Having a Baby Never Cost So Much (US)

[GennGreymane]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...ebook-business

very other week, hosts Jenny Kaplan and Lindsey Rupp guide you through the consumer universe, breaking down what's going on with all the things people buy.

Having a baby costs more than ever. Average American parents will pay about $245,000 to raise a child born in 2013 to the age of 18, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And that's just for the basics!

It isn't just higher costs that are changing the business of raising babies, industry experts tell Jenny and Lindsey in this episode. These days, new parents rely more on technology, care less about brands and are more attuned to product ingredients than previous generations. Since people are waiting longer to have babies, they generally have more resources and plain old know-how when they do.

Moms and dads with prior business experience are getting into the game themselves, creating even more competition. Mainstream companies such as Johnson & Johnson, once the only option for new parents, are struggling to keep up with changing demands as customers flock to upstarts like the Honest Co. for products they can trust.

[Mister Cheese]

http://files.explosm.net/comics/Kris...e.png?t=ADF04F

How I feel about kids.

[EventHorizon]

I remember the average number being less than a third of that for people my age.

That's why we're sticking to cats for now; maybe a dog in a few years.

[Berengil]

Reproduction is obviously a necessity for a species to survive, but it is a ridiculous decision on an individual level; usually motivated by emotionalism or religious beliefs.

To reproduce is to commit one's self to a staggering amount of work and expense over at least two decades. Small wonder then that logic mitigates against making that decision.

[Deathquoi]

Reproduction is obviously a necessity for a species to survive, but it is a ridiculous decision on an individual level; usually motivated by emotionalism or religious beliefs.

To reproduce is to commit one's self to a staggering amount of work and expense over at least two decades. Small wonder then that logic mitigates against making that decision.

It's a well known fact that parents receive absolutely no benefit from having children. My parents regularly lament their decision to have four.

I can see you stroking your neckbeard through your monitor.

[Berengil]

Lots of work and money, yes, but it can be very rewarding at the same time. For many, being a parent brings meaning and happiness to their life.

My point is made in the underlined and bolded sections. It's an utterly irrational decision. No one has to have a child to be able to pay their bills, breathe, eat, or have water to drink. By definition, it's unnecessary.

Now, I do lots of unnecessary things, but none of them demand hundreds of thousands of dollars over the better part of two decades.

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It's a well known fact that parents receive absolutely no benefit from having children. My parents regularly lament their decision to have four.

I can see you stroking your neckbeard through your monitor.

I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at with this. And FYI, I shave every day. Have to for where I work.

[Aori]

My daughter is worth every penny, I have no desire for a second though.

[Rasulis]

It's a well known fact that parents receive absolutely no benefit from having children. My parents regularly lament their decision to have four.

I can see you stroking your neckbeard through your monitor.

All four of you still live in their house? If the answer is yes, then I can understand their lament.

All kidding aside. One my neighbor just complained to me about having both his children back home. They kept trying to leave the nest, and they kept coming back. The poor guy just rolled his eyes when he told me this.

[Tennis]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...ebook-business

If you really are going to be a good parent you would plan your life around your kids. If this deters some greedy parents then so be it.

[EventHorizon]

It being irrational can depend on the person. For parents that are struggling to get by and can't afford children, yet do, yes, that would be an irrational decision, even if it's emotionally rewarding. For parents that can afford children, it's not really irrational and can still being very rewarding.

Life isn't black and white, where we only make robotic and logically decisions.

Agreed... if you're a couple struggling financially already. Don't until you can afford it as it will only add more stress/strain to the situation. Same if you're on the verge of splitting up and think it might make things better.... unless you're the rare exception, it doesn't work for long because kids are a bundle of stress and handicaps only exacerbates that.

My parents had to deal with some crap over the years but they never miss a moment to tell us they are proud of what we became, even if it's different from their "plan" from when we were 1-10 years old So I guess kids can be pretty nice to have from that perspective.

While logic is important and all, relying 100% on emotions or logic is not a way to live. I'm pretty sure that's where the neckbeard comment comes from @Berengil. Don't want kids? That's completely fine. You merely seem to be a tad biased and acting like kids are utterly useless and not worth the trouble which is a bit ironic since had your parents felt the same we wouldn't have the pleasure of your company today.

[MrKnubbles]

Think of all the stuff I could buy with that money.

