Want to save money? Try the baby aisle

Everything from cotton wool balls to wet wipes, soap and talcum powder are cheaper when sold as baby products.

In fact eight out of ten comparable items cost less in the baby aisle, according to a money saving website. And the savings can be significant – sometimes as much as 80 per cent.

Stores are keen to tempt parents with new babies through their doors by offering attractive prices in the hope of capturing their loyalty over the long term.

Young families are often struggling with heavy bills when a baby arrives and are particularly cost-conscious.

Most will also be spending a lot of money on other related products such as disposable nappies.

By contrast other shoppers generally would not even visit the baby products aisle and would therefore be unaware of any price discrepancies.

The research by money saving website Voucherbox.co.uk reviewed mostly own-brand baby products sold by Boots alongside equivalent ownbrand regular products.

A standard box of 200 cotton buds came in at £1.05 as a cosmetic accessory for adults, but 59p as a baby product. A

‘Cost-conscious parents’

pack of 100 cotton wool pads was £1.69 as a standard product and a cheaper £1.39 if sold as a brand for babies.

It is £1 for a 25-pack of Boots Essentials Fragrance Free Wipes, while it is possible to get a pack of 64 wet wipes for a baby for just a little more at £1.10.

A box of Boots Fragrant Disposal Bags, which contains about 50, is 99p versus 50p for a pack of 100 fragranced nappy bags.

And a 75g container of Boots Oil Of Evening Primrose Talc is £1.39, while a 200g bottle of baby talc is just 99p.

The researchers believe the pattern is likely to be similar at supermarkets.

Voucherbox general manager, Marco Piu, said: ‘ It seems unreasonable that there is such a big variation in prices between baby and regular products. We can only imagine the reason stores do this is to attract cost- conscious parents.

‘Of course a shopper without children wouldn’t even think to look in the baby aisle, cost-conscious or not.

‘ This is proof it’s worth checking other aisles for better deals before making your purchase.’

Boots said some of the products were not directly comparable. It added: ‘We are committed to offering great prices on great value products, and expert advice to customers.’