Home The Pros & Cons of Cord Blood Banking for Parents

The Pros & Cons of Cord Blood Banking for Parents

17.12.2025

9 mins of reading

If you're expecting a new addition to your family, you may have heard about cord blood banking. Before you make a decision, it's important to understand the pros and cons of cord blood banking.

If you’re expecting a new addition to your family, you may have heard about umbilical cord blood banking. Before you make a decision, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of cord blood banking, how it works, and whether it’s a good idea for your family.

Cord blood banking is a personal decision. Some parents see it as a form of biological insurance, while others decide that public donation or no banking at all is the right choice for them. This guide is designed to give you a clear, balanced overview with no pressure that you can come back and read over again if you need to, so you can make an informed choice based on your baby, your family history and your values.

[Post updated December 2025]

What is cord blood banking?

Cord blood banking is the process of collecting blood from your baby’s umbilical cord and placenta after birth. This blood, often referred to as baby’s cord blood or child’s cord blood, is a rich source of powerful stem cells, specifically haematopoietic stem cells, which are responsible for forming:

Red blood cells
White blood cells
Platelets

These healthy stem cells can be used in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation to treat a wide range of serious medical conditions.

Cord blood would otherwise be discarded as medical waste, along with the placenta and umbilical cord, once your baby is born.

What are cord blood stem cells used for?

Umbilical cord blood stem cells are already used in standard clinical practice to treat over 80 different diseases, including:

Blood cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma
Blood disorders such as sickle cell disease and sickle cell anaemia
Immune system disorders and immune deficiencies
Certain genetic disorders and metabolic disorders

Cord blood transplants are often used as an alternative to a bone marrow transplant, particularly for children, as cord blood stem cells are more adaptable and require a less exact genetic match.

There is also ongoing medical research and clinical trials exploring the future use of cord blood and cord tissue stem cells in conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorders and acquired brain injury.

Pros of cord blood banking

Life-saving and life-transforming treatments

Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of haematopoietic stem cells that can be used to treat serious blood diseases, genetic conditions, immune system disorders and blood cancers.

Cord blood transplants are already part of standard care for many conditions, and ongoing medical research continues to expand potential treatment options.

Family banking & genetic matching

When you store your child’s cord blood privately, it may also be used by a family member, such as a sibling.

Siblings have a higher chance of being a suitable match
In some cases, a perfect match may be possible
This can be particularly important if there is a family history of genetic disease, immune deficiencies or blood disorders

Non-invasive, safe collection

Cord blood collection is:

Painless for both mother and baby
Carried out after the baby is born
Compatible with delayed cord clamping

The collection uses a sterile collection kit and does not interfere with the birth process. The blood is taken from the umbilical cord after it has been clamped and cut.

Higher tolerance in transplants

Cord blood stem cells are more adaptable than bone marrow stem cells. This means:

A less exact genetic match is required
Lower risk of rejection
Greater chance of transplant success in some cases

This is one reason cord blood transplants are increasingly used worldwide.

Cord tissue banking (additional option)

When banking with Smart Cells, families can also choose to store cord tissue, which contains a different type of stem cell.

Cord tissue stem cells are currently being researched for regenerative medicine and may play a big role in future therapies.

No risk to mother or baby

Cord blood banking carries no medical risk to either the birthing parent or baby. The cord blood would otherwise be discarded as medical waste.

Here one of our customers, Vogue Williams, talks about why she decided to bank cord blood for both her son, Theo, and daughter, Gigi:

Cons of cord blood banking

Cost considerations

Private cord blood banking involves:

Collection fees
Annual storage fees

For some families, this can feel like a significant expense. However, many parents view private storage as a long-term investment in their child’s future health, particularly where there is a known family medical history.

Smart Cells offers flexible payment options and long-term storage packages designed for families. You can see the cost of cord blood banking with Smart Cells here.

Likelihood of use

Statistically, the likelihood of a child needing their own cord blood is relatively low. However, this varies significantly depending on family history, genetic risk factors and emerging treatments.

Importantly, private banking preserves future use, including treatments that may not yet exist.

Advance planning required

Cord blood collection must be arranged before birth. Most parents organise this 4–6 weeks before their due date, though last-minute arrangements can sometimes be accommodated.

This means thinking ahead and including cord blood collection in your birth planning.

Public vs private cord blood banking: what’s the difference?

One of the most important decisions expectant parents face is whether to choose public banking or private cord blood banking.

Public cord blood banking

With public cord blood donation, your baby’s cord blood is donated to a public cord blood bank for public use. The cord blood unit is listed on international registries such as those linked to the National Marrow Donor Program, where it may be used by a suitable match anywhere in the world.

