Here are some UK baby freebies to help you cut down those crazy parenting costs!
We start by looking at free stuff you can get during pregnancy, then continue through to samples and giveaways for both mother's and baby's.
Baby freebies to get before you give birth
Bounty Mum-to-be-Pack. You can pick up your own Mum-to-be-Pack by Bounty at Boots, Asda, Superdrug or Kiddicare. The pack is stuffed with try-before-you-buy samples and products, plus lots of money-off vouchers and exclusive offers to help lower the cost of your pregnancy.
There's also a little added help in there too, with Bounty's Baby Product Guide which is filled with expert reviews on products available and what you might need for your bundle of joy to suit all budgets.
Emma's Diary also offer free Mum-to-be-Packs which include Pampers & Johnson's baby goodies. The site also offers some more added bonuses if you join them for free.
Free dental treatment and prescriptions. You’re entitled to free dental care and prescriptions while you’re pregnant and for one year after the birth. Get the paperwork to fill in from your doctor, midwife or health visitor so you can apply for a Maternity Exemption Certificate.
If you live in Scotland, you may not even need a prescription to get free medicine for a minor illness or ailment while you’re pregnant, as long as you’ve registered for the Minor Ailment Service.
Free clothes and baby equipment. If you're on a low income, you may be able to get help from the charity Care Confidential. Here's a list of centres offering free clothes and baby equipment.
Free 'baby on board' badges from C2C and Transport for London. Just fill out a form and a badge will be sent by post.
Free pregnancy books. Get pregnancy and children’s books for free using book swap sites like readitswapit.co.uk and bookmooch.com. (In your baby’s first year, you should also get a free Bookstart baby pack from your health visitor.)
Free vitamins, milk, fruit and vegetables. If you receive certain benefits, you may entitled to free vitamins, milk, fruit, vegetables and infant formula while you are pregnant or have a child under four-years-old under the ‘Healthy Start’ scheme.
Cheap contraction timer. You can use this software to time your contractions. It costs £1.28 and is available to download on Android.
Baby freebies to get after you give birth
Child Benefit. You can currently claim Child Benefit as soon as your baby is born. Just fill in this form once you have your baby’s birth certificate. You'll get £20.70 a week for your eldest/only child, and an extra £13.70 for any additional children.
However, Child Benefit is now restricted for families if one parent earns over £50,000 and withdrawn completely from families where one parent earns over £60,000.
Free help with colic and crying. Massage can provide relief from colic, as can swaddling - so read this free baby massage guide and get free step-by-step instructions on how to swaddle your baby. If you do find that you’re up all night with a crying baby, download Samuel L. Jackson reading the hilarious ‘Go the F**k to Sleep’ for free at audible.co.uk (when you sign up for a 30-day free trial, £1.49 otherwise). It might just keep you sane.
Tax Credits. Nine out of 10 families with children are entitled to tax credits, according to HMRC, but around 1.4 million fail to claim each year. The rules are complex, but to sum up, there are two types: Working Tax Credit (worth up to £1,960, plus £2,010 a year to couples and lone parents) and the Child Tax Credit. The Child Tax Credit Rules changed in 2017 and up to £2,078 for your first two children. You'll only get benefit for more children if exceptions apply. You'll only be eligible for the additional £545 family credit if one of your children was born before 6 April 2017. Check whether you qualify.
Free nappies. Get a free Jumbo box of Pampers and Huggies nappies (one of each!) when you sign up, enter a survey or competition and refer a friend at Free Nappies. You can also grab a free sample of Greenty 'Tea Therapy' nappies from Greenty by filling in a form.
Various other freebies and offers are available to mothers who sign up to Mum and Baby online.
More top baby freebies
Free baby recipes. Get your hands on free news, tips, advice and recipes. You might also get your hands on free gifts and samples.
Informal get-togethers. Meet up with other expectant and new parents at a National Childbirth Trust Bumps & Babies event. Most of these are free, though some may charge a 'nominal fee' to cover their costs.
Free tooth chart. Print out this free baby tooth chart to keep track of when your baby starts teething.
Free nappy rash cream. Take this survey, and get a free sample of Bepanthen nappy rash ointment. This can apparently be used even on the highly sensitive skin of premature babies.
Free baby soother from Nûby. Just fill in your details to get your free soother.
Free baby wipes and nappies from Mamia. Head over to Aldi's Facebook page to get your hands on your free samples before 25 June 2017.
Free potty training aids. Don't go potty trying to teach your baby on your own. Get one of these free potty training charts and printable stickers. Also, pick up a free sample of DryNites Pyjama Pants to manage bed-wetting, and you'll also receive a voucher for £1 off your next pack.
Free tips on changing nappies, massage and more plus money-off vouchers at Johnson's Baby. Johnson's free BEDTIME baby sleep app might help you out too.
Join these clubs and get baby freebies
Many baby clubs offer freebies as well as online forums and advice. You have to join to be eligible for the freebies though. If you don't want to get spammed, set up a separate email address that you can use for all the registrations.
Here are some details of the clubs out there, and the freebies they offer:
10 Advantage points for every £1, free magazines containing expert advice and free gifts from the Boots Parenting Club.
Free Huggies Pull-Ups when you complete a form to access their School of Toilet Training.
Free goodie bags, guides and samples from the Bounty Parenting Club.
Bag £200 of Argos money off vouchers from Emma's Diary.
Free calendar, samples, discount vouchers and expert advice from the HiPP Baby Club.
Over £100-worth of exclusive discount vouchers from My Mothercare.
Sign up for a Toys R Us Gold card and you can join the Mother & Baby Club, where you'll earn one point for every £1 spent on minimum spends of £10. You'll be sent money off vouchers twice a year to boot!
Free coupons from the Pampers club (you need to tick the box to receive mailings which will contain these).
Personalised content and surprise goodies from the SMA Baby Club.
Local baby product guides and discounts from the Baby Directory.
Pregnancy & baby development calendars and test products from the MAM Club.
Free baby pack, coupons and freebies from BabySamples.co.uk. Choose from a boy or a girl pack.
Get ready to find party ideas, send invites and get 20% off your child’s birthday present when you join the Early Learning Centre's Big Birthday Club.
Free cuddly cow, pregnancy diary, tips and money off vouchers when you join the Cow & Gate Mum and Baby Club.
Free nutrition guides and expert advice from the team of midwives, nutritionists and advisors Aptaclub.
Hear about the latest deals and offers, and be the first to know about new competitions when you join the Asda Baby and Toddler Club.
Free parenting magazines, free samples, trials and voucher codes when sign up to Your Baby Club.
Some Freebies and discount vouchers for all sorts of family activities are available from Littlebird.
Free nappy trial and exlusive discounts and offers when you become an ambassador to eco-friendly Naty.
Join Freecycle, Freegle and Snaffle Up. These are not technically baby clubs, but they are free mailing lists which allows you to post free Wanted advertisements and get stuff for free. Baby items in perfect condition often come up, so it's well worth joining your local groups.
So that's the financial side sorted. Good luck with the rest...
This is a classic loveMONEY article that is regularly updated
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