Biggest shock becoming a father
Discussion
As mentioned above I think you have to be very careful when worrying about say the HUGE up front cost of some of the bigger ticket items.
All of the following I have bought either new or hardly used and sold in the range of 90-130% of the upfront price:
Bugaboo x2
Maclaren x2
Child car seat
Stokke chair x2
Cot
Islabike
I swear by all of the above products. Just look after them and it is by far the cheapest way to pay for kids.
All of the following I have bought either new or hardly used and sold in the range of 90-130% of the upfront price:
Bugaboo x2
Maclaren x2
Child car seat
Stokke chair x2
Cot
Islabike
I swear by all of the above products. Just look after them and it is by far the cheapest way to pay for kids.
slinky said:
Midlands, at peak it was £1600 pcm..
£1600...
Jaysus!! We live in a (very modest) private road in the South, with the local ££££ nursery at one end of it, there is a queue of Q7's and their ilk to get in/out every morning and evening. It seems that most parents there deem only something of Hummer-esque proportions as safe enough to transport their kid, but that's another thread altogether. £1600...
Despite it being ridiculously convenient for us - a two minute pushchair walk, tops - I haven't even entertained the thought of phoning them for a quote on the monthly fees. We are fortunate enough that with some not-too-oppresive belt tightening we should be able to get by on one salary for a few years, all things remaining equal.
ralphrj said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Fourthed for the ikea chair. Great piece of simple design and much easier to clean than any other chair we used. I noticed recently that some restaurants use them now as they have sussed that it is the cheapest and easiest one around.anonymous said:
[redacted]
That depends on the parent's income, it might be worth a grand a month of your income. But a full time worker on min. wage is going to take home less than the nursery fees. You've got to both be earning well over 20k a year before it makes financial sense to put a child in nursery full time. And if you have another child, you've just doubled your costs.It also sounds like you have lucked out with your nursery - we only have one within about 10 miles, it has a good reputation and on the face of it appears to be well run. But the reality is somewhat different. I mean, it's not terrible, we haven't taken our son out, but we do have concerns (which we collectively raised with other parents of 5 kids, but were given a brush off). The owners are more interested in building a brand (they've taken over 3 more nurseries since ours), going on foreign training courses, and making enough profit to run a fleet of flash cars. Much of what they talk of is just marketing fluff.
The most galling thing is that they recently took over a playgoup/pre school (i.e. charitable/non profit making) that was struggling financially. Six months later the nursery (a profit making business) got awarded a public grant (£80k) to improve child car facilities in the area.
The staff do the best they can, but they aren't well treated - we know of two that have been sacked for daring to raise concerns with management, and the others just keep their heads down and get on with it.
hora said:
Not this 'unemployed get free spaces to encourage them' like we get in Manchester.
f
k me - that's zero to 100deg piss in about a second.What the f
king crap is that all about?Sure give someone some cover to go to a job interview perhaps but the whole time?
No wonder the government need to raise taxes.
walm said:
As mentioned above I think you have to be very careful when worrying about say the HUGE up front cost of some of the bigger ticket items.
All of the following I have bought either new or hardly used and sold in the range of 90-130% of the upfront price:
Bugaboo x2
Maclaren x2
Child car seat
Stokke chair x2
Cot
Islabike
I swear by all of the above products. Just look after them and it is by far the cheapest way to pay for kids.
These look good.All of the following I have bought either new or hardly used and sold in the range of 90-130% of the upfront price:
Bugaboo x2
Maclaren x2
Child car seat
Stokke chair x2
Cot
Islabike
I swear by all of the above products. Just look after them and it is by far the cheapest way to pay for kids.
Pappagallo said:
These look good.
Should have said Islabike x3.Going all the way through - Cnooc 14, Bienn 20 small and now the 24.
I cannot tell you how light they are.
My daughter wanted a cheapo Halfords job and it appears to be made from some sort of lead.
It weighs more than my mountain bike.
After a week she just kicked her brother off his Islabike and now cycles about 4x the distance at 2x the speed than when on the Halfords one.
Pappagallo said:
walm said:
As mentioned above I think you have to be very careful when worrying about say the HUGE up front cost of some of the bigger ticket items.
All of the following I have bought either new or hardly used and sold in the range of 90-130% of the upfront price:
Bugaboo x2
Maclaren x2
Child car seat
Stokke chair x2
Cot
Islabike
I swear by all of the above products. Just look after them and it is by far the cheapest way to pay for kids.
These look good.All of the following I have bought either new or hardly used and sold in the range of 90-130% of the upfront price:
Bugaboo x2
Maclaren x2
Child car seat
Stokke chair x2
Cot
Islabike
I swear by all of the above products. Just look after them and it is by far the cheapest way to pay for kids.
I would also add the Early Rider Balance Bike. Our youngest is riding it now. The elder two moved stright from the balance bike to Isla Bikes without stabilisers. The eldest did it at three, the middle one at four.
hora said:
walm said:
fk me - that's zero to 100deg piss in about a second.
What the fking crap is that all about?
Sure give someone some cover to go to a job interview perhaps but the whole time?
No wonder the government need to raise taxes.
Productivity increases? k me - that's zero to 100deg piss in about a second.What the f
king crap is that all about?Sure give someone some cover to go to a job interview perhaps but the whole time?
No wonder the government need to raise taxes.
More money to spend in the economy?