Key points about public banking:

There is no cost to donate
The cord blood is available for anyone who needs it
You will not be able to access your own cord blood later
Not all hospitals participate
Many donated units are discarded if they don’t meet volume thresholds

Private cord blood banking

With private banking, your baby’s umbilical cord blood is collected and stored exclusively for your family’s future use in a private blood bank.

Key points about private cord blood banks:

The cord blood remains available for your child or a family member
It may be used for autologous transplant (your child) or family use
There are collection and annual storage fees
It provides long-term access for potential future treatments

Public vs Private Cord Blood Banking: at a glance

Feature	Public Banking	Private Banking
Cost	Free	Collection & annual storage fees
Ownership	Public use	Family use only
Access later	Not guaranteed	Guaranteed access
Use for siblings	No	Yes
Use in future therapies	No	Yes
Availability	Limited hospitals	Nationwide

Why ethnicity and mixed-race background matter in cord blood matching

When parents are considering cord blood banking, one important factor that is often overlooked is how a baby’s ethnic background affects the likelihood of finding a suitable match from public cord blood banks.

This comes down to the way stem cell matching works and how donor registries are currently composed.

Public cord blood banks and donor diversity

Stem cell transplants, whether from cord blood or bone marrow, rely on matching certain immune markers called HLA types between donor and recipient. People from the same ethnic background are statistically more likely to share these HLA types. This means that a person’s ancestry plays a key role in how likely they are to find a match from a public bank.

However, existing public cord blood banks and unrelated stem cell registries are not evenly representative of all ethnic and racial groups. In many countries:

Donor pools are disproportionately composed of people of white or Caucasian ancestry (one study showed the figure was 64% Caucasian), making it relatively easier for patients with non-diverse backgrounds to find matches.
People from Black, Asian, mixed-race and other non-White backgrounds face lower matching availability in unrelated donor pools.
For example, in unrelated adult donor registries, only around 37% of transplant recipients from minority ethnic backgrounds receive the best possible donor match, compared to 72% for Caucasian people (NHS Blood and Transplant)

Even in stem cell registries that include cord blood units, the total number of units from minority ethnic groups remains lower relative to the diversity of need, which contributes to disparity in finding matched units.

You can read more about this in our article on the importance of private cord blood banking for mixed-race families.

These disparities matter because:

Public donation may still save many lives, but a baby from a non-White or mixed-race background might be less likely to find a perfect or near-perfect match for a transplant under a public system.
Even though cord blood transplants can tolerate less stringent matching compared with adult bone marrow transplants, having a more closely matched unit can improve transplant success and reduce complications.
For families with known genetic conditions or a family history of diseases that may require stem cell treatment, securing an exact match becomes more important, and private banking ensures that an exact match (your baby’s own cord blood) is available if needed.

In short, while public cord blood donation is a valuable and generous option, and one that supports the wider community, private banking offers guaranteed access to your baby’s cord blood unit, regardless of ethnicity or how representative public registries are.

We also have collaborated with LMRUK, a organisation who provide a more accessible way to store their child’s cord blood with financial assistance through the Model Cell Biobank.

What do medical organisations say?

Some parents are concerned by references to organisations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American College of Obstetricians, which often encourage public donation over private banking for low-risk families.

These guidelines are based largely on population-wide cost-benefit analysis — not individual family circumstances.

Many healthcare providers agree that private cord blood banking can be a reasonable option where:

There is a family history of genetic conditions
A sibling already has a medical condition
Parents want guaranteed access for future therapies

How cord blood is used in transplants

Cord blood may be used in:

Autologous transplants (the child’s own cord blood)
Family-member transplants
Certain approved therapies and clinical trials

Cord blood stem cells differ from embryonic stem cells and are ethically uncontroversial.

Is cord blood banking a good idea for you?

Cord blood banking isn’t right for everyone. It may be worth considering if:

You have a family history of blood diseases or immune disorders
You want guaranteed access to your baby’s stem cells
You are interested in emerging regenerative medicine

Talking to your healthcare provider can help you assess your child’s risk and your options.

You can find out more about cord blood banking at the below links:

Cord blood banking is a deeply personal decision for expectant parents. Understanding both the pros and cons, including public vs private options, allows you to choose what feels right for your family.

Whether you see cord blood banking as biological insurance, a medical safeguard, or an opportunity to support future research, having clear, balanced information is key.

If you’re interested in cord blood banking and want to know more, please get in touch with Smart Cells here.

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