They say that life starts after finishing college. Working a full-time job, figuring out how to live on your own, paying taxes, rent and still trying to go out sometimes can get pretty tough. At one point, you will probably think about starting a family, and that’s when the big decisions come up. Of course, one of the greatest joys in life is to have children, but you have to be aware that nothing will be the same after you make this decision. Here are a few things you need to know if you’re thinking about starting a family:
Are You Both Ready?
According to The Spruce, half of all children in the United States will witness the ending of a parent’s marriage. Considering this statistic, you and your partner should be very honest to one another and discuss if you both are ready to have a child. Having children is a major change in your life and you need to be sure that you and your significant other feel secure enough about your relationship in order to become parents.
New Financial Plan
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, middle-income parents will spend nearly $227,000 in 17 years for children born in 2010. In order to provide what’s best for your family, your spending habits will have to change, because your old financial plan will no longer be relevant. There are a lot of new expenses that you should consider, the usual ones like: diapers, toys, feeding bottles, but also bigger investments like medical care for the child. You might have to give up on some things that you enjoy, but it will definitely be worth it at the end of the day.
Insurance
Your health insurance might be enough for your current needs, but you have to think about if it’s going to be enough once your baby comes into the world. The best thing you can do in order to be prepared for the expenses that come with having a baby, is to purchase a pregnancy health insurance. Hospitalisation and birth can get very expensive and that is why it’s best to get these expenses covered by insurance, maybe one that can also protect a new born baby if he/she requires medical attention after birth.
Home and Car
You should ask yourself if the place where you’re living now has enough space for a baby, or if your neighbourhood is suitable for raising a child. If not, you might want to start looking for a new place to stay, because your baby is going to need his own room. Also, you should consider whether your home is safe for a baby to crawl around or not. Start baby-proofing, fix anything that needs to be fixed around the house and do it before the baby comes home. Babies require a lot of gear in their first years of life, but one of the most important is a car seat. If you don’t have one before the baby comes into the world, how are you going to bring him home?
Bringing children into the world is not an easy thing to do. It requires lots of thinking, planning and changing almost every aspect of your life, but it might the best thing that you ever did.
