Why do people seem to think it costs so much to have a baby?

Question

Why do alot off people think it costs so much to have a baby... When it doesn't. Me and my partner have 3 children and he's the only one employed... Choldren who are spoilt just learn to grow up wth no respect for anybody. Money cant bye love and thats what children need most!!

Answer 1

i think the most you spend in one go is the start up ,the pram ,furniture ,nappies etc
after that its not to bad just christmas but you don't have to go overboard .
i do agree with you.

Answer 2

It depends, I gave up work for my first son 14 yrs ago, so I suppose some people would work out that having a child has deprived me of 14 yrs earnings!
Some people have to go back to work so they then have childcare to pay!
some people buy a bigger house with their growing family!
I don't think it's a matter of spoiling your kids that can cost money,
it's all the other considerations! If I had not had my 4 children financially I would be made! However as we all know, no amount of money or possessions can replace having children, they are truly a wonderful gift, and I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't feel the same way, and like you rightly say money can't buy love, but we'd all love more as it gives you choices!

Answer 3

While having a baby can be very inexpensive, there are a lot of costs associated with it for most people:

- Pre-birth expenses like clothing, vitamins, doctor visits, etc.
- Loss of work time
- The cost of the birth itself- doctor, hospital, etc.
- Formulas, foods, vitamins, etc.
- Baby health care
- Clothing
- Diapers and diaper care
- Basic supplies
- Loss of income- either because you don't work or are paying a sitter
- etc., etc., etc.

Sure- it can be done very inexpensively IF you replace time for money. You made that choice. Being a stay-at-home mom (and God bless you for making that choice!) allows you to save a ton of money that others would have to spend.

Washing diapers, mother's milk, home-made foods, not too many toys, and so on are all healthy, cost-saving options that usually result in happier, better kids.

For most people, the 'cost' they are thinking of is not so much the toys to spoil the child with as it is the sheer number of little things that add up over and over that they have to buy since they don't have the time to do it another way.

Answer 4

Let's see.. there's the extra food (for the mother if she's breastfeeding, or formula if she's not, and also food for the baby once he/she's onto solids), extra clothes (which they'll outgrow every couple of months), feeding implements (especially if bottle fed, with bottles, sterilising equipment), nappies and nappy changing facilities (or for the environmentally conscious, extra laundry with nappies), a cot, a separate room for when they out grow sleeping in the same room as the parents (average cost difference of a new home with an extra room is £100k), nursery costs if both parents work (not everyone can get into or want council run nurseries, and depending on where you are, private nurseries can be very expensive - circa £5500 a year), the list goes on and on and on.

Answer 5

You are right, it does not need to cost a lot of money to have children, but for them to have a nice happy life does cost a few pennies. I have two children and I am constantly having to buy them new clothes, shoes, school books etc. I also try to have a lot of fresh fruit and veg in the house. And when we go out anywhere, there are always drinks etc to buy. I don't think that having kids needs to cost a fortune, but I have certainly noticed the difference in how much money we spend!

Answer 6

When I was growing up my mother couldn't afford to put my brother and I in brand name clothes(my father never paid child support), and walmart wasn't really around then. So we wore thrift shop clothes (second hand clothes) This made things hard for us at school, getting teased and such. Years ago I told my husband that if we ever did have children, that they would wear brand new clothing because of this, I don't mean tommy but just brand new in style clothing. This has been expensive and will continue to be as she gets older, but it is worth it. Our daughter is only 14 months, but I can say having a child thus far has been expensive with a crib, playpen, dresser, high chair, baby gates and such the first time out...yes very expensive, but it is wise to invest in good quality furniture, toys and clothing that will last. They make convertible cribs that will take an infant to toddler to teen with one bed. This is what we bought our daughter and in the future will only have to buy bed rails and a mattress and box-spring for her. Our daughter is spoiled, but I don't think it's going to make her disrespectful, as long as she is taught proper values and to respect people.

Answer 7

First off, you are right that children need love. But they also need stable homes and not every family that provides well for their kids is spoiling them. I can tell by the way you write that you are fairly uneducated, and while that doesn't make you a bad parent, it does mean that your priorities are different from some other people's. Most of us want to provide the best for our kids, through education, extracurricular activities, etc. Love alone is not enough; kids need opportunities to grow and expand their minds, and frankly, that sometimes costs money. It is irresponsible to think that loving your kids is enough: it is the most important thing, but not the only thing

Answer 8

how are you supossed to buy clothes, school equiptment (with uniforms costing upwards of £100 a year in some south-east schools),cots and beds, prams, give them a balanced and healthy diet when good food costs so much.
Plus, just because money is spent on children doesn't make them spoilt.
And what about the financial stability of you and your partner? If he loses his job you have you and your children to support.

Answer 9

I do agree that people seem to over exagerrate the cost of children, but they are certainly not cheap either, the inital costs of buggies,cots etc can amount up to a hefty sum ( i know !) but now we have all that we dont seem to spend fortunes on our son, i agree children need love but it is also nic for them to have nice things and not all spoilt children grow up like you said, my best friend is definately spoilt, even still now in her 20s but you would never know it, she is probably a nicer more respectful person than me !. i think a good balance is what children need. it worked for me and im sure it will for my children

Answer 10

I agree with you somewhat. I had my son at 17 and I didnt have a job and his father and I broke up when my son was 3 months old. I did it on my own for 8 months and managed going to school everyday and still giving him everything he needed with 50 dollars a week from his father. It was hard but I managed. Although now my son is spoiled all to pieces by his grandparents so its been a lot harder because he constantly wants something in a store. But it doesnt take a whole lot of money but it does take enough money especially the newborn and toddler years!!!

Answer 11

I agree that children are to spoiled. My husband and I have 2 boys, One is 27 months and the other is 4 months. The initial cost, furniture, clothes, bottles, etc. is a lot, but for the second one, the only thing we've bought is diapers, wipes and baby Tylenol.I think it is just like anything else, it is as expensive and extravagant as you make it.