How much does a baby cost?

Some time ago the UK Government made the decision to change the Maternity Grant, which means you now only receive the £500 one-off grant for your first child, and not for any children you may later have.  This is another cut which Cuts Watch Cymru are researching.  It may not be one of the changes which has received much attention in the media, but this change is still a cut, and as such is likely to be having an impact on people in Wales.  We intend to fill this gap draw people’s attention to this impact.

To understand the possible impact of this change, it’s important to understand what costs a new born baby brings.  A survey in 2010 found that parents will spend more than £5,000 on a new born baby before its first birthday.  The costs of baby clothes, nappies, nursery furniture and feeding/bathing equipment all mount up.  During the pregnancy, expectant mums will spend around £1500 on getting the nursery ready, and also buying essentials such as a pram, car seat, toys, clothes and feeding and bathing equipment.  These are immediate one-off costs that are necessities, which the new born cannot go without.  The importance of the first few years in a child’s life go without saying, and in a civilized society we should be making sure that everybody gets the best start in life.

Its also important to realize that those on the lowest incomes will struggle to meet these additional costs.  People already struggle to survive on state benefits, how are they expected to find this additional money to cover the cost of their new born child?  Taking away the £500 grant immediately took away a life line which many expectant mums undoubtedly relied on.  There was no justification for such a move.  You could assume that people can rely on their friends and family for ‘hand me downs’, but what about those who can’t rely on this support?    The maternity grant may have only covered about a third of the costs a new born brings, but this was better than nothing.  Where are people now expected to find this money?  This removal of a lifeline for expectant mums not only leaves them with unmet immediate costs for their new child, but also has other social consequences for their future health and wellbeing.  We are talking to young expectant mums about these issues at the moment, and will report shortly on their experiences.

If you would like to contribute to this work in anyway, either through putting us in touch with people affected most by the changes, or just want to hear more about Cuts Watch Cymru, then please email me: [email protected]

Michael Donnelly is Policy and Research Officer at the Bevan Foundation