When beginning my research on the costs of parenthood, I wanted to look into the cost of infertility treatments. I believe that this adds to the cost of parenthood as IVF doesn't always work the first time and can make you spend thousands of dollars for wanting to have a child. For a while now, I've known that surrogacy and IVF can be pricey, however, I never actually looked into the cost of it so I was quite surprised when I read that the average price of IVF in Canada is $10,000 - $15,000 per cycle. This truly makes me feel empathetic towards women who want to have a child but have to go through other ways of having one that cost them thousands of dollars.

I chose this website because it shows an estimation of how much it will cost to raise a child nowadays. With grocery prices and inflation continuing to rise, the cost of raising a child increases as well. The statistics truly surprised me since I know of many people my age who have a low income and are having children. If we use these people as an example, according to this website, low-income families spend about $238,190 per kid (from the ages 0 - 17). If you were to divide that number by 17, they are spending about $14,011.18 per year. I find that number to be crazy since my personal income is lower than that. I also found it interesting that the website shows a chart of how as the child gets older, the expenses increase. I personally would have thought that raising a baby would be more expensive versus to raise a teenager since diapers, baby formula, and baby clothes cost quite a fair bit.

There was a lot that I learned about this topic and a lot that surprised me. However, I think the thing that surprised me the most was the cost of treatment for those who cannot conceive naturally as well as how the prices for treatment are increasing every year. It really makes me feel empathetic for those who have to do treatment because it is their only way of being able to have a child of their own and it costs them thousands of dollars.

2. Provide a real-life example of how this topic is relevant or interesting for you.

I chose this topic because my mom was a single teenage mom when she gave birth to me. For the first 4 years of my life, she raised me all on her own. She rented an apartment room so we would have a roof over our heads. At times she would only survive off of bread to ensure she could cover the cost of baby supplies/daycare etc. This topic is relevant for me because she has told me in the past how she really struggled with money when it came to raising me however she made it work. Nowadays, I wonder how on earth can people my age afford to have a child when prices are constantly increasing.

3. If you could pass on your knowledge to a family member or friend, what do you think is the most important thing to pass on?

I would recommend that anyone who is planning on having a child should first ensure they are