Should we have another baby?

Omg I think I clicked don’t do it * o meant go for it

Same here! My son will be 3 in September I’ve been back and forth with this decision also To be honest it’s not so much the cost but it’s more i had such a traumatic labour and recovery Also my son doesn’t really speak yet and they have thrown out “he’s showing signs of autism” I want what’s best for him and I need to focus on just him right now before making a big life choice that effects us all But I think I might see the rest of the year play and decide from there

Why is your childcare bill so high? Do you not get funded hours/tax free? From January you should receive 30 hours funding? Which should significantly reduce your bill. You should be already receiving 15 hours, which i hope helps. My almost 3yo does 30 hours which costs about £500 a month, but will reduce to £280 or so with his new funding in September. Our baby will be getting funding from January, again for 30 hours so it should cost around £300 a month. The wrap around care available for our 5yo is £17 after school club and £10 breakfast club, but again, with tax free childcare so that would be about £22 a day.

You will never regret having a baby. That's why we went for a third. I didn't want to regret not having one more and now he is 3mo lur family feels so happy and complete

We decided to try for another baby even though there are so many reasons not to (I’d been made redundant and don’t currently have a permanent job for one) because the need to have one just overcame so many logical reasons. Sadly it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen 2 years of trying and 4 miscarriages later. But I think you’ll know if it’s what you really want deep down, despite the anxieties. Also I think your son being calm and polite is probably just his personality 😊 We have one 3 year old son who gets all our attention and patience and he is completely wild, stubborn, feisty and exceptionally hard work haha. So your son will probably be that way regardless x

@Kirsty we are in Scotland so don’t get the 15 hours unfortunately and the 30 hours will continue to kick in from the term after they turn 3. He goes full time and we get the tax free so after this our bill is just under £1500 per month. In September our bill for our first will reduce but then if we have another, at 9 months we will be back what we are again and this is what is a big blocker for me having another ☹️ x

@Hannah thanks for your reply. I really hope it all works out for you ❤️ xx

Thank you. I’d give anything for another baby. Hope you make the right decision for you all x

Urgh that sucks. Although there are lots of things you get in Scotland that we don't get in England 😅 I guess maybe they will roll out the 30 hours to all countries soon? I get that you can't bank on it though.

I felt like this before having my 3rd baby! I have 2 children from my previous relationship, my fiance though didn't have any. I was always open to the idea of another, but I kept going back and forth on whether I wanted to do it or not, mostly due to worries over money, plus small children are just hard work 😅. After 4 years we decided to go for it, as i was 38, so I knew it was now or never, plus if people waited until they could "afford" kids, nobody would ever have any lol. We did wait until we had bought our own home though, as we knew it wouldn't happen if we had the baby first! She's almost 11 months now and I regret nothing 🥰

Same position, my son has just turned 3 and I am 35. It's such a hard decision.

It is completely up to you and your personal decisions I have children closer in age (5,4 and 2 ) but I stay home to care for them and the older 2 are in school and preschool