4 year old
$1286 daycare
$40 gym class at daycare
$200 in food above what we used to spend
$50-100 on clothes average
$40 on classmate birthday gifts
$50 on misc art supplies/seasonal toys like bubbles

I'm sure I'm forgetting something. We didn't have any increased health insurance costs since we were already on a family plan for the two of us.

10:52 here, to be clear, the price of summer camp I listed was per child per week.

Too much! For my 13mo:

$1400 day care
$100 food (we ate like college kids pre-DS, so we had to change what and how we buy food)
$20 clothing (purchased at consignment sales)
$20 in toys/extras
$100 classes/activities
$100 health insurance (had to go from "couple" to "family--major jump)
$100 in 529
$50 in babysitting
$300 in "convenience" things that we no longer have time to do ourselves--different meals, someone to do major yard work, basic car maintenance, dog grooming, etc.

So over $2000/month? Holy moly, that's killer when it's spelled out that way. No way would I have believed that I had an extra $2k in the budget before having a kid. I guess the flip side is that I no longer have time/energy to go away for long weekends, we would rather do a red box than go out to the movies, and DH got a raise the year we had a kid, so the pain was minimized.

for a look ahead:

Combined monthly costs for my two girls, ages 6 and 10:

Childcare: $100 (I have a flexible schedule and pick up most days, this is for the occasional babysitter when I have to work longer). Aftercare at our school is roughly $250/month per child for five days a week.

Activities during the school year: $800/month. These are not necessary and we do not do any kind of competitive sports or travel team. We do have a child with a passion for music and that is almost half of this. Most group activities (e.g., dance, gymnastics, or art lessons) cost about $20-30/session. Private music lessons cost about $45/session.

Summer camp: $500/week, usually including either aftercare or a transportation fee. We do 6 weeks but our summer break is 9 weeks so you need to determine how much coverage you will need. Sleep-away camp is $1000/week. There are less expensive options available but I choose to pay for convenience here.

Clothes/shoes: It varies and I shop sales, but I am guessing it averages out to $150/month but spent in lumpy amounts in the fall and spring. We spend significantly less on our younger daughter because she gets hand-me downs but she still needs new shoes and often new shirts because those sometimes cannot be handed down.

We generally manage winter and spring breaks by taking time off, but I have a flexible schedule and a lot of leave, so that may not work for all. Camp costs during winter and spring break are the same as summer.

I can tell you I spent over $18,000 on my child in 2013, a year in which we had full-day preschool. That amount does not include college funding, toys, most food. The $18K is just the expenses I used for the child support calculations. (Daycare + activities + clothes + health insurance & copays.) I think $2K a month is probably a good number.

I think some of these these are a bit underestimated. We had to increase health insurance to cover kids, dental insurance, they need periodic equipment (just bought a bed for child, bike), etc. It costs more than just daycare, food and clothes. I would guess we average about 2000 a month all in for a 3 year old and we're pretty frugal.

Anonymous wrote:Related question--I am starting my son who is 6 months old in daycare. I am choosing between two daycares--one that I like (which will only give me 900 usd left for food, gas, car insurance, medical expenses etc.) or the other which will give me 1200. Do you think 900 covers it for a couple and a baby?

No. Go with the one that gives you 1200.

Related question--I am starting my son who is 6 months old in daycare. I am choosing between two daycares--one that I like (which will only give me 900 usd left for food, gas, car insurance, medical expenses etc.) or the other which will give me 1200. Do you think 900 covers it for a couple and a baby?

For our 10 month old:
$1700 daycare
$250 on formula and food bought specifically for him
$250 to a 529
$20 on clothes (I buy in 2 or 3 big batches so I'm guessing here)
$40 on diapers/wipes
Maybe another $10 for co-pays, prescriptions, baby meds, etc averaged out over the year
I rarely buy him toys since he gets a lot of gifts from family
and has hand me downs from his sister
Rounding up its $2300.

For our 3yo:
$1600 daycare
$50 activities (swim lessons, soccer class at daycare, etc)
$300 to a 529
$50 on clothes and toys
So that's $2000 total

No special food and now that we're out of the baby years she hardly ever gets sick. Her clothes and toys are more expensive though, but we stay pretty minimal since she gets excessive gifts from her grandparents at Christmas and birthday.

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.

Everything. Everything I have.

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?

This is going to be a huge range. We don't pay for daycare since the MIL takes care of our 16 month old. Food is what ever we were eating mostly but I do still buy some purées since they like them. Clothes are bought at the end of season on clearance.

On average maybe $100-200. When we use daycare some days maybe $500 month.

Daycare?

What would you say you spend in one month per child, include age.