The price of childhood

As British families struggle with soaring childcare costs, everyday essentials and education expenses, the in-depth data sheds light on the financial reality of parenting in 2025 – from fancy car seats and after-school clubs to driving lessons.

Here’s what the research, conducted in March 2025, revealed:

• 0-4 years: During a child’s formative years, parents will experience their most expensive period in a short amount of time, totalling a whopping £166,966 - with nursery fees and baby essentials taking a huge toll on their finances.
• 4-12 years: In the ‘middle years’ of childhood, parents fork out an average of £143,465.68, taking into consideration school trips, pocket money, clothing, and more.
• 12-18 years: As children become teens, costs reach £94,588, with significant outgoings for transport, driving lessons and technology like laptops and mobile phones.

Voucher Codes has some advice on how to cut costs without cutting corners:

Ditch unnecessary baby purchases

Don’t be swayed by ‘must-have’ baby lists, when a lot of products might go unused! Whilst you’ll want to buy car seats brand-new to ensure they meet safety standards, other items can be borrowed from friends or bought second-hand on eBay, Depop, or Vinted. You can also use sites like VoucherCodes.co.uk for savings on new items.

Sell unwanted items

Anything you’ve bought new can usually be resold. Hang on to the boxes and receipts, and don’t take labels off new baby clothes or items until you need them. This will help when reselling them as you can fetch a higher price for anything with tags.

Claim government support

Lots of parents don’t realise they’re missing out on helpful government support. If your child is over nine months old, you may be entitled to claim 15 hours a week of funded childcare. And from September 2025, eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of funded childcare a week.

Save on school essentials

When it comes to school uniform shopping, the earlier the better! Hit the sales in July and you’ll be sure to save more. School uniform shops tend to be more expensive than high street stores, unless you need items with the school logo on. For shoes, it’s best to wait until September in case your child’s feet grow.

Make tech more affordable

Consider refurbished laptops and phones, use family plans for mobile contracts, and trade in old tech for discounts on new purchases. Use Billmonitor to check what you actually need – 70 per cent of us are currently overpaying on our phone contracts.

Cut food and travel costs

Sign up to supermarket loyalty schemes, using restaurant voucher codes, and keeping an eye out for kids-eat-free deals. All children aged 5-16 qualify for free school transport if they go to their nearest school and live at least two miles away, so it’s worth checking your eligibility.

Choose affordable recreation and cultural activities

When it comes to entertaining your kids, look out for free or discounted attractions with family passes or loyalty memberships. Many UK supermarkets also offer loyalty card points that can be redeemed for theme park and cinema tickets.

Visit VoucherCodes.co.uk