Jennifer Rescigno, a 35-year-old recruiter in Sussex, N.J., is thinking about having a baby. But she worries about affording the home, food and health care that she knows her family would need.
"I would just prefer that we have certain things in place -- a certain amount of money in the bank, a home of our own, a job with benefits and good family leave," Rescigno says. She and her husband, Lance, are still paying off around $3,000 in credit card debt and renting an apartment.
Couples considering having kids increasingly find themselves financially squeezed on two ends: The cost of having children is escalating while the economy is tightening. The Agriculture Department estimates that middle-income married couples spend around $11,000 a year on each child, an increase of around $2,500 since 1997. (See "Raising your $299,000 baby.") Meanwhile, other rising prices have added to the pressure. Rescigno spends about $90 commuting to work every week and says her job prospects have weakened because recruiting has slowed.
- Play the videos to the right for savings tips for parents.
"Wages have stagnated over the past decade or so, and fixed costs have gone up. People are paying more for health care, college tuition, housing and the expenses associated with having a child," says Nan Mooney, the author of "(Not) Keeping Up With Our Parents." That stress, she says, leads many professionals to delay having children until their late 30s or to choose not to have them altogether. (The average age of first-time motherhood is 25, about four years higher than in 1970.)
More-frequent job changes also contribute to not feeling "ready," says Pamela Paul, the author of "Parenting, Inc." "You don't necessarily feel financially stable until your early to mid-30s."
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Research by the Network on Transitions to Adulthood, an academic group, has found that Americans increasingly take until their late 20s to early 30s to reach adulthood, as defined by the completion of school, entry into the work force and leaving parents' homes.
Child-care costs can be particularly intimidating, with day-care centers costing an average of $12,000 a year, according to The Bump. (See "The child-care crisis.") When you add in other expenses, such as health care and lost wages from maternity leave, the first year of a baby's life can easily cost $30,000, says Carley Roney, the editor of The Bump and mother of a newborn herself.
- Talk back: How much will our new baby cost us?
"Being emotionally ready is one thing, but if you don't have the finances, it can completely ruin it for you," she says.
Subtle cultural shifts -- women have more control over their fertility than previous generations, for example -- are also at play. "Women of the 1950s often expected that having a child was a way to grow up," says Stephanie Coontz, the director of education and research for the Council on Contemporary Families. "Most women today see having a child as something you do once you already feel grown up."
Video on MSN Money
Is the simple life really cheaper?MSN Money columnist MP Dunleavey moves to the country and finds the options for child care are a little different.
Some costs can be controlled, and others just need to be prepared for in advance. Here are some creative ways to get ready for an addition to the family:
Spend wisely. A new baby need not mean a new house, says Paul, whose 18-month-old son and 3-year-old daughter share a room. "You don't need a three-bedroom house if you have two kids," she says. Relying on secondhand clothes and toys can also reduce daily expenditures. (See "Save a bundle on your new baby.") Lynne Ticknor, a parenting consultant in the Washington, D.C., area, recommends buying outfits at consignment stores, especially since young children grow out of clothes so quickly.
Wait until after the birth to start spending. While parents-to-be often want to buy mountains of baby gear in advance of the big day, Roney recommends that parents borrow things from friends until they know what suits their baby's temperament and size. Robin Elise Weiss, a childbirth educator and author of baby-related books, says parents often buy too much stuff for their newborns.
"Car seats are a must, and so are cribs, but some of the luxury items, like a $700 stroller, are not," she says, although she adds that some big purchases, such as a $300 breast pump, may be worth the investment.
