What do I do if I am 18yrs old and in college but want a baby?

Answer 1

Wait until you finish college, get married and then have a baby. You'll be able to give the child a much better life then. If you have one now you are just being selfish.

Answer 2

Personally, I don't think having a baby at such a young age is beneficial either for you or the baby.
However, if your maternal instinct is so strong I think you should try the mommy-life out a bit before you go ahead and have a baby of your own. The best thing to do is find a job as a baby-sitter or kindergarden teacher or volunteer for some kind of organization that deals with children. Or, even simpler, spend some time with a baby-cousin or nephew or neighbour!
In this way, you can really see how life with a child is and learn a bit about the disadvantages as well as the advantages before you throw yourself into the "fire" of motherhood.
Good luck in taking the right decision!" :)

Answer 3

There is nothing wrong with wanting a baby at this age or situation. I would suggest if you want one first you have to be in a stable relationship with someone that you know for a fact will be around. Second, make sure this baby would be taken care of, enough money, time, patience, love, etc. Third make sure you are ready for it. I dont see anything wrong with it though. I am 20 and in my 3rd year of college and currently trying to conceive. I am in a stable relationship and getting married in 5 months. I have a home, and enough money to care for the child and provide it with what it needs. If I am still in school when the baby is born, I am going to take a semester off and then cut back the amount of semester hours. Do what you want just make sure that the child and yourself will be taken care of. I hope this helps you. Good luck on whatever you choose.

Answer 4

Trust me-- you don't want to be a parent in college. It is not ideal. I had my son my sophomore year of college, and it was immensely difficult.

I'm not sure why this is a situation you'd seek out. Babies are a lot of work, and it's thankless work. You can kiss your days of partying (or whatever you do) goodbye. Your friends will lose interest in spending time with you when they realize you're stuck at home with the baby all the time. Unless you leave the kid with your mother all the time (which is irresponsible) you can plan on spending the next few years at home with your child, simultaneously working on your schoolwork and trying to earn money to support yourself. You will rarely see your child, because you'll be at work or at school. And you'll be exhausted and feel under-appreciated. Trust me on this.

That said, if you are already pregnant, you will have to make the best of it. It's not impossible to be a parent in college. It can be very rewarding. But as someone who has been there and IS there, I would advise you very strongly to finish college and find a good husband before even considering having children. It's not as glamorous as it may look.

Answer 5

Ask yourself
Why do I want a baby?
How will my family feel?
Do I have enough money?
Will the father be around?

My suggestion is to finish school and get a good job first. Then you will get maternity leave $, possibly benefits and you will not have to rely on others to take care of your baby financially. You will still have the same opportunity to have a baby in 1,2 or 3 years from now and your education will only ensure that your baby has a good chance from the start. Wait. Your time will come.

Answer 6

You should establish yourself financially before you have a child, otherwise you do that child a disservice. You should give your child the best opportunities you can muster for it, and you'll have some difficulty handling a young child and college at the same time, and then what if you want a Ph.D, or to go to graduate school for any sort of higher degree? Your child will be around 7 and you still wont have a stable financial situation, having just finished school. Wait until you know you can support yourself in some mostly permanent sort of situation before even considering having a child.

Answer 7

This may sound bizarre, and I might get flamed, but I this is your body talking, not necessarily your head and common sense talking. I know that doesn't make alot of sense, but I can tell you from personal experience that before I got pregnant, I wanted a baby from the time that I was about 12 years old (I started my menses when I was about 11). It's the primitive urge in us to procreate that makes us think that we want a baby. So many babies are born to girls under 18 because they thought a baby was going to be a solution to all of their problems, when it caused more problems. I'm not saying babies are bad or horrible, but they are blessings when they come at the right time in your life.

Remember that a baby comes with a huge amount of responsibility. You have another person to think about. If you are lonely on campus and want companionship, make new friends, join clubs! A baby is not a solution to loneliness.

Wait until you find a guy that you want to marry for all of the right reasons, and then have babies with him.

Answer 8

You may really want a baby right now, but I guarantee you, it is a really really bad time to have one. You would definitely not be happy for long, and I suspect that down the road you would regret your decision to have a baby so early in life. It might be a hard thing to do, but just try to wait until you have finished your education (and preferably have a man around to help support you and the baby) and can provide a much better life for it than you can right now. If you want an idea to help discourage you, try to think about working two minimum-wage jobs and paying for daycare and never getting to be around your baby anyways. If you just wait, you will be so glad you did.

Answer 9

Wait until you graduate from college and hopefully get married. Why not provide a child with the best possible living environment and hope for a good life? If you have a child when you can't afford it, when you don't have sufficient time to devote to it or a supportive, full-time partner, you are robbing the child of a decent chance. You have a lot of living to do before becoming responsible full-time for another human that has HUGE needs.

Answer 10

WAIT!!! Finish school, fall in love, get married and do it the right way. The urge to have a baby will pass. I wanted the same thing when I was 18 and I waited. I am 25 and still have no children and couldn't be happier! I have figured out that I am just now starting to think about maybe being ready for a child of my own. 18 is too young! Think about it...you will need a sitter for New Year's, girl's night out, dates, your 21st (and who really want to take care of a kid while hungover?), your wedding, your honeymoon, vacation, and forget about just running to the store, shopping, or adult conversations...have I made my point?

Answer 11

Don't do it. Get your college degree so you can get a higher paying job once you are out. You should meet the man of your dreams, get a little money in the bank, then have a baby that you both can share.
Having a baby because you WANT one is a selfish reason. That child deserves a father who is there and wants it to be there.