The impossible cost of having a baby in London

Skipped meals, no toys, and reluctant moves to the suburbs — the harsh reality of starting a family in the capital

A young mother travelling on the Tube during rush hour in 2023. Credit: Jeff Gilbert

Morning — £20 a day after the mortgage and bills for you, your partner and two children. Could you do it?

That’s the budget of one London family who’ve spoken to today’s writer, Lateefah Jean-Baptiste. After their outgoings soared during the cost-of-living crisis, the family say they no longer have enough to get by. Cutting back has meant declining invites to other children’s parties to avoid the embarrassment of not being able to afford a gift. They’ve also turned to food banks.

They’re not alone — London is now a hostile place for many trying to raise a family. And it’s being borne out in the stats, with the city’s birthrate falling significantly in the past decade. Londoners are being forced to move away, or to just not have a baby at all.

There’s at least some support incoming. In a Spy exclusive, City Hall has confirmed taxpayer cash is being unlocked to fund a new support scheme for London’s struggling families. But bigger hurdles, like the city’s housing crisis, still loom large.

The impossible cost of having a baby in London is below.

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No wonder Londoners aren’t having babies — most of us can’t afford the basics

By Lateefah Jean-Baptiste. *Names changed to protect privacy

As a thirty-year-old Londoner, the prospect of starting a family in the city is now playing on my mind. But I admit, when I speak to other Londoners like Mary* and John*, I worry if I’ll ever be able to afford it.