New baby costs in the UK: first-year budget

Add up the one-off kit and the monthly costs, take off the help you can get (Child Benefit is £27.05 a week for your eldest or only child in 2026/27), and see what to save each month before the baby arrives. The figures below are examples, so change them to your own.

Figures checked against GOV.UK on 4 October 2026.

One-off kit

Pram or pushchair (£)

Car seat (buy new) (£)

Cot or next-to-me crib, plus a new mattress (£)

Clothes and sleepsuits (first year) (£)

Feeding: bottles, steriliser, breast pump (£)

Bath, changing mat and towels (£)

Baby monitor (£)

Sling, blankets, other bits (£)

Monthly costs

Nappies and wipes (£)

Formula (0 if breastfeeding) (£)

Toiletries and medicine (£)

Other (groups, toys, outings) (£)

Childcare per month after leave (£, 0 if none)

Months of childcare in the first year

Help and timing

Child Benefit

Sure Start Maternity Grant (£500)?

Months until your due date

Kit from family, gifts or second-hand (%)

Help you may be able to get

Child Benefit: £27.05 a week for your eldest or only child and £17.90 for each extra child (GOV.UK, 2026/27). Claim even if you'll opt out because of the high income charge, because it protects your National Insurance record.
Sure Start Maternity Grant: a one-off £500 if it's your first child (or a multiple birth) and you or your partner get certain benefits. Claim within 11 weeks of the due date or 6 months after the birth. In Scotland, apply for the Pregnancy and Baby Payment instead.
Healthy Start: help to buy milk, fruit and vegetables, plus free vitamins, if you're more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 and get certain benefits (Best Start Foods in Scotland).
Maternity pay: work out yours with the maternity pay calculator.
Free NHS prescriptions and dental care during pregnancy and for 12 months after the birth, with a maternity exemption certificate (ask your midwife).

Where to save

Borrow or buy second-hand for clothes, a pram, a bath and toys, but buy the car seat and cot mattress new (or from someone you know) for safety.
Wait to buy until you need it: lots of kit gets used for a few weeks or not at all.
See the new baby on a budget kit list for what to buy and what to skip.

Sources: GOV.UK Child Benefit rates, Sure Start Maternity Grant, Healthy Start (checked 4 October 2026). The cost figures are examples, not averages.

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FAQs

How much does a baby cost in the first year in the UK?

It depends on how much you buy new. With mostly new kit plus nappies and formula, it's often well over £1,000 before childcare. Second-hand kit and gifts can halve the one-off costs. Use the calculator above with your own figures.

What financial help can I get for a new baby?

Child Benefit (£27.05 a week for the eldest child in 2026/27), maternity or paternity pay, and, if you get certain benefits, the £500 Sure Start Maternity Grant and Healthy Start. NHS prescriptions and dental care are free during pregnancy and for a year after.

Related calculators & guides

Maternity pay (SMP) calculator · Paternity & shared parental pay · New baby on a budget · Tax-Free Childcare · Child Benefit charge (HICBC) · Neonatal care & bereavement pay · School holiday childcare costs