A larger family in the right sort of families (i.e. encourage workers)- this'll then help with the growing old population and the need for more youngsters to pay taxes for the ageing populations pensions and fill the roles?
Really- how much would a state-run nursery cost compared to the benefits?
To be clear - free childcare for unemployed people all the time - ah, no.
Free childcare to people who actually have a job - YES PLEASE!!
Zod said:
The Stokke cot is great.
I would also add the Early Rider Balance Bike. Our youngest is riding it now. The elder two moved stright from the balance bike to Isla Bikes without stabilisers. The eldest did it at three, the middle one at four.
Thats' the aim - no friggin stabilisers, ever.I would also add the Early Rider Balance Bike. Our youngest is riding it now. The elder two moved stright from the balance bike to Isla Bikes without stabilisers. The eldest did it at three, the middle one at four.
hora said:
Twelve grand a year. Mental. On a par with private schools etc.
Childcare should be free to ALL fulltime working parents. As soon as an unemployed parent gets a job offer they should get a 100% free place too. Not this 'unemployed get free spaces to encourage them' like we get in Manchester. Its wide open to chuck your child in and chill.
As if you would want your kids hanging round with the children of unemployed dole scroungers. Childcare should be free to ALL fulltime working parents. As soon as an unemployed parent gets a job offer they should get a 100% free place too. Not this 'unemployed get free spaces to encourage them' like we get in Manchester. Its wide open to chuck your child in and chill.
Haven't had a chance to read the entire thread. The moment your son/daughter is born and the realisation you have this little person to care puts everything else in perspective even if you thought you had everything in perspective in the first place.
Assuming you're not a company director type and are an average PAYE joe, your partner gets a half decent maternity packagae, IMO the finacnial squeeze doesn't start until you package your child off to nursery.
My wife has been off for a year and we're about to kick off nursery @ 3 days a week (wife works 3) and that bill alone is £715/mth. This is the going rate in my area. The finanical shock of going from the DINKY years to now is massive (wife earns 60% of what she used to and now we have a £715 bill, plus another mouth to cloth and feed too).
I envy friends who have family support. £715/mth is a lot of things - saving for future, saving for special events & it could also be put towards a bloody nice car. I actually have £0.00 funds to fund hobbies or interests which was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow.
But I wouldn't change any of it.
I might sell my south east home and move somewhere cheaper tho!
Assuming you're not a company director type and are an average PAYE joe, your partner gets a half decent maternity packagae, IMO the finacnial squeeze doesn't start until you package your child off to nursery.
My wife has been off for a year and we're about to kick off nursery @ 3 days a week (wife works 3) and that bill alone is £715/mth. This is the going rate in my area. The finanical shock of going from the DINKY years to now is massive (wife earns 60% of what she used to and now we have a £715 bill, plus another mouth to cloth and feed too).
I envy friends who have family support. £715/mth is a lot of things - saving for future, saving for special events & it could also be put towards a bloody nice car. I actually have £0.00 funds to fund hobbies or interests which was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow.
But I wouldn't change any of it.
I might sell my south east home and move somewhere cheaper tho!
Unfortunately I'm not a company Director, just a lowly forum janitor.
Childcare costs are a concern and we will need to weigh up our options when the time comes, luckily my other ½ has a lot of friends locally that have kids, we've spoken to one of them about her becoming a registered child minder.
Childcare costs are a concern and we will need to weigh up our options when the time comes, luckily my other ½ has a lot of friends locally that have kids, we've spoken to one of them about her becoming a registered child minder.
It's my job so hopefully I'll find time 
2 boys (12/7) and love every second of it.
The napppy changes, the bedtime reading, the sports days. Rugby on Sundays. Rugby away games in the bitter cold, wet. The gokarting, laser quest, bowling, cinema, rock climbing. The holidays.
Love it.
But the bits I really love and the massive kick I get is watching them grow and the promise of wanting them to treat them than i was. Its an immense satisifaction I get when I have taken or done something with them that I never had the chance to do.
I never went to a cinema with my dad, so my kids go once every 2/3 mths.
I never drove a gokart until i was in my teens, both my boys can drive them quickly on a track.
Wembley
WWE Wrestling
Cinemas
Restrauants
Cant wait until they are a little older when we can start driving lessons and thinking about getting him a car, which will have alloys, big boom exhaust and a massive stereo!
The napppy changes, the bedtime reading, the sports days. Rugby on Sundays. Rugby away games in the bitter cold, wet. The gokarting, laser quest, bowling, cinema, rock climbing. The holidays.
Love it.
But the bits I really love and the massive kick I get is watching them grow and the promise of wanting them to treat them than i was. Its an immense satisifaction I get when I have taken or done something with them that I never had the chance to do.
I never went to a cinema with my dad, so my kids go once every 2/3 mths.
I never drove a gokart until i was in my teens, both my boys can drive them quickly on a track.
Wembley
WWE Wrestling
Cinemas
Restrauants
Cant wait until they are a little older when we can start driving lessons and thinking about getting him a car, which will have alloys, big boom exhaust and a massive stereo!
Biggest shock? Seeing how quick they go from being this tiny little helpless bundle to be just under a metre tall walking/talking/running mini person full of curiosity and mischief!
Honestly don’t blink as you will miss it, take loads of photos but don’t spent your life behind the lens either.
Honestly don’t blink as you will miss it, take loads of photos but don’t spent your life behind the lens either.
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