Families hit hardest by the cost of living crisis are having to ration their babies to one nappy a day, a charity has said.
Some struggling households are having to make extreme cutbacks and leave their tots in an uncomfortable state all day.
The findings come from Little Village, which supplies essentials such as nappies, clothes, cots, and prams to families in poverty across London.
Members of the charity have seen an alarming rise in the number of people who rely on its services.
CEO Sophie Livingstone said she fears for their futures as she detailed the "vast upswing in grim situations and horrible circumstances" witnessed by the charity.
"It’s babies in one nappy a day and babies getting sores because they’ve been kept in one nappy," she told Camden New Journal.
Image:
Getty Images)"We started to see it in the summer but we had people getting in touch last winter who were already struggling when bills started to increase.
"Many families are finding that their money still isn’t enough to make do."
Record inflation rates are taking a toll on the next generation of parents, with some experts warning that 1.5 million households will struggle to afford food and energy.
Shoppers are facing a 60 per cent rise in newborn essentials at the checkouts, according to The Grocer.
Young babies often need changing a dozen times a day, while older tots need to be changed around six to eight times.
Image:
Getty Images/Tetra images RF)Taking the example of a £9.60 pack of 32 Pampers active fit nappies in Tesco – costing 30p each – that could cost up to £18 per week on diapers alone.
Pampers products rose in price over the summer across supermarkets including Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons.
Some products increased by several pounds within a month, leaving parents more cautious at the checkout.
Ms Livingstone stressed that the cost of living is already having a drastic impact on families, with some having to sit in the dark, share a weekly bath and sleep in the same bed to keep warm.
The charity head said just living pay cheque to pay cheque just isn't doable for some anymore and there is "a massive danger there with newborns too."
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She added: "It is not enough to work anymore. There’s all this thing about working families, working people, but working isn’t paying enough.
"The safety net has got so many holes in it’s not even a safety net anymore."
Ms Livingstone shared one example of a family who use the charity's services and were referred to a food bank but could not afford the bus fare.
She referred to the crisis as a "horrendous tsunami" in her heartfelt efforts to raise awareness of the situation.
