I need some advice! To the moms who went from one kid to 2, how do you afford it? Do both kids go to daycare? Do you stay home or work full time? I am wanting to expand my family. I have a boy that’s 2 1/2 right now, turning 3 in December. I don’t want a huge age gap but there is no way I could afford to pay for 2 kids to go to daycare, and if I stayed home, we wouldn’t make it by on my husbands income. Do I wait until my son is old enough to go to school? Any advice is appreciated.
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I could never have afforded more than one in daycare, but made just a little too much for daycare subsidies (I’ve heard the waiting list is years long anyway) so I waited till my daughter was almost in kindergarten to have another. I also wonder how anyone can afford multiple kids in daycare. All the moms I know with multiple kids under 5 have family that watch them free.
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You do exactly what works for you. If you would have to cut expenses to stop working to stay home do it. If you have to change your line of work to part time or from home etc do so. If it would be too much of economic hardship do you need to wait then do so.
I have 5 children two of which are in daycare the other 3 are 14,10,8 and manage staying home during the summer. I pay just over $1,500 a month for my 2.5 yr old and 7 mo old. Because working full time benefits us more than me staying home. You need to sit down and find out what works for you.
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Wait until you’re able to afford a second child
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Do an honest calculation of what it costs you to work. Gas, lunches, clothing, etc. There are so many ways to cut costs that you might be surprised and could live on 1 income. Also, my husband and I worked opposite shifts so the kids were always with one of us.
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Don’t have a second one if you already know that you’re going to be struggling financially. It’s selfish to do to the child you already have.
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I would wait I have 3 kids one being 4 months old, and it is impossible to find someone who doesn’t charge a arm and leg to watch them, I try to work opposite shifts than my boyfriend just so we don’t have to pay for a sitter
We sacrificed our time with one another to raise babes. One of us worked mornings the other nights. You just need a strong relationship foundation. The kids will grow up one day.
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Wait the extra year until your son is in school if you can’t afford daycare for two, sadly the way things are going though life is getting so unaffordable that big families are going to be impossible to have after awhile. 
My husband made twice what I did, and pretty much my entire paycheck went to daycare and then preschool 2 kids. I kept working so I wouldn’t be put on the “mommy track” derailing my career, and so I could hold medical insurance for the family if my husband lost his job when contracts ran out. Kids are expensive. Friends have 2 kids 10 years apart. They get along great & always have. If you’re young, you have time to wait a few years.
Keep in mind babysitting costs, buying birthday presents for kids’ friends, family medical expenses (plus will you need to save for elder care for your aging parents?), activity fees, uniforms, equipment, parties, allowances, school supplies /uniforms, private school tuition if desired, and rising costs in general. Save more if there’s a chance your kids could need vision correction, help with neurodivergence, other special needs, or tutoring.
Long-term you’ll want to save for trade school/certification/college expenses, retirement for you and your partner, plus long-term care insurance when you’ll inevitably need help towards the end of your lives, and anything else you’re saving for (house, travel, car, emergencies).
Don’t have another child if you can’t afford one. It costs about $375,000 to raise a child to 18, more if you’re in a major urban center. Only children are great if you raise them right!
Be the daycare…stay home and watch someone else’s child while home with yours.
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We have 4 children. I found work from home jobs (there are a TON, just have to look and research the companies before you go with them). I worked at night when everyone was sleeping. Or typically from 8pm-4am. I’d sleep from 4am-9am and get up with children. I did that thru my first 2 children. When I got to child 3, I stopped working. I was too drained. My husband usually worked higher paying jobs. We cut out any expense we didn’t need (car payment, cable, eating out all the time, etc). So it was manageable. Then we had baby# 4 and he decided he was done working his butt off so everyone else at the company could be rich. We started our own small company. I own it and run the books, customer, etc, and he does all the psychical work. We had also bought a small piece of land (2.7acres at $230 a month till paid off) and put a used mobile home on it (we paid $3000 for it and put $5000 worth of upgrades in it over time). This has made all of this more doable, less stressful, I have a garden to help with groceries, make lots of things homemade (snacks, bread, gummies, etc, and chose to live life vs working to live. Depending on where you live, what career your husband has, and what options you have, you may come up with a better solution.
To be honest, we barely afford it
We have 4 - aged 6 and under
1 in ‘big school’
2 in day care
1 still at home
We both work full time
Swimming, gymnastics, jiu jitsu, soccer.
Subsidies barely make a dent. And not entitled to any other Centrelink payments/benefits
Cost of living is killing us right now.
We’re literally -500 each month and scrape where we can
For those that are going to say then why have 4 if you couldn’t afford them
When we had the kids we could afford them. But then interest rates went up and our 2% fixed rates expired. Cost of living is still going up
My point is you might be able to afford them now but you might not always
OR
You might not be able to afford them now but you won’t always
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My kids are 2.5 years apart and it was hard. The 2 year old was coming out of diapers so potty training and a newborn was hard. I worked full time but I was so exhausted. Two in daycare was very tough. I got financial assistance with the childcare costs which definitely helped but without that I don’t think I could’ve done it. Both are in elementary now & it’s so much easier.
Life is hard & inflation is sky high right now— I don’t see it getting any better in the near future. Everything is so expensive.
I don’t really have any good advice, but I had Irish twins within a year apart in 2016 so I had two in diapers & two in the baby room at daycare while I worked full time. It was difficult financially but somehow I found a way. I had to really budget and move around my expenses & cut where it wasn’t needed.
It’s only temporary and the days seem long but the years are short. They won’t be little forever & will eventually go to school when daycare expenses will be a thing of the past for you.
We work opposite shifts he works days7-3 I work evenings 5-11. So that way one of us is home with the kids. This year I’ll finally be able to switch to days because both boys will be in school. Daycare is outrageous here so that was never a option. Our boys are 6 & 4. Just know that we don’t get to spend time with each other until the weekend so it sucks but we’ve managed…just have to have a strong relationship. I can say that I’m relieved I’ll be able to work days soon so I can be home when everyone else is home!
My partner found a better job making 3x as much, that way I could stay home. Ive done the math and daycare alone would cost us almost $1000 a week. Once we factored in the other expenses of me working, it was worth it to stay home.
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Pre school may be cheaper than day care. My toddler will be going to pre school for $80 a week. So one in daycare and the oldest in pre school
I just want to give kudos to you on taking the time to think about it and everything involved. Instead of just getting pregnant and figuring it out later by jumping on government assistance. It isn’t a decision to be taken lightly so good on you for trying to establish a plan.
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Adopt. Grandparents. If. You. Don’t. Have. Them
You think it’s expensive then, while in day care, just wait til their older 