Average monthly cost of having one child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, I can barely believe what some of you are paying.

We paid nothing in child care until our oldest was 5 and our youngest was 2. We also bought clothes from thrift stores, traded babysitting with neighbors and used (used) cloth diapers. And potty trained before 2. (HUGE cost savings)

Now we pay $800 a month for full time preschool for 2 year old and $50 a month for aftercare for our 5 year old. Total cost will go down to $100 a month for both kids when 2 year old turns 3 and starts at DC public school in August.

$0 for classes (enrichment at school is included in aftercare cost).
$2k for both kids for 6 weeks camp this summer

Food? Minimal, they eat what we eat.
Clothes? Maybe $300 a year for both kids combined.

Our biggest expense with them is vacations -- airline tickets for four are expensive, plus bigger rental car, plus accommodation costs.

How did you pay nothing in child care? You stayed at home? Or grandparents?

[Anonymous]

1 year old

1800 daycare
100 clothes
50 food - supporting his blueberry habit and other favorites
80 diapers

Some months I don't need to buy new clothes or PJs, but he has been growing so fast recently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, I can barely believe what some of you are paying.

We paid nothing in child care until our oldest was 5 and our youngest was 2. We also bought clothes from thrift stores, traded babysitting with neighbors and used (used) cloth diapers. And potty trained before 2. (HUGE cost savings)

Now we pay $800 a month for full time preschool for 2 year old and $50 a month for aftercare for our 5 year old. Total cost will go down to $100 a month for both kids when 2 year old turns 3 and starts at DC public school in August.

$0 for classes (enrichment at school is included in aftercare cost).
$2k for both kids for 6 weeks camp this summer

Food? Minimal, they eat what we eat.
Clothes? Maybe $300 a year for both kids combined.

Our biggest expense with them is vacations -- airline tickets for four are expensive, plus bigger rental car, plus accommodation costs.

I appreciate your ability to be thrifty, but used diapers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's 3.5 now.

We pay $1250/month for daycare.
About $100/month for gymnastics class 1x/week
Probably about $50/month on things like clothes. More some months and less for others.
Whatever it costs to feed him. Not sure exactly since it's baked into our grocery bill.
We put about $300 into his 529 monthly.

So give or take about $1500/month, not including the 529?

Similar to the above for a 2 year old. Plus $20/month average for toys. $40-50 not sure for diapers. Daycare is $1400. Plus now we get her own plate at restaurants. Music class is $100/month.

Did you know good toddler shoes are $40-$45??? They outgrow them every three months.

I just scored some almost new keens on ebay for my DD for this spring! So excited I paid less than half price! It is ridiculous to me that toddler shoes cost the same as adult shoes but they are worn for only a few months if you're lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, I can barely believe what some of you are paying.

We paid nothing in child care until our oldest was 5 and our youngest was 2. We also bought clothes from thrift stores, traded babysitting with neighbors and used (used) cloth diapers. And potty trained before 2. (HUGE cost savings)

Now we pay $800 a month for full time preschool for 2 year old and $50 a month for aftercare for our 5 year old. Total cost will go down to $100 a month for both kids when 2 year old turns 3 and starts at DC public school in August.

$0 for classes (enrichment at school is included in aftercare cost).
$2k for both kids for 6 weeks camp this summer

Food? Minimal, they eat what we eat.
Clothes? Maybe $300 a year for both kids combined.

Our biggest expense with them is vacations -- airline tickets for four are expensive, plus bigger rental car, plus accommodation costs.

How did you pay nothing in child care? You stayed at home? Or grandparents?

My husband was home with the kids (and freelancing). We traded child care with other families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, I can barely believe what some of you are paying.

We paid nothing in child care until our oldest was 5 and our youngest was 2. We also bought clothes from thrift stores, traded babysitting with neighbors and used (used) cloth diapers. And potty trained before 2. (HUGE cost savings)

Now we pay $800 a month for full time preschool for 2 year old and $50 a month for aftercare for our 5 year old. Total cost will go down to $100 a month for both kids when 2 year old turns 3 and starts at DC public school in August.

$0 for classes (enrichment at school is included in aftercare cost).
$2k for both kids for 6 weeks camp this summer

Food? Minimal, they eat what we eat.
Clothes? Maybe $300 a year for both kids combined.

Our biggest expense with them is vacations -- airline tickets for four are expensive, plus bigger rental car, plus accommodation costs.

I appreciate your ability to be thrifty, but used diapers?

Very common to buy cloth diapers from another family who has previously used them for one or more children. In our case, we were given about a dozen Fuzzibunz and bought others on Craigs List. They have a great resale value and can typically be used for multiple children. You can often buy them barely used too, as some families decide that they dont' want to use them after all or have their kid in a daycare program that doesn't allow them and therefore sell them after only a few uses. That and potty training at an appropriate time (e.g. around 2 or earlier) are big money savers.

[Anonymous]

Where do you get full time pre school for $800 a month in DC? (And does full time mean full working hours + commute time?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do you get full time pre school for $800 a month in DC? (And does full time mean full working hours + commute time?)

It's open 7am to 6pm, so yes, full time. It's a lovely school in NE. Much lived but fortunately not well known in this board (and long may it stay that way!)

[Anonymous]

LOVED not lived!

[Anonymous]

For 18 mo daughter:
$4,000/month for nanny (including taxes, Breedlove fees)
$200/month food
$200/month clothes
$100/month toys, books, misc supplies

[Anonymous]

DD is 3.

Daycare: $1,500
Food/month: $200
Monthly budget towards clothes, toys, etc: $100