Parents blog

Waiting to have kids

During the Great Depression, the U.S. fertility rate declined from about 3.5 to 2.3, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control.

The same thing happened in the 1970s as Americans struggled with a recession and oil crisis.

With the current economic downturn, some couples are thinking twice before getting pregnant. Workers are losing their jobs, companies are cutting benefits, and the cost of raising a family is increasing.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2007 report titled “Expenditures on Children by Families,” families spent anywhere from $7,830 to as much as $17,500 a year on each child, depending on the child’s age and the family’s income level.

And if you think diapers, car seats, cribs and other nursery items are expensive, just wait. Parents actually spend more each year as children get older, the report shows.

What do you think? Should the economy affect childbearing?

Should couples planning to have a baby or more children reconsider, given the current financial crisis affecting many Americans?

Do you know any couples who are waiting until the economy gets better before having kids or getting pregnant again?

– Posted by Virginia de Leon

Join the discussion at The Spokesman- Review’s parents blog, “Are We There Yet?” at www.spokesman. com/blogs/ parents.