to be annoyed RE healthy pregnancy grant

[RedRedWine1980]

Especially as someone on facebook has mentioned going to Zara to spend it....is this just another ridiculous waste of public funds or what?

mummyinthevalley - you old cynic - if only I could waste such a glorious amount of cash of alcohol and a post pregnancy cigarette - how I miss the occasional puff.............

biddy - I have people trying to harpoon me with shopping trolleys

gibbon - there is only so much fruit that can fit in to add to the acidic tone of my hugely enlarged stomach - I find chocolate does a better job than gaviscon...........

superv1xen - am not going to flame you but am not going to pretend I approve of that either - slap your wrist - that money was for your dc not for you to squander on brand new rags!

I thought it was hilarious when I got it.. it was the craziest thing I'd ever heard of.

We spent ours on a weekend away (although we could ill afford it) purely because I felt it was the only time in my life I would get such a crazy present from the government and hey, I pay for others to get it out of my taxes.

I went swimming a lot on the weekend away and relaxed and destressed and it was lovely.

But YANBU. It's lunacy.

I used mine as part-payment for my HypnoBirthing course, which cost £250 in total. I do think it is a waste of money, but I claimed it anyway as DH and I are basically entitled to nothing, ever. We both pay a fortune in income tax (more than the average salary each year paid in income tax by each of us) so £190 back was quite nice.
Agree it should go though, and we didn't need the money.

I think the reason it isn't 'means tested' is because with all the extra work involved to find out if someone qualifies, it is just cheaper to give it to everyone and not everyone claim it.

Mine is going on some comfy shoes and nursing bras, and possibly more pillows. All pretty important i think (although, if i have to stay on bedrest than the shoes might not be that important....)

I've worked hard and paid what to me is a lot of tax over the last few years, and it's been frittered away or wasted (including on initiatives like this). So I'm going to claim my £190 happily and treat it as a well deserved tax rebate, and will put it aside for the little'un in a bank account.

@TSC thanks for reminding me about the Surestart things.though will have to wait a bit to see if we qualify too...

PLEASE GOD someone tell me its means tested and not everyone gets this??

This should be the first thing to go.

Next, Child Trust Funds.

I think SureStart maternity grants should go, too.

Get real, people, this country is in serious financial trouble.

It's NOT means tested in the same way that child benefit is not tested. I think it will go in the budget and most people won't kmiss it as they don't need it.

You have to apply for it and some don't get round to doing so - many people do though and it can be used for many things. I think the "Health in Pregnancy" title is a bit of a misnomer - why not just call it "pregnancy grant" to reflect that most people use it to buy some baby item or other.

Interesting that people here disapprove of it and yet many are claiming it anyway.

Get in quick girls as it'll be scrapped on Monday.

I think it's crazy that people bitch about it and then claim it! If you don't need it the MW doesn't force you to sign it and put it in the post It's very hypocritical to say that it's a waste of money but then enjoy spending it on nice things for yourself.

I agree mostly expat but for some families the maternity grant is a real boost towards getting the stuff a baby needs. Admittedly though I have seen it go on a hifi system too.

I have seen others on a low income make their £500 go a long way though - cots and prams have been bought with it (often second hand) and one teenage Mum invested in second hand washable nappies, cot, pram, (both second hand) and a reconditioned washing machine for the nappies. I was impressed with her thrift. I think that grant needs to remain - the rest could go though.

Perhaps you should be able to get these grants just once then, £500 to spend on baby things should be enough for any family.
If you have more children you have to shock horror use what you bought first time around, like everyone else.

Sorry, Jolly, but I'd like to see SureStart go as mamatonomy suggests. For the first child and that's it.

Cuts will have to be made. Deep, painful ones.

I'd rather see stuff like this go than more vital jobs in the public sector, tbh.

People on benefits who qualify for it will also get more Child Tax Credit once the baby is born and for the first year of its life.

It's sad but things are going to have to change for everyone except perhaps the super-rich.

I can't believe it doesn't come in some kind of voucher form as you could go out and get your next fix with it!
A friend told me that you don't get it until after 25 weeks because that is the cut off point for terminations, otherwise people could get pregnant, get grant, have termination etc etc
I agree it should be means tested or scrapped. However like everyone else i am going to apply next week (if it is still around)

Maybe this is the real problem with society... that people feel the need to grab absolutely everything they can even if they don't agree with it

I'm going to apply if it still exists (I'm 11 weeks now) and having read this thread am going to look for some kind of antenatal swimming /fitness class to spend it on. It would have just 'gone in the pot' otherwise.

The healthy thing isn't necessarily how you spend it.

The grant was set up to encourage women to have ante natal care - hence signed off by the midwife. As part of that care, you get advice on staying healthy in pregnancy. Basically tis a big bung to sit and listen whilst they tell you stuff.

Rubbish though. Should go ASAP.

well i paid £195 for a private nuchal scan today as i dont get one where i live, so my healthy preg grant will be to cover that.

I've a sneaking suspicion that it'll go on Monday but if it doesn't I'll claim ours and if I'm being honest it'll come to an NCT nearly new sale and hopefully get me a buggy amongst other things.
Just to add I eat very healthily - the idea of eating crap is enough to send me off into a corner to throw up still lol!

I don't think that private nuchal scans are a good way of spending the gimick health in pregnancy grant.

It's a screening test, not a diagnostic one, and if there's nothing to suggest that you should have an increased risk, it's likely to do more harm than good.

Only had a skim so sorry if this is duplicating

The healthy eating but is to do with the healthy eating (i.e. soft cheeses etc) advice you get when you access ante-natal care and advice about gestational diabetes etc

The grant is an incentive to access antenatal care and all that that involves (including lifestyle advice). You don't get it unless you've had antenatal are and been given life style advice.

There was a problem with women turning up to labour wards who hadn't seen a midwife throughout their pregnany, this grant was a way to address that problem (dunno how effective its been though?)

So people are not being unreasonable to spend it how they wish, they had improved their health in pregnancy outcomes if they have it because in order to get it you need to have 'booked in' with a MW

Women that are pregnant just now (near the end) surely they will still be able to claim for the HiP grant? I'm 32 weeks pg and hoping to get the form signed when I next see MW at 34 weeks. Forgot at the last two appts!