To ask how people afford to have a second child?

[NotYourHun]

Now that DS is nearly 18 months, I’m starting to think about having a second. I’d love to start trying but I just don’t know how we would afford it! I’ve been back at work PT (24 hours) since he was 9 months but I know that my maternity pay would be so pitiful this time compared to last time (as I was FT then) that it hardly seems possible. We have a sizeable (but manageable) mortgage, only run one car (bought outright), very minimal savings, have a lot of family help with childcare so pay minimal nursery fees, and don’t spend much on going out or socialising. I just don’t know where we would be able to cut back!

Do people just wait until 30 hours funding will kick in? Do they go back to work FT first? I just don’t know how to make it work.

We worked out when the 30 hours funding would kick in and went backwards so that it would be in place when I returned to work. Gap is 2.5.

Our daughter is 2 (and 4 months) I work 30 hours a week and husband 42 so alike others will be waiting until first DD free hours kick in before having baby number 2. I know a lot of parents take DC1 out of nursery when they have DC2 to save on childcare costs but she loves it so much I'd rather wait before TTC

Had twins so no choice, just cut back on luxuries.

I waited until 30hours started

I switched my job for part time shift work so we don't have the expense of childcare. It was important to me to have my children close together, so decided during my first pregnancy that I wouldn't be hurrying back to work, and got pregnant with our 2nd when dd1 was 20 months. Dp covers the bills, mortgage, etc and I don't "need" to work, but I choose to do a couple of shifts a week for my own sanity, plus it's always nice to have a bit extra coming in. We do get help from grandparents with childcare so I can work extra shifts if I want to every now and again.

I went back full time 6 months after having DC1, DC2 came along 3 1/2 years later when the 15 funded hours kicked in. Went back part time for a couple of months then full time. I had about £150-£200 per month left after paying for childcare. We both earned good wages, but had a high mortgage (area related) for a quite modest house, owned one car and had UK breaks with family.

We waited until dd was at school, and that we were in a financially better situation so be able to afford another child. That meant payrises for partner, and promotions for me which puts me on more part time than I was on full time last time around.

I had my first two In quick succession. Dc 1 was 2 when dc 2 was born. This meant I got to spend my second maternity leave with both children full time which I loved. When I went back to work when dc1 was 3 she got her funded hours so even tho they are relatively close in age we never had to pay 2 lots of full time nursery fees. Dc came along g as an after thought and the others are now In reception and year 2. I worry slightly about the age gap and tell anyone who will listen about having a two year age gap so you get to maximise time off with them when they are little and not paying two lots of nursery fees.

I went back to work a few months before dc1 started school and with DC3 I am due a few months before DC2 starts school. I also chose to work in a job that offers generous maternity leave and have gone back to full time for the last 6 months so that my mat pay is calculated from full time pay.

We will have a nearly 4 year gap. Growing up I remember most of my friends had 2 year age gaps with their siblings but that doesn't seem to be so common anymore, at least in my area.

I also stuck out a job I didn't really like because it has good maternity benefits...

Cut back on all luxuries. OH worked two jobs, I was a SAHM, so no childcare fees ever. Then OH walked out, keeps all his wages to himself, so rely on benefits now. Waiting for youngest to start school this year then I'm getting a career for myself so I can fully support us all.

I went back full time after DC1. He was in full time nursery. We saved up once I got pregnant but as it was a surprise pregnancy we had to borrow a bit on the remortgage to keep me off work for 12 months. We also kept FS in nursery full time whilst I was on mat leave, though his 30 hours kicked it during that time.

I was pregnant again when DS1 was 18 months old. I went back to work full time after DS1. The intention was always to have a close age gap. I went back to work after six months after maternity. My mat pay was around 75% of my wages until 18 weeks and then I got tax back when I went onto SMP. So all in all, we managed.

