About 400,000 UK children supported by baby banks, up 11% on previous year

Four hundred thousand children in the UK were supported by baby banks in 2025, an 11% increase from the year before, prompting warnings from charities that they “cannot continue to absorb the impact of child poverty on this scale” without government support. New research from the Baby Bank Alliance, set up by Save the Children UK to represent and advocate for more than 400 baby banks across the country, found that an average of 1,096 children were being supported by each member every day, with some essential items soaring in demand. About 26% more tubs of baby formula were handed out by baby banks in 2025 compared with the year prior, and there was a steep rise in the number of cots and beds given to families. A record 4.5 million children are living in poverty across the UK, according to the latest data. Earlier this year, the government abolished the two-child benefit limit , which restricted families to universal credit support for their first two children only. The damning figures have prompted calls for the government to ensure that lifting the two-child benefit cap is just “the beginning of its actions to tackle child poverty”. Sophie Livingstone, the chair of the Baby Bank Alliance, said: “ It’s pretty damning, isn’t it? Families are needing help for systemic reasons, not because there’s a one-off shock to their lives.” About 75% of families supported by alliance members point to unsuitable or insecure housing as a pressure they face. …