'My baby has more money than me despite being nine months old'

A mum says her nine-month-old has more money than her - after saving £4,000 throughout her pregnancy so her daughter can have an "easier life".

Aromi Afoladi, 30, decided to save £600-a-month during her pregnancy to put towards her daughter's clothes and baby items. The mum and her partner, 30, an accountant, had expected the cost of raising a baby to be expensive but after receiving clothes and gifts from family they were able to put the £4,000 aside in savings instead.

After welcoming their daughter in December 2023, they hosted a naming ceremony, traditional in their culture, and were surprised by family who friends who donated around £2,000 in cash and gift cards. Aromi put the amount into a junior ISA for her daughter to have access to at aged 18 - which now has £3,000 in after interest was added.

They say their nine-month-old daughter has about £7,000 to her name, while the couple have no savings after putting their money into buying a house. Aromi, a product manager, from Tower Hamlets, London, said: "She has more money than me because our money is going into the house and I'm on maternity. We're very fortunate. She has £7,000 and she's nearly 10 months old."

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Aromi found out she was expecting in April 2023. She said: "When I found out I was pregnant we knew babies are super expensive."

"We decided to put savings away."

They had planned to use the savings to buy all the necessary items such as baby clothes, a breast pump and furniture and saved around £4,000 over the pregnancy. Aromi said: "We did spent some of the money on a travel buggy - about £500."

But when Aromi received most of the items she needed at her baby shower as gifts she was able to put the money aside for her daughter instead. She said: "Pretty much everything was gifted. It was really shocking. It was still her money to use.

"We kept it in my partner's ISA account. It got a lot of interest - that money has gone up by 15 per cent."

After giving birth in December 2023, Aromi had a naming ceremony with family and friends. She said: "We're Nigerian and there is a cultural naming ceremony when the baby is born.

"You have a party where you introduce a baby to your family. People gifted her tonnes of money. It was about £2,000 and we were gifted so many gift cards for John Lewis and Next.

"I've just finished spending them."

The parents decided to open a junior ISA for their daughter and put in the £2,000 but Aromi had her fears about it at first. She said: "It is scary. If you'd given me money at 18 I wouldn't have it anymore.

"But when we talked about it it's about wanting your child to have an easier life. It doesn't mean she has to use that money to buy a house, it can be an experience.

"Anything that makes their life easier. I have to let go of expectations for what she's going to use that money for."

"It's her choice. It's her money."

Aromi does sometimes dip into the savings in her partner's ISA but this is always spent on her daughter - such as on sign language classes. She said: "We kept the money we saved separate."

They have now decided to add that money into their daughter's ISA too - after realising they can afford nursery bills on their salaries when Aromi goes back to work. She said: "We acknowledge we're extremely fortunate to have all the family gift us stuff to put her in this position.

"We encourage family instead of buying her toys if you feel inclined to gift her something to get her money for her junior ISA."