“How Expensive Is It to Raise Kids in This Day and Age?” Part 1

Choosing to start a family is an exciting and life altering decision, but when making this decision, do you really think about the price tag that comes along with kids?

WHIZ’s Emily Baird explores what it costs parents during their kids’ early childhood years in the first part of her series, "How Expensive Is It to Raise Kids in This Day and Age?"

"Children, as anyone who has them knows, are expensive, " says Job and Family Services Deputy Director, Beth Durant.

The United States Department of Agriculture conducted a study last year that shows parents-on average- spend about 12 thousand dollars a year to take care of a two-child family.

Breaking the expenses down, it says housing accounts for most of this figure at 32 percent, with food second at 16 percent.

So how do you know if you’re financially ready to start a family?

"I’m not really sure that you know exactly when you’re ready financially. If you waited until you were financially ready, you’d probably never have children…(laugh), " says Zanesville parent Grant Gibson.

Grant and Sherrie Gibson have been married for more than 40 years. They have eight children and have fostered between 20 and 25 kids.

"I was looking back through our records when our first sone was born in I believe 1968. The doctor bill was $268. When our last son was born, it was nrealy $800, that was just the doctor bill, " says Grant.

Genesis Healthcare System lists its 2009 Patient Price Information online. Normal labor and delivery costs are about three thousand dollars and having a C-section is closer to five thousand dollars, but these prices will vary, depending on your insurance.

Once you bring the baby home, Sherrie says breastfeeding is a good idea.

"That is the cheapest way because formula over the years has gotten more and more expensive, " says Sherrie.

Then she says there’s diapers, baby food, and baby wipes, to name a few necessities. She and Grant say running to the store became a habit.

"Several times a week. I was going to say every day, but I didn’t want to be quite that honest, " says Sherrie.

Then there’s baby furniture expenses, such as a stroller, crib, changing table, and play pen.

"Over the years, they’ve come up with more and more things we need, you know. We did without them back then, " says Sherrie.

So what happens if you run into a bind financially?

Job and Family Services in Muskingum County says it provides basic services that can help.

"They still are the safety-net services. The cash, the medical, the food stamps, " says Durant.

Durant says these services are for people who find themselves in a bind without work or without income.

Grant and Sherrie say they are fortunate that they didn’t face that and were able to rely on Grant’s sole income to raise their family. Sherrie says she is so thankful that she was able to stay home with the kids.

"That time goes by so quickly. You can’t ever recapture that ever, " says Sherrie.

But some families aren’t as fortunate and need two working parents’ incomes. That also means an additional expense for a daycare or childcare provider to have someone look after the kids.

At Genesis Healthcare System’s daycare, that amount can range anywhere from 100 to 150 dollars a week, and in the current economic times, that amount may not be feasible, especially for families who have parents out of work.

Yet, Durant says these parents are finding other ways to help out their kids.

"What we may not have in income at this time, maybe we have more time to spend to make up the difference and can invest time in their lives, " says Durant.

I’m Emily Baird for WHIZ News.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the costs involved in putting a child through school.