CHILD'S PLAY
Eight freebies and discounts for parents worth £7,752 in May – including free nappies and childcare
Watch our video to ensure you're getting everything you're entitled to
IF you're a new parent struggling to make ends meet, you can get thousands of pounds of free support.
From free childcare hours to free food vouchers worth up to £442 a year, there's lots of help out there.
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Plus, new parents can get help with free nappies, wipes and other essentials.
Families with older kids can also get support to keep the kids occupied during the summer half-term.
To help you save money, we've rounded up the best freebies and discounts available to help families right now.
FREE CHILDCARE - £1,000s
If you live in England, you may be able to get free childcare for your child aged nine months to four years.
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The amount of free childcare you can get depends on:
- Your child's age and circumstances
- Whether you're working (employed, self-employed, or a director)
- Your income (and your partner's income, if you have one)
The number of hours of free childcare you can get depends on the age of your child. If your child is:
- Nine months to two years old, you can get 15 hours per week of free childcare
- Three to four years old, you can get 30 hours per week of free childcare
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Working parents of nine-month-olds are able to apply for 15 hours free childcare now ahead of its September rollout.
To qualify, parents must work and earn the equivalent of £166 per week, each with a taxable income of no more than £100,000.
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From September 2025, all eligible working parents of children aged nine months up to three years will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare a week.
If you don't work, you might still be eligible for even if your partner works or you receive certain benefits including:
- Income support
- Income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA)
- Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
- Universal Credit (where household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments)
- Tax credits (where household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax)
- Pension Credit (guaranteed element)
Find out more by visiting www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
CHILD TAX CREDITS - up to £3,455
You can only make a claim for child tax credit if you already get working tax credit.
If that isn't the case, you can get Universal Credit instead.
The amount you could get depends on when your children were born.
If you have two children born after April 6, 2017, you will get a child element worth £3,455 for each kid up to a maximum of two.
If one child was born before then you could also get a basic amount called the family element worth up to £545 a year.
To claim child tax credit, update your existing tax credit claim by .
If you claim Universal Credit, you might be able to get help towards most of your child care costs.
Parents claiming Universal Credit can now get up to £1,014.63 a month for one child and £1,739.37 for two or more kids.
The money is used to cover up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs which have spiralled in recent years.
MY MONEY SAVING TIPS FOR NEW PARENTS
COMMENT from Tara Evans, Head of Consumer, at The Sun: AS a mum of two toddlers I know how expensive it is having kids.
In fact, it's estimated to cost parents £166,000 for a couple and £220,000 for a lone parent to get a child to 18 years old, according to Child Poverty Action Group.
Here are my tips to saving cash when you're a new parent:
FIND MISSING CASH - First of all, read this story! Find out about any missing cash you're not claiming, like tax-free childcare or child benefit. You may be surprised to find out you can claim extra help.
GO SECOND HAND - If you need ANYTHING, first check to see if you can find it second hand. Facebook groups, eBay and even car boot sales are a great way to find things you need cheaply. I bought a Baby Bjorn bouncer from Facebook marketplace for £20 - I would never had paid £178 for a new one.
DON'T PAY A PREMIUM FOR NAPPIES - Big name brand nappies are a total waste of money in my opinion. I use own-brand ones from Sainsbury's or Aldi and they do just as good a job for a fraction of the price.
USE YOUR LIBRARY - Most local libraries will offer free rhyme time activities or stay and play events where you can meet other parents and have your kids entertained for free. As well as registering for free to borrow books.
TAX-FREE CHILDCARE - up to £2,000
Those not on Universal Credit or tax credits might qualify for tax-free childcare.
This is a government scheme in which parents or guardians can receive £2 free for every £8 put into an account.
Parents can get up to a maximum of £2,000 a year per child or £4,000 if their child is disabled.
The child has to be 11 or younger or 16 if they are disabled.
The money must be used to pay for childcare, including nursery, childminders, and break or after-school clubs.
It can be used to pay for holiday care or an out of school activity too.
However, it's important to note you cannot get tax-free childcare if you're claiming working tax credits, child tax credit or Universal Credit.
CHILD BENEFIT - £1,335
You can get Child Benefit worth up to £1,335 a year if you’re responsible for bringing up a child who is under 16 or under 20 if they stay in education.
Child benefit is usually paid every four weeks, but it can be paid weekly if you’re a single parent or receiving certain other benefits, like income support.
The benefit is paid at the following rates:
- £25.60 a week for the first or only child
- Or £16.95 a week for each subsequent child
You can get the money paid into any bank account.
You can apply for child benefit online by visiting www.gov.uk/child-benefit/how-to-claim.
Bear in mind that those who earn more than £60,000 a year have to start paying back some of their children's benefits through the high-income child benefit charge (HICBC).