[dextersmith]

Add to that the average geek who dwells in his mother's basement 'til 40 because he's afraid of work and girls.

[Berengil]

While logic is important and all, relying 100% on emotions or logic is not a way to live. I'm pretty sure that's where the neckbeard comment comes from @Berengil. Don't want kids? That's completely fine. You merely seem to be a tad biased and acting like kids are utterly useless and not worth the trouble which is a bit ironic since had your parents felt the same we wouldn't have the pleasure of your company today.

Well, objectively speaking, they are useless. When I ask for reasons from people who had kids, it's a bunch of emotionalism/customs/tradtions/religion and other such things. All of which are objectively unnecessary.

I even asked my parents once why they wanted children and surprise, surprise. It was a combination of religion and " well that's just what you do."

And if they thought the same as I do now and didn't have me, well then I wouldn't be here to care, would I?

[Orlong]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...ebook-business

And thats a bullshit number too. I dont think I even spend that much on myself in 18 years. That probably takes into account college expenses and parents arent responsible for paying for college. Let the kids take out student loans for that like I did

[Pratt]

I'll just add that deciding to have a child is the most environmentally unfriendly decision the average person can make in his or her lifetime.

[Deathquoi]

My point is made in the underlined and bolded sections. It's an utterly irrational decision. No one has to have a child to be able to pay their bills, breathe, eat, or have water to drink. By definition, it's unnecessary.

Now, I do lots of unnecessary things, but none of them demand hundreds of thousands of dollars over the better part of two decades.

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I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at with this. And FYI, I shave every day. Have to for where I work.

What I'm getting at is that it's a very neck bearded thing to say "ah, yes, those silly people making emotional decisions".

[Berengil]

What I'm getting at is that it's a very neck bearded thing to say "ah, yes, those silly people making emotional decisions".

Ok, understood. It's certainly not that I'm some kind of Vulcan in disguise. I have emotions but I know better than to listen to them about most things.

And I simply don't see the point in doing something that costs dump trucks full of money if I don't 100% have to.

[Crissi]

That's fine if its not for you. However plenty of people are ok with sacrificing that money for kids. It may be illogical, but pure logic isnt always good. Humanism and emotions have their place.

/modhat

Also, lets cut uot calling people names because of different opinions guys

/nomodhat

[Fencers]

Admittedly, I underestimated the cost of raising kids myself. We helped take care of my sister's children for so long I felt having our own kids wouldn't be that much more than helping my sister out.

I was grossly incorrect.

Everyday, everyday, I must spend money on my (beautiful) hellspawn to keep them alive, fed and clothed. The speed at which children grow out of clothes, or destroy their clothing is astonishing. The amount of food they consume is shocking. Also there is mucus everywhere.

Given unlimited resources, I would have babies till my uterus fell out. I love my kids.

All that said, I feel like a lot of baby products are bend you over. Like I went to the store to get some wash cloths for my daughter. Well, they were like $8 for a pack of three. Diapers are basically highway robbery.

We spent $180 on clothes for my kids last week. Not even good clothes- it's just cheap crap to throw on in a hurry. By the way, I spent about that amount like 3 weeks ago on clothes for them. This occurs like every 3-4 weeks given the rate of clothing decay my kids affect.

Honestly, it shouldn't cost like $15 for a plain pullover sweater my son will outgrow in a month or so. That's even assuming the pullover will survive a month with my son. My daughter's clothes are even more pricey. Again, I am buying them cheap stuff just to keep up.

Niche products are one thing, as the podcast here attests, but I would say the day-to-day products are way overpriced for babies and young kids. Combined with feeding these animals- goodness.

[Berengil]

That's fine if its not for you. However plenty of people are ok with sacrificing that money for kids. It may be illogical, but pure logic isnt always good. Humanism and emotions have their place.

/modhat

Also, lets cut uot calling people names because of different opinions guys

/nomodhat

I didn't mean any insult, Crissi. But maybe you're referring to the guy calling me neckbeard. That doesn't offend me.

I suppose my mental block on this is that I can't see doing something that's both expensive and devoid of practical purpose. It was a bit of a disappointment to my parents when I told them they are never going to be grandparents, but to their credit they respected my declaration that the subject was closed. Mainly because I told them that continuing to bring it up would cause a significant decrease in my contact with them.

They tried to shove so much tradition/custom/organized religion on me that when I turned 18, I tossed it away fast.