Where to go for free baby milk including food banks and applying for Healthy Start vouchers

Cash-strapped parents are reportedly resorting to stealing milk and watering down feeds in order to manage the sky-high costs of infant formula.

But if you're struggling to afford baby milk, here are some schemes that might help.

The cheapest formula?

Research by the charity First Steps Nurtrition says the price of formula has rocketed by 24% on average in two years. While the only ‘own-brand’ formula is now 45% more expensive than it was two years ago.

However, experts say there is actually no ‘best’ range when it comes to choosing infant milk because what goes into baby formula is strictly controlled by UK food production rules and regulations. This means that the core ingredients are almost identical, making no one product or range any better than the other.

A report by Which? in March this year found that it was Aptamil at the time which was the most expensive milk – priced at just over £12 for an 800g tin of first milk.

While Cow & Gate, at the time of the report, was the cheapest priced at £9.25 for the same size packet.

The same research declared Asda the cheapest supermarket from which to purchase formula and Waitrose the most expensive.

Healthy Start vouchers

If you have at least one child under four and get certain means-tested benefits - including Universal Credit or Child Tax Credits - you could be entitled to extra money to buy milk, fruit and vegetables through the government’s Healthy Start scheme.

Families get a digital card and every four weeks are given extra cash to spend on fruit and vegetables, cow’s milk and infant formula. Learn more about the application process here.

Charities concerned about the rising price of formula are campaigning for an increase to Healthy Start cash in order to help the money go further, but the scheme at present offers:

• £4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week
• £8.50 each week for children from birth to one-year-old
• £4.25 each week for children between one and four-years-old

Food banks and baby banks

While there are no laws against it – not all food banks offer infant formula as a result of Unicef guidelines caution which raise concerns that it can be problematic if youngsters were offered the wrong type or were regularly switching between makes.

However charity Feed, which campaigns to end infant feeding inequalities, has an interactive map on its website detailing food and baby banks which do stock infant milk for those struggling.

And it would be always worth checking with your nearest bank – which may be able to provide vouchers or cash in place of the milk itself if you’re desperately in need of emergency help.

Specialist milk

If your baby requires a specialist milk – for example one that is lactose free - it is possible to receive NHS support with this.

Your GP, midwife or health visitor will be able to guide you towards help with certain milks that are available on prescription from the surgery if required and signed-off by a medical professional.

Local authority help

All local authorities – or social services departments – says UNICEF should have ‘pathways’ to getting people emergency access to formula.

However, recent research by charity Feed declared that in most cases the emergency provision pathways were ‘inaccurate’ with some local authorities not providing any at all and instead relying or directing people to local food banks.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service suggests that parents who are struggling to speak to their health visitor about extra help – who may be able to refer a family for emergency or even out-of-hours provision should it exist locally.