Rise of the baby roomers: Why more young people with children are moving back in with their parents

‘Being a parent is wonderful, but the costs can be overwhelming,’ says 25-year-old Chloe Crichton from Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire.  

‘We were scraping by. We couldn’t even afford a food shop.’

In 2021, Chloe’s partner Ethan lost his job as a result of the covid pandemic, and it became a struggle to manage the cost of looking after their then-ten-month-old son, Jayce.

Running out of options, she decided to ask her mother if the family could move in with her, to help them get back on their feet.

‘I went to my mum’s house and said, “Is there any way we can move in for a bit?”

‘She was really supportive, but obviously a bit apprehensive to have three of us moving in. I’m really grateful for it, because I don’t know where we would have been if we couldn’t move in with her.’

They stayed with Chloe’s mother for around nine months until April 2022.

Chloe and Ethan are far from alone in facing these circumstances. In fact, they form part of a worrying new trend of ‘baby roomers’: young families returning to a parents’ home because they are struggling to keep up with rising everyday costs. 

Difficult decisions: Crichton now looks after her children full-time, as the cost of childcare is more than she would earn in her career as a mental health support worker

One in ten young families say they would move back in with their parents in order to save money, according to figures from comparison site Moneysupermarket shared exclusively with This is Money.

Those with children under the age of three spend an average of 76 per cent of their income every month on bills and essentials, Moneysupermarket says.

This leaves around £700 in disposable income for each young parent, £200 less than the average person, the comparison site said.

Chloe says she and her partner spend more than £200 on parenting costs per month alone. 

With three children now, having had two daughters Marnie and Robyn in 2023, Crichton looks after her children full-time. 

This saves the couple money, as the cost of childcare is more than what she would earn in her previous job as a mental health support worker.

Getting back on track 

‘I had no idea how expensive having a baby would be. It was a lovely time, but we were spending so much money, first to prepare and then when Jayce arrived,’ Chloe says.

The family’s finances saw a huge boost as a result of moving in with Chloe’s mum, helping them to get things back on track. 

‘We didn’t have any rent to pay, we didn’t have our own bills to pay, we just paid my mum a small amount of board,’ she says. ‘We managed to save a lot of money.’

Of course, while there are financial benefits to moving back in with parents, this isn’t always an easy process, and it can put a strain on relationships between family members.

Crichton, her partner and son in tow, stayed with her mother for around nine months until April 2022

‘Me and my mum had a fair few cross words during that time, but we’re fine now,’ Chloe said.

‘We’ve moved out now we’ve got our own place again, so our relationship’s great, but it was definitely difficult at the time.’

She added: ‘Once you move out of your parents’ house, you sort of get your own way of living, and then moving back in with a little boy, it was difficult.

‘We had our own bedroom but our little boy had to come in with us, so that meant he stayed in the room with us longer than we would have liked.’

In the time since Chloe’s experience of moving back home, Moneysupermarket says things have only become worse for young families.

In the twelve months to September 2025, school and childcare costs have increased by as much as 23 per cent.

As a result of these rising costs, more than a third, some 35 per cent, of young families say they are now ‘struggling to make ends meet’, while 46 per cent have experienced anxiety over their ability to pay essential bills.

Three quarters of young parents have reduced their essential spending, and 25 per cent say they have cut back on the amount of food they buy.

Kara Gammell, personal finance expert at Moneysupermarket, says: ‘Families across the UK are continuing to feel the squeeze as everyday costs climb. For parents especially, making the most of your money has never been more important.

‘If you’re feeling anxious about money, you’re not alone – our research shows that almost half of parents of young children under four worry about paying essential bills.’

Moneysupermarket warns that it is not just parents who are struggling, with the average Briton spending £55.26 per day, up eight per cent year on year from £51.13.

This is on the back an 18 per cent rise in vehicle fuel costs and 10 per cent on groceries.