The charity, which supported 8,529 children in total in 2023, claims when its referral form is open, a family is referred to the baby bank on average every 45 seconds.
CeCe told Big Issue that she was first told about the Little Village baby bank during a midwife appointment, and was given a referral that day.
“I literally broke down at the midwife appointment,” she said. “She was so lovely to me… she referred me, and I really didn’t believe it until I got the phone call.”
CeCe added: “When the items arrived, I definitely realised this is coming from a charity that loves children. Because everything they sent was beautiful. I was so impressed. And then that takes the shame away.”
She explained that she’s a person that “doesn’t like to ask for help”, and that she appreciated Little Village offering “essential items” like clothes, bedsheets, books, and bottle sterilisers rather than her having to list everything she might need.
“That was what made me feel so cared for,” she said. “The anxiety just faded. It faded, because I just don’t want to have to ask.”
She added that the baby bank has continued to offer her items as Eden has grown, leading her to donate several items back to Little Village after she no longer needed them.
“What was nice was that all the things that she had grown out of, I knew that I could now donate them back, because I’ve looked after them so well… It felt really good to do that, and that’s what keeps them [the charity] going,” CeCe explained.
CeCe explained that being given much-needed items for newborns can be the most effective way to help families struggling with the cost of living. She explained that parents can often face barriers when receiving other forms of aid, like universal credit, which means you still have to pay up-front for expensive baby items.
“There should be a set amount of essentials that the government says, ‘This is what the baby needs to enter into the world,’” she told Big Issue. “And the government should be supporting places like Little Village, absolutely. It should just be a staple. The government absolutely has to help fund it.
“They need to look after children, not from primary school but from birth.”
Debra Kroll, a midwife from University College London Hospitals, explained that baby banks can provide a “real lifeline for expectant mothers struggling with the ever-increasing cost of living, ensuring that they have the necessary resources to welcome their little ones with warmth and dignity.”
Sophie Livingstone, chief executive of Little Village, added: “It makes me extremely angry that we live in the sixth richest country in the world and families are in this position. It doesn’t need to be that way. We need some anger in society and some recognition that we won’t stand for this.”
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