Over 1,000 children a day are being supported by baby banks in the UK, with around 400,000 children requiring aid last year, according to new research from the Baby Bank Alliance. The cost-of-living crisis has driven an 11% surge in the number of children supported between 2024 and 2025.
Rising demand for essentials
A total of 400,000 children and 210,000 families needed help from baby banks last year, equating to 1,096 children every day, or 46 children every hour. Among the items distributed, 16,000 cots, cot beds, and travel cots were given to families in 2025, along with 24,000 tubs of formula milk. Additionally, 9.4 million nappies and 6.4 million items of clothing were handed out, with all distributions increasing year-on-year.
Shortages hamper help
The Baby Bank Alliance found that over the past three years, its members have seen a steep rise in demand. However, shortages of essential items remain the largest barrier to helping families, with 44% of baby bank respondents citing it as the most common reason for being unable to provide support.
Parents speak out
Abby, a mother supported by her local baby bank, said: “We’ve got 3 little kids and it’s so hard to make ends meet. Even when you work, you’re trying to afford some of these things but it’s so expensive. My partner works but we still struggle. I’ve been given clothes and shoes recently that I just couldn’t afford to buy otherwise. The team here is amazing; it’s been so valuable to me and if it wasn’t here, it would be tough for families like mine. We need more people like this in the world.”
Charity calls for government action
Chair of the Baby Bank Alliance Sophie Livingstone MBE added: “Every child has the right to a safe place to sleep, and clothes to keep them warm. Children having to rely on baby banks for basics essentials is unacceptable. We know families are struggling more than ever with work and housing insecurity, rising energy and food bills, and unaffordable childcare. Baby banks are doing everything they can to provide a crucial safety net and stop families from falling through the cracks, but charities alone cannot continue to absorb the impact of child poverty on this scale. It’s time the government took the impact of poverty in children’s early years more seriously.”
