What the first three years cost
Gear, nappies, food, clothes and, if you need it, childcare, by year from birth to 3. Each figure says where it came from, and which parts are our own estimate.
£6,314 over three years
Includes our estimates One of these lines rests partly on a choice of ours, marked at the figure. 2026 prices with nothing added for future rises. It leaves out first infant formula, which we don't price.
Food and clothes come from the Minimum Income Standard, which is what members of the UK public agree is a minimum, not what families spend on average. Its authors say it isn't a personal budgeting tool, so treat those lines as a floor. They cover the UK outside London.
Birth to 1
£1,945
1 to 2
£2,320
2 to 3
£2,049
Birth to 1
Our catalog
- Pushchair from birth. Read on britax-romer.co.uk, 3 November 2026.£199
- Infant car seat, new only. Read on babymore.co.uk, 3 November 2026.£99
- Cot. Read on ikea.com, 3 November 2026.£59
- Cot mattress, new only. Read on ikea.com, 3 November 2026.£25
- Highchair. Read on ikea.com/gb, 3 November 2026. The NHS says to use a 5-point harness, so check this belt.£12
- Stair gate. Read on safetots.co.uk, 3 November 2026.£25
- Audio monitor, if you use one. From the 2024 Minimum Income Standard list. We could not read a current monitor price.£25
The lowest-priced item we could confirm in each category that suits the age: from birth, that means a pushchair its maker says lies flat. The list and the year each item is bought are our choice, and yours will differ.
Worked out from a source
About 2,308 nappies, stopping at 26 months. Changes a day come from Environment Agency surveys of 2004 to 2005, the only UK data by age we found; your child's count will differ. 5.8p each: Nutmeg Ultra Dry Size 4 Nappies, 84 pack, read on groceries.morrisons.com, 3 November 2026. Environment Agency, Time to Change?, Table 2.16
Worked out from a source
£0.80 a week from the 2024 Minimum Income Standard list, until 26 months. Minimum Income Standard 2024 list for a child aged 0-1
We don't price breast or formula feeding in the first six months. The NHS has guidance on feeding, and Healthy Start may help with costs if you qualify. NHS: types of formula
Worked out from a sourceOur estimate
£25.31 a week for half a year, from the Minimum Income Standard. Applying it from about 6 months, when the NHS says solids start, is our estimate: this budget describes a toddler, so it may be high for a younger baby, and it has no formula in it. Minimum Income Standard 2026 calculator, Loughborough
Worked out from a source
£12.76 a week from the Minimum Income Standard: a supermarket and value-shop minimum, priced for a toddler rather than a newborn. Minimum Income Standard 2026 calculator, Loughborough
1 to 2
Our catalog
- Next car seat, rear-facing for longer, new only. Read on babymore.co.uk, 3 November 2026.£179
The lowest-priced item we could confirm in each category that suits the age: from birth, that means a pushchair its maker says lies flat. The list and the year each item is bought are our choice, and yours will differ.
Worked out from a source
About 1,954 nappies, stopping at 26 months. Changes a day come from Environment Agency surveys of 2004 to 2005, the only UK data by age we found; your child's count will differ. 5.8p each: Nutmeg Ultra Dry Size 4 Nappies, 84 pack, read on groceries.morrisons.com, 3 November 2026. Environment Agency, Time to Change?, Table 2.16
Worked out from a source
£0.80 a week from the 2024 Minimum Income Standard list, until 26 months. Minimum Income Standard 2024 list for a child aged 0-1
Worked out from a source
£25.31 a week, from the Minimum Income Standard. The same figure as the first year: the source has one band for under-2s. Minimum Income Standard 2026 calculator, Loughborough
Worked out from a source
£12.76 a week from the Minimum Income Standard: a supermarket and value-shop minimum, priced for a toddler rather than a newborn. Minimum Income Standard 2026 calculator, Loughborough
2 to 3
Our catalog
- Toddler bed. Read on ikea.com, 3 November 2026. Mattress extra.£59
The lowest-priced item we could confirm in each category that suits the age: from birth, that means a pushchair its maker says lies flat. The list and the year each item is bought are our choice, and yours will differ.
Worked out from a source
About 295 nappies, stopping at 26 months. Changes a day come from Environment Agency surveys of 2004 to 2005, the only UK data by age we found; your child's count will differ. 5.8p each: Nutmeg Ultra Dry Size 4 Nappies, 84 pack, read on groceries.morrisons.com, 3 November 2026. Environment Agency, Time to Change?, Table 2.16
Worked out from a source
£0.80 a week from the 2024 Minimum Income Standard list, until 26 months. Minimum Income Standard 2024 list for a child aged 0-1
Worked out from a source
£27.69 a week, from the Minimum Income Standard. The source moves to its 2-to-4 band here. Minimum Income Standard 2026 calculator, Loughborough
Worked out from a source
£10.02 a week from the Minimum Income Standard: a supermarket and value-shop minimum, priced for a toddler rather than a newborn. Minimum Income Standard 2026 calculator, Loughborough
Help you may get
None of this is taken off the sums above, as it depends on your income and where you live.
- Child Benefit, GOV.UK
£27.05 a week for an eldest or only child, tax year 2026 to 2027.
- Healthy Start, NHS
£9.30 a week from birth to 1 and £4.65 from 1 to 4, for families who qualify, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Best Start Foods, Scotland
£44.80 every 4 weeks from birth to 1 and £22.40 from 1 to 3, for families who qualify.
- Sure Start Maternity Grant, GOV.UK
£500 once, usually for a first child, on certain benefits. Not in Scotland.
- 30 hours of funded childcare, England
30 hours a week, 38 weeks a year, from 9 months to 4 years, for working parents who qualify.
- Tax-Free Childcare, GOV.UK
£2 for every £8 you pay in, up to £2,000 a year. It can't be combined with Universal Credit childcare.
How this was built
No source we could read gives the cost of a child year by year from birth to 3. So birth to 2 uses one published band and age 2 to 3 another, which is why some lines don't change between years. We did not draw a curve between them. Gear prices come from our catalog, with the date each was read.
This is general information from public sources, not medical advice. For anything about your child's health or development, speak to your doctor or health visitor.