Supporting a Child
What do I need to support a child?
Once a child enters your life, your path is adjusted and your needs come second. Your path now involves loving and caring for your child.
Kids need time, love, emotional support, and stability. They also need to have their basic needs met: shelter, food, clothing, medical care, and protection from harm. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, survival needs like food, water, shelter, and sleep followed by health, employment, and security must be met before an individual can satisfy their higher needs and find their purpose.
Supporting a child to have their basic needs met costs money. Many parents eventually find out that raising a kid is more expensive than they originally thought. From birth to 18, parents will pay an average of $310,000 to raise a child.
For children and families who need it, child support is about more than collecting money. The program also supports parents and caretakers by connecting them to resources that can help with job training, housing, parenting, and more. Hear what child support means to the 303 Indigenous Productions Youth producers in their own words. Let us know what you think about child support.
Let’s go a little deeper. Here’s how much it costs, on average, to pay for things a child needs each month.
Diapers: $87
- Approximate cost per diaper—29 cents; babies require around 10 changes per day for the first three months. 10 diapers x 30 days at $0.29 each = $87 per month.
Car Seat: $150-$250
- A mid-range car seat might now cost between $150 and $250.
Stroller: $150
- Strollers vary in price anywhere from $55 to $1,100.
Crib: $200-$500
- Cribs need to be safe, stable, and easy to use. Highly-rated cribs range from $400-$1,500.
Baby clothes: $20-$50 per month
Doctor’s visit without health insurance: $100-150 per visit
- According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, infants need seven well-baby visits.
Infant child care costs: $2,000 per month
- Infant child care for a single child costs an average of $2,000 in the Denver metro area.
Are these costs what you expected them to be? Raising a child isn’t cheap, and that’s why families with more money often have better outcomes for their child. By getting your education and starting your career before having a child, you and your family are more likely to get your needs met and be economically flexible. Understanding where and how to get help from programs like child support helps, too.
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