Of Stationary Entertainers and Maternity Leave

So I was on the internet this evening, doing some innocent research about how much infant childcare is (Note: I am not pregnant. Really. Not. Pregnant.), and I almost spit out my expensive barista-prepared beverage when I looked at some going rates in Cambridge.

$2500 a month? Every month? How do people afford this? And what if, god forbid, you want more than one child? OR, what if you want to have a child and still be able to pay your rent? How do people DO this? I all of the sudden had the urge to run around to every adult with a small child and ask them...SERIOUSLY, HOW? HOW do you DO this? 

Because it isn’t just the $2500/month in childcare. There is also all the other “stuff” that you have to buy so you are properly equipped to have a child. I uncovered a handy baby checklist on a helpful website.

There are over 150 "must-have" items on this list. One hundred and fifty.  Including 5 different strollers: Travel system, traditional stroller, lightweight stroller, all-terrain stroller, and double stroller. Not to mention the stroller accessories! Rain cover, weather protection boot, stroller sunshade, netting, organizer, cup holder, snack holder, and of course, stroller toys (are these different from regular toys? How? Why?!). Why does a baby need 6 different types of entertainers/swings? What exactly is a “stationary entertainer”? Why do a need both a full-size swing AND a travel swing?

And don’t even get me started on maternity leave. Did you know that of 178 countries worldwide, all guarantee some type of paid maternity leave EXCEPT the United States, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea?

I repeat: US. Swaziland. Papua New Guinea.

And look at this graphic:

How is this ok? Instead of the generous leave afforded to women in other countries so they can, you know, nurse and bond with their infants, in the US we have the privilege of taking 12 weeks - unpaid - leave and not losing our jobs. I suddenly had the urge to retreat to my old stomping grounds of Montreal (50 weeks, eh?).

OK. So I added it up. 12 weeks with no paycheck. $2500/month in childcare expenses when I go back to work. Approximately $2.3 million dollars in multiple strollers and stroller accessories. I can’t even start thinking about what college will cost in 2032. Panic sets in. I turn to Mike. I let him know that we can no longer entertain the idea of having children because it is just too damn expensive. His response?

"Baby, we will be just fine. I believe in us."

And that, of course, is the correct response. We will be just fine. We will figure out a way to do it. Millions of people do. And I have no doubt that all the expense and the sacrifice will be totally worth it when we do decide to have that little money pit bundle of joy.

In the meantime, I've put myself on a fiscal diet. More about that in a later post.

But to all those moms and dads out there... For reals, how do you do it? And do you think the rising cost of raising a child is sustainable?