Day to day costs do not change much. The biggest expense of a second child is childcare. Obviously I didn't pay for child care for the better part of six months. I went back to work part time working evenings around DH's hours. Between that and family, we didn't need to pay for child care. I went back full time days when DS2 was 3YO and we got the 30 hours funded. Even then, you still need to pay for school holidays etc. I'm actually financially no better off now I'm full time accounting for child care costs.

Like a pp we waited until we could live on one wage before we had our first, as we had no grandparents to support us with DC, not anyone, in fact. Husband earned more than me, a reasonable income but not a massive amount. Enough to cover the bills but not save. My wages might have covered childcare but that seemed like a stressful way to live (to me anyway). I would not have minded being a working mum, but not if there was no financial benefit to having somebody else mind my child. Mine are 16 months apart and as soon as they had both started school (no free hours in those days) I got a part time job in my local village pub as a jack of all trades. Barstaff, cook and bottlewasher. Despite my lack of ambition, I now know enough to manage the place when they go away - which is often enough to be lucrative for me. Now the children are financially independent (Ha Ha. Yeah right) we get to live on the same income that supported four of us plus my occasional financial boost. It's been a bloody long game though. And a leap of faith at the outset. Having said all that I think I really wanted to be a sahm and I was lucky to be able to do it. Completely understand that not everybody does want that.

Yes a lot of people do try to minimise childcare costs and either wait until free hours kick in (not free at all for most people though just discounted) or wait until school age. We carried on nursery through mat leave which is something else to consider cost wise. I am very glad I did and most people seem I know have tried to do similar.

I would have ideally liked a smaller gap but the compromise was to plan it so we had only a few months of double running nursery.

Waited until dc1 was entitled to 30 free hours and it will still be tough but it short term in grand scheme of things and have saved in mean time to assist with temporary shortfall

This is one of those daft threads.... some people earn more, or save more.

So it's possible that they either:

• have plenty of savings to top up maternity pay or cover child care through the worst years
• earn enough (even part time) to comfortably cover the child care for 2 or 3 children etc.

In our case, we saved before DC1. I'm on a high salary so my maternity pay covered my half of the bills through the year i took off, then we used the savings for spending money & to buy cot, pram etc.

I returned to work 4 days a week between DC. I saved up again. My maternity pay for DC2 was slightly lower being only based on 4 day week but DH had a payrise so overall we were fine. I had "saved" my childcare vouchers while in work & we are using those while I'm on leave to pay DC1s childcare.

Obviously in your situation it's not possible but my partner does overtime and I stay home. I will find a simple job when youngest goes to school. It's one of those things really where there's probably never a good time but you manage. If you are having a second then it might be necessary for you to stay home even more too. Childcare would be expensive and also you'd end up missing work for illness etc. They certainly don't make it easy for parents do they.

Two full time salaries and a 5 year age gap. First one was in school 6 months before 2nd was born so we had a nice break from nursery bills. And now we work flexible hours so no need for wraparound care as one of us always does the school run while the other works.

In addition, we like sunny foreign holidays and being able to eat out etc, so in order to maintain the lifestyle we want, 2 close in age wasn’t feasible

Gosh. I'm absolutely dumbfounded at this.
I have actually laughed out loud. Please somebody tell me they are similarly taken aback.

2y gap, no enhanced package so SMP both times. Employer did cover my childcare vouchers while I was on mat leave with DD2.

DD1's free hours saved us quite a lot because we used the local preschool for 2 days a week in term time so it was genuinely free.

For about 6 months we had 2 under 3s in nursery 4 days a week and I was just working to pay the fees but it's a relatively short time and now they're both at school it's like I've had a huge pay rise

Why taken aback YummyChipCurryDip? Surely it makes sense for that poster to space their children in the way that suits them for the lifestyle they want?

Because we have no family support, childcare costs won't go down when DC1 starts school so that's not something we can use to help.

The maternity leave wasn't really the issue,it's the childcare costs of 2, which we will be paying for the next 7 years.

Waited 13 years between 😂

19:27TheSandman
Well I thought I was smart but I missed a trick there ;(