Inside: Are You And Your Partner Ready For A Baby? Collaborative post.
Have you and your other half been in a relationship for some time? If you think you are ready for the next stage in your relationship then it is time to discuss whether or not you both want children. Usually this is a conversation that crops up at the beginning of your relationship. If you think you are both ready then check out this handy guide.
However, one of you may not be ready and therefore you will need to take precautions in the form of contraceptives. You can get these free from a health clinic or you can use a contraceptive pill service from a pharmacy.
Here are five aspects of having a baby you need to consider.
Relationship
Are you where you want to be in your relationship? This is a question that often crops up when discussing children. It comes up as you don’t want to be bringing children into a toxic space. If you and your other half are arguing more than you are friends then it may not be the right time to have a baby.
Take a close look at where you are in your life and your relationship, maybe you are completely solid and a baby will just cement your relationship even more. Once you know you know, that saying is very true. You might have recently got married and therefore the next natural stage is to have a baby and extend your family even more.
If you don’t have a good relationship but are still adamant that you want a baby maybe you could both attend couples counselling to iron out the kinks. Therapists and counsellors are avialble to help you understand why you clash and help to work through those problems.
Cost
Having a baby is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. If you have friends and family members with babies they might have mentioned it. Baby’s need a lot of stuff and when bought new can cost a small fortune. Most baby buggies are around £500-1000 that’s before you have bought any of the other necessities.
You either need to have a lot of savings laying around or be in well paid jobs to afford everything you need. However, there are of course other ways to afford baby items. You can buy them second hand or you could be given them by friends. The only items you need to worry about buying brand new are cot mattresses and car seats. This is because used mattresses can increase your risk of cot death and used car seats could have been involved in car accidents rendering them unsafe.
Living Arrangements
Something else you need to consider is your living arrangements when wanting a child. Is your home big enough to accomodate a child and all their paraphernalia? You need to consider when they are older and need some space of their own, or even when they are walking and crawling about. Baby’s need space and room to grow.
It is absolutely fine when they are little, as they more often than not share your room and only need a cot or moses basket. But as they get older they will need their own room as well as room for all their toys.
You may be considering moving to a bigger property in the future. It doesn’t matter if it is a studio, a flat, or a house you just have to be sure there is enough room for everyone without it being crowded.
Childcare
Another aspect of having children is, who will look after them when you and your partner are working? As a mum you are entitled to around 9 months maternity leave, extending to a year if you use up holiday pay. When this is over and you go back to work childcare can be expensive. You may be entitled to hours from the government but this is only from the age of 2 to 3. If you have family or friends who have offered to babysit then this will save you a lot of money in the long run.
There are nurseries out there that charge £66 a day from the hours of 7am to 6pm. Perfect if you have a good paying job, not so good if you are only working part time and earning a part time wage. You and your other half will need to discuss your options and what you want to do when the time comes to go back to work.
Mess
One final thing to mention is the mess that comes along with a baby. Even once the baby stage is over the mess still stays. If you are very house proud and don’t like a lot of mess then you may get a shock if you have a baby. You would potentially have to deal with poo, vomit, slop all over the floor, and when they are older they have a bad habit of throwing their food. If you can manage that then you are a superstar and will be the best mum ever.
