Big Moves · Guide

So you’re having a baby…

£250kis roughly what raising a child to 18 costs a couple in the UK (about £290,000 for a lone parent). Spread over 18 years — and there’s help along the way.

Child Poverty Action Group, Cost of a Child 2025 · Rates for 2026/27

The timeline

Pregnancy

Get set up

Free NHS prescriptions and dental care start now. Tell your employer by the 15th week before your due date to claim maternity pay.

Birth

The big buys

Car seat, pram, cot, first clothes. This is where second-hand and borrowing help most.

0–6 months

The regulars

Nappies, wipes, formula if used, more washing and heating. Claim Child Benefit as soon as you can.

6–12 months

The pay drop

Statutory pay drops to a flat rate after six weeks. Weaning and a high chair arrive.

9 months +

Childcare

Usually the biggest cost from here — and where the free hours and Tax-Free Childcare kick in.

TL;DRCosts come in waves: big buys around the birth, a pay drop on leave, then childcare from about 9 months.

Money you might be able to get

Eligibility depends on your work, income and where you live. Check each one on GOV.UK.

90%Statutory Maternity Pay — 90% of your average weekly pay for 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week (or 90% if lower) for 33 weeks.

£194.32Maternity Allowance — a week, if you can’t get Statutory Maternity Pay (for example, many self-employed people).

£194.32Paternity and Shared Parental Pay — a week (or 90% of pay if lower), for eligible partners and parents sharing leave.

£27.05Child Benefit — a week for your first child, £17.90 for each other child. If either parent earns over £60,000, some or all is paid back through tax.

£500Sure Start Maternity Grant — a one-off payment, usually for a first child, if you get certain benefits (England, Wales and Northern Ireland).

FreeHealthy Start — help with milk, fruit, veg and vitamins if you’re pregnant or have a child under 4 and get certain benefits.

FreePrescriptions and dental — free NHS prescriptions and dental care while pregnant and for 12 months after the birth.

£2 per £8Tax-Free Childcare — the government adds £2 for every £8 you pay, up to £2,000 a year per child. Working parents in England can also get up to 30 free hours a week from 9 months old.

TL;DRYou could qualify for several of these at once. Check each one on GOV.UK — claiming is always free.

What to buy new, and what not to

Item	When	Second-hand or borrowed?
Car seat	Before birth	Buy new, or only use one whose full history you know
Cot mattress	Before birth	New is the usual safety advice, even with a second-hand cot
Pram or pushchair	Before birth	Works well second-hand
Clothes	Ongoing	Ideal — babies outgrow them in weeks
Moses basket, bouncer, play mat	0–6 months	Great to borrow — used for months, not years
High chair	6 months	Works well second-hand

TL;DRBuy the safety items new; borrow or buy second-hand almost everything else.

Your 5-minute move

Start a baby pot

Set a target and a date, and see what to put aside each week.

Money pots →What’s actually left →

Receipts · checked 9 November 2026

CPAG — Cost of a Child 2025 — published 23 October 2025
GOV.UK — Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 — Statutory Maternity, Paternity and Shared Parental Pay, Maternity Allowance
GOV.UK — Child Benefit rates — 2026/27
GOV.UK — Sure Start Maternity Grant
NHS — Healthy Start
GOV.UK — Tax-Free Childcare