Cost of raising a child

[rh71]

full-time daycare for our twins by my mother-in-law = $1600/mo. We lucked out because she is available. Other than that and diapers, monthly, I foresee costs for activities which can easily be over $100/mo./child. Most others are not big enough factors to throw in a monthly budget.

We are actually moving into a bigger house soon so you can add that, but having another kid and another kid doesn't add into the housing cost thereafter which is the point of these calculators.

 

[keird]

My wife and I are very lucky to avoid some of the higher costs for our 11 month old. She works part time, I'm full time and we structure our schedule around my work hours. One of us is always at home with our kid, so we avoid day care costs. She also can still breast feed, so there's some big savings, too. I don't make much (~50k) and she's making far less, but we're managing so far in Massachusetts.

 

[Engineer]

<---- Has two kids.

Answer: A shitload.

Edit: And it rises exponentially.D:

 

[rivan]

#1 - They all suck. Public education is pretty much nothing more than daycare these days, and I can say that from experience.

I'll have to strongly disagree here. While I'm really new to the game (first kid just starting kindergarten) I can tell you, beyond a doubt, that there is a major difference in school districts, and anyone telling you otherwise has either an agenda or is just plain ignorant.

This district:
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MO/district/12010/search.aspx
is NOT the same as this district:
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MO/district/09720/search.aspx

Not in ANY way, shape, or form are they the same. Ratings aside (I've got no clue about that site or it's ratings), demographics matter. The first one is in and around here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferguson,_Missouri
where the per capita income is ~$17k. The second is in and around here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton,_Missouri
where the per capita income is almost TRIPLE that, at ~$48K.

From that follows the following gross generalizations: far higher tax base and generally smaller families. The first area is very roughly 50/50&#37; black/white, the second is 85% white. The first area has mostly run down homes on smaller lots, the second has a range of home sizes but overall much larger and newer, all of them very well kept.

Further generalizations based on limited but actual experience: the people in the first area place less emphasis on education and are far less involved as parents in their childrens' lives than those in the second area. Community college is an achievement. Single-parent homes are very common, as are children living with relatives other than their parents. Drug use and addition occurs at rates far above the regional average. Schools are, in fact, treated as daycare centers. Partnership between parents and schools is limited.

The second area/district is far more often a single-income home, but with both parents in the home. Great emphasis is placed on education, and college is expected. Drug use isn't non-existent but it's usually kept very quiet or well within control. Schools are more often viewed as a tool to help prepare a child for college and eventually the world.

These schools are more than the buildings they occupy - they are social settings in which your child learns things. They will take cues from their peers on how to learn, how to behave and what to value. If you think there's no difference in the peers they'll have in those two school districts, you're in for a shock.

The reality is that you cannot now, nor could you ever treat your school as the only source for your child's education. To treat schools as daycare (as many parents do) is irresponsible as a parent and unfair to both your child and your schools. You are your child's primary educator, no matter where they go to school.