How much does a baby cost in the first year? Our free baby cost calculator adds up the kit, the weekly basics and any childcare, then takes off Child Benefit so you can see the real figure. Pick a starting point, change any number to match your plans and the total updates as you type.
How much will your baby cost in the first year?
Pick a starting point, then change any figure to match your plans. The calculator adds up the kit, the monthly costs and any childcare, then takes off Child Benefit.
How to use the baby cost calculator
Step 1: Choose a starting point
Press Budget, Typical or Premium. Each one fills in sensible prices for every item, based on MoneyHelper, the CMA and the latest Coram Childcare Survey.
Step 2: Set feeding, childcare and Child Benefit
Pick breast or formula feeding, then choose the type of childcare and how many weeks you need it in the first year. Finally, say whether you will claim Child Benefit.
Step 3: Change any figure
Every price is a box you can edit. If a grandparent is buying the pram, set it to zero. The cards at the top show your first year total, the figure after Child Benefit and how much is kit compared with monthly costs.
What a baby costs in the first year
With the Typical settings and no childcare, the baby cost calculator comes to about £3,170 for the first year. Child Benefit is worth £1,406 a year for a first child, so that falls to roughly £1,770. Around £1,500 of it is kit you buy once, such as a pram, car seat and cot. The rest is nappies, wipes, formula and clothes, which add up month after month.
However, the range is huge. A family that borrows the big items and breastfeeds can spend under £1,500 in the first year. On the other hand, premium prams, designer clothes and a full nursery fit out can push the total well past £6,000.
Childcare is the biggest cost
If you go back to work before your baby turns one, childcare quickly becomes the largest cost of all. The Coram Childcare Survey 2026 puts a full time nursery place for a child under two in England at about £372 a week. That is more than £19,000 a year, so even three months of nursery adds nearly £5,000.
Help is available, though. In England, working parents can now get up to 30 funded hours a week from nine months old, for 38 weeks of the year. In addition, Tax-Free Childcare adds £2 for every £8 you pay in, up to £2,000 a year per child. Funded hours rarely cover meals, nappies or extra sessions, so set the childcare option in the calculator to match what you will really pay.
Simple ways to cut the cost of a baby
- Buy big items second hand. Prams, cots and baby monitors are often sold in great condition. Always buy a new cot mattress and a car seat with a known history.
- Choose the cheaper formula. The CMA found that all infant formula sold in the UK must meet the same nutrition rules, so a cheaper brand does the same job as a premium one.
- Try own brand nappies. Supermarket nappies cost far less than big brands, and many parents notice no difference.
- Claim everything you can. Child Benefit only backdates three months, so claim soon after the birth. Families on certain benefits may also get a Sure Start Maternity Grant, or a Best Start Grant in Scotland, and Healthy Start payments.
Remember that your income may drop too. Statutory Maternity Pay is 90% of your earnings for six weeks, then a flat weekly rate for up to 33 weeks. Our free budget planner and take home pay calculator help you test how life on parental pay will work.
Plan ahead with our baby cost calculator
Once you know your number, spread the cost over the pregnancy. For example, £1,500 of kit is about £170 a month over nine months. Then build a small buffer using our emergency fund guide, because babies have a habit of needing things you did not plan for.
For the bigger picture, read our guide to the hidden baby costs nobody warns you about and work through the having a baby list in our life event money checklist. You can also check the latest rates on the GOV.UK Child Benefit page.
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Baby cost calculator FAQs
Using typical prices and no childcare, a baby costs about £3,170 in the first year, or around £1,770 after Child Benefit. Childcare can add thousands more.
Childcare is usually the biggest cost. A full time nursery place for a child under two in England costs about £372 a week, according to the Coram Childcare Survey 2026.
For 2026/27 you get £27.05 a week for your first child and £17.90 a week for each other child. If either parent earns over £60,000, some or all of it is paid back through the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
Yes. All infant formula sold in the UK must meet the same nutrition rules, so the CMA says parents can choose a cheaper brand with confidence.
Yes. The baby cost calculator is free, there is no sign up and nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.