to ask why having kids is expensive?

[HodgePodge23]

What do you need to buy them apart from toys, food, clothes and a few other bits and bobs here and there? I have an 8 month old so maybe things will get more expensive with time, but I really don't understand why people say having children is expensive. What are people spending their money on?

I think I spend most of the above amount on snacks

Childcare
Loss of earnings
Actually my childcare was almost the same as my earnings so now I am a sahm until after Christmas when I get the free preschool hours. But it will be a job picked on hours not interest or salary.
Holidays in the school holidays will be expensive.
Shoes
Bigger house

Judging by the number of Chavlets you see being pushed around town on Gyro day, you don't have to be on a mint to have kids!

Although as they've got 2 SAHP, some people will be telling you it's costing them £40k a year

They get more expensive as they get older mainly. Childcare costs or opportunity costs/lost earnings if someone stays at home. Things like like last minute notes (last minute from DD, not the school) requesting the equivalent of £400 for two three day school camps in the past 2 weeks. Lessons etc. No regrets though

There are other options as plenty of people work full time between them with no childcare.

I have earned a full time wage since my youngest was 4 months old with no childcare.

No, I worked while they were sleeping or playing.

Being able to coordinate shifts so you don't need childcare is a combination of luck and compromise - doing the right sort of jobs and not spending time with the co-parent.

Having a job that fits round children ditto, frankly.

We do it. I am on placement at the moment but still full time. We are planning to continue working full time opposite shifts for 18+ years. I expect more if we have more dcs.

I was same went back and 2 weeks, 2 weeks and 7 months.

if you can have both parents working full time with no childcare then you are very lucky. i know some who have family who did their childcare, others who limited childcare to a couple of days by both compressing hours to a 4 day week and working different days. but not everyone can do that. plenty of us have no local family or work jobs that don't allow that sort of flexibility.

I would think working full time from home with a small baby would be almost impossible.

Dh changed trades he will do absolutely anything any shift anytime. It is hard if he does evenings/nights and then does childcare all day when I am at work, but he just gets on with it.

Yes. I earned £18K working 10 hours a week. A full time wage, not full time hours.

I did home working with dc1 on one of those remote call centre lines. We have 3 now and I don't think I could do it with this many.

The full time working around each other has been hard in baby's first year as dh went back at 4 months. I think when I go back after holidays it will be fine as baby will sleep better.

That is your choice then isn't it ego

Okay, I agree some people can work without childcare costs - may be with a granny around or husband works nights as a taxi driver and wife days. It is quite rare however. In London if you work full time and commute in then it tends to cost about £10k a year minimum for each child so with 3 under 5 £30k child care costs (£15k from husband and £15k from wife) is not unusual or otherwise lose a full time London salary.

four didn't say full time hours but full time money.