You have to pay back 1% of your child benefit for every £200 of income over this amount.
If your income is between £60,000 and £80,000, the tax charge will be 1% of your child benefit for every £200 of income between £60,000 and £80,000.
The charge will never be more than the amount of child benefit you receive.
If you earn £80,000 or more you have to repay the full amount.
SURE START GRANT - £500
Through the Sure Start grant, new parents on Universal Credit can receive £500 to help with childcare costs.
The one-off payment doesn't need to be paid back and it won't reduce your monthly Universal Credit payment or tax credits.
The cash can be used to pay for anything that will ease the immediate financial strain on families when caring for a new baby.
New parents must claim the grant within 11 weeks of their baby's due date or within six months of their child's birth.
To apply, visit www.gov.uk/sure-start-maternity-grant/how-to-claim.
Only parents who are expecting their first child are eligible for the grant, so if you're about to have your second or third infant, then you won't be able to claim the payout.
HEALTHY START VOUCHERS - £442
The Healthy Start scheme supports pregnant people and families with young children.
The free cash support available can be used to fund groceries, including fruit, vegetables, and milk.
The scheme provides a weekly allowance of £4.25 for people over 10 weeks pregnant, £8.50 for the first year of a child's life, and £4.25 a week for children aged one to four.
That's as much as £442 worth of free food over the year for each child.
Eligibility is based on income levels and entitlement to means-tested
benefits such as Universal Credit or:
- Child tax credits (only if your family's annual income is £16,190 or less)
- Income support
- Income-based jobseeker's allowance
- Pension credit (which includes the child addition)
- Universal Credit (only if your family's take-home pay is £408 or less per month from employment)
For more information or to apply, visit www.healthystart.nhs.uk.
HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES & FOOD PROGRAMME - £100s
Most councils in England offer the little-known Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme to help provide childcare, activities, and healthy meals to children from low-income families.
As part of the initiative, children can attend sports, music, and arts clubs and enjoy a nutritious meal each day absolutely free.
Funding for the programme is allocated to councils in England from the government.
The exact help available depends on which part of the country you live in.
Most widely offer it to children already in receipt of benefits-related free school meals.
The care on offer can be worth as much as £376 over the summer holidays, providing a huge helping hand to families struggling between term time.
Contact your local council to see exactly what is available.
FREE NAPPIES - £10s
Parents can get a voucher and exchange it for a pack of Pampers New Baby Carry nappies.
It's easy to get the free vouchers - you just have to find the "squaddies" page on Pampers' website by visiting www.pamperssquad.co.uk/uk.
Once there, you have to fill in your personal details, including your home address.
Pampers will then send out a physical voucher within 28 working days which you can redeem at your chosen retailer.
It's worth bearing in mind though, the voucher only entitles you to one pack.
You can redeem the vouchers at a number of shops including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Boots.
Parents who download the will also get a free pack of Pampers Baby-Dry dry when they buy ten packs.
To claim your free pack, you will need to enter a code from inside the packet of nappies into the Pampers Club app.
Once you have entered the code, you will be given a stamp on a virtual loyalty card.
Once you've hit ten purchases, a free pack will be delivered to your home.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Huggies offers free packs of DryNites pyjama pants for older tots as a way for parents to test them out before buying.
Fill out the form by visiting www.huggies.co.uk/drynites/register to claim it.
OTHER HELP FOR BABIES
Free prescriptions and dental care
You can get both prescriptions and NHS dental care for free while you're pregnant, as well as for 12 months after your baby is born.
Prescriptions in England currently cost £9.35, while NHS dental costs vary by location.
To claim the free care, ask your doctor or midwife for a maternity exemption certificate (MATEX).
Baby banks and food banks
Families who are struggling to pay for meals are often referred to food bank run by the Trussell Trust or another community organisation.
The Trussell Trust runs a nationwide network of around 1,200 food banks across the UK.
You need to be referred to by organisations such as GPs, schools, or help organisations such as Citizens Advice to gain access.
However, specialist "baby banks" run by local organisations and charities cater specifically for parents who need to get essentials for their children.
Baby banks typically hand out free toiletries and essentials purchased from donations, as well as distributing second hand clothes, toys, and other items such as prams.
Children's charity Little Village also has an interactive baby bank tool of more than 200 baby banks UK-wide.
Find out more by visiting www.littlevillagehq.org/uk-baby-banks/.
Free baby food from Ella's Kitchen
Sign up to Ella's Kitchen through its "become a Friend" loyalty scheme and you'll be sent a free weaning pack with vouchers and other goodies.
The vouchers can be redeemed for free pouches of Ella's Kitchen food, and you'll also be given a weaning chart so you can track the progress of your baby's development.
A single pouch from Ella's Kitchen typically costs £1.10 from Tesco.
To sign up, you'll need to provide your name, address and details about your little one.
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