Baby Basics: Charity helping struggling families with newborn babies describes demand for help

Baby Basics, a charity which provides baby supplies to families struggling to afford the essentials, supported over 10 per cent of new babies born in Sheffield in 2022.

The charity gives out 50 moses basket “starter packs” to families with new babies every month. That equates to helping 600 out of the 5,705 babies born in Sheffield last year.

Alongside handling 250 referrals every month, the charity has been dealing with reduced donations and increased demand due to the cost of living crisis.

Bethany Millward, Sheffield Centre Coordinator, said: “It basically means that we’re having to do more with less. You would hope that a social worker would be able to provide these things for a family in need, but they can't.

“The people who are referred to us could be dealing with anything, from fleeing domestic abuse and having left everything behind, to it being two working parents who are struggling to provide.”

The charity also estimates, based on the number of referrals it handles and the number of children living in Sheffield at a given time, that 25 per cent of infants aged five and under received support from them in 2022.

Bethany added: “We wish we could work ourselves out of a job. But while we're needed, we’re going to be here.”

The charity is spending around £2,000 each month on toiletries for referrals, which previously had been provided by individuals who bought and donated the items.

Some of these toiletries go into moses baskets, which contain everything that a new parent should need for the first few months, including a brand new mattress, bedding, blankets, clothing and bibs.

Bethany has noticed people selling their own items rather than donating them, as this is money that can be put towards their own, increasingly expensive, food shop.

She said: “We don't know what this winter is going to look like. It's probably going to be our busiest winter yet. There's a very positive attitude of ‘we will do it, we don't know how, but we will.’

“It's a challenge, but at the end of the day we do it because we love doing it, and because we want to help the people who need it.”

The centre, based on Glossop Road, has around 45 volunteers. It is appealing for more to help pack and sort donations, particularly people who can come in for an afternoon during the week.