Advice on saving for your child's future

[Throwntothewolves]

I have been saving money for DS' future. This is currently in my own savings account. I'm aware this isn't the best place to store it, particularly for tax purposes.
I'm looking for recommendations on how and where the money could be saved to maximise interest, save on tax, but also prevent him being able to access it as soon as he turns 18, to avoid him possibly blowing the lot. He's a young teen just now, and I don't know how responsible or otherwise he will be with money at that age.

A JISA is usually the best way to invest, but it’d be his at 18 to do with as he wishes.
A SIP (Pension) with no income can have contributions of £2880 a year, topped up to £3600. It’s not accessible till 10yrs below state pension age, so 58 at the moment. I read that a pension contributions of £2880 a year from birth - 67 would conservatively yield a 1.5m pension, so well worth starting as young as possible! Compound interest doing its thing.
Other than that, a high interest account is probably your easiest option.
ChatGPT is usually pretty good at giving advice on this kind of thing.

If I had my time again I’d do stocks and shares savings for the kids so they get investment growth.

I have S&S isa in my own name for kids. The plan is to transfer it to a S&S Lisa in their name at age 18 (or whatever replaces the Lisa. I don’t want a Junior ISA for the same reasons as you.

We save for the kids in our own name for two reasons:

If we put money in their name and we need access to it for an emergency that wouldn't be possible - more important that the kids are not traumatised by an event that leaves the whole family homeless if the money in their accounts could have kept a roof over our heads.

We really did not want our kids to get a lump sum at 18 and we did not want our kids to know about a lump sum (it might not be there anyway - see above) we want them to learn to save for their future, we want them to learn good money habits - self imposed money habits. We would prefer to give them a lump sum when they are in the right place. We are more concerned with ensuring our kids have the right motivators in life than we save money on tax.

We have set them up with a Sipp, we intend to pay off their student loans - they don't know this - part of me wishes we paid for their uni education upfront but then I remember ds screwed up his first year exams, if I'd paid for everything I know I have been too invested, instead he knew it was all on his shoulders including the debt and he wised up and I didn't get involved other than to give support from a distance. And when the time comes they'll get a generous deposit to go alongside their own deposit savings.