’t always necessarily correlate to quality.

It’s always worth checking the safety though, for example on a car seat look for a capital E in a circle on the label. This shows it’s been EU-approved and should appear alongside ‘R129 for a height-based seat and ‘ECE R44’ for a weight-based seat.

You’re already nearly £600 down in the first month but add in the costs from the other eleven months and even with very basic costs of £95 a month (based on product data from price comparison site idealo), you’re looking at £1,645. But in reality it could be much more – as LV estimates parents spend a whopping £12,400, per year on raising a child. With many having taken maternity leave and therefore a cut in their pay it’s likely to be putting a strain on your budget. It’s estimated that in years one to four parents are typically spending on average £63,224 in childcare fees.

In Great Britain, the cost to send a child under the age of two to nursery is: £157.68 a week part-time, which is £8,194 a year, according to the Family and Childcare Trust 2024 reportOpens in a new window.

Data from the Department of Education states that sending an under-two to nursery full-time could cost close to £300 a week depending on where you live, that’s more than £15,000 a year. Costs do vary, however, depending on the option you choose, for example a childminder or a day nursery.

There is also free early childcare for all three and four-year-olds in the UK. In England there’s 570 hours free every year, which most use as 15 hours free each week for 38 weeks.

A further 15 hours are available bringing the total to 30 hours each week, for families where:

• both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone-parent family), and
• each parent earns at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the national minimum or living wage, and earns less than £100,000 a year.

There are a number of ways to help lower all these costs. The figures are based on buying everything new and at full price and doesn’t take into account these money-saving ways to help bring the prices down:

A cot, pram and changing table doesn’t need to be bought brand new, as babies grow out of these pretty quickly there’s going to be a good supply of second-hand ones that you can pick up in Facebook groups, on auction sites, or on local listings.

Make use of the baby event sales on toiletries in drugstores and the half-price sales in baby-specific shops.

Also, don’t just stick to the baby stores, look in supermarkets and online too.

Using price comparison sites can help you save, Bumdeal for example finds the cheapest price for nappies online.

Compare prices online versus instore and look for any discount codes to further lower the costs.

The cost of baby formula varies – feeding a 2-3 month old baby over a month goes from £40 to £100+. You can save money by switching to a cheaper brand – the Competition and Markets Authority says this could save more than £500 over the first year of your baby’s life. 

There’s always the temptation when buying for a relative’s or friend’s baby to get a cute outfit along with a soft teddy but as babies grow up so quick that little sleepsuit with a lion on isn’t going to last long.

Instead suggest to friends and family that they go down the practical route and help with the cost of nappies, toiletries or vouchers towards getting that larger item.

Ask around too if anyone is getting rid of their toys or clothes that were hardly worn. Or ask if you can borrow any items and give back if needs be at a later date.

Not only is re-selling good for clawing back some money, it’s also good for regaining some space. If your toy collection is taking up most of the room then sell on the toys your baby doesn’t use anymore (if you’re able to keep the original boxes then this will help you get a better price).

Car boot sales, social media groups, Vinted, eBay and local centres are all good ways to help sell what you don’t need.

There’s also help available when you have a baby, including benefits and grants from the government and your employer, Find out what you can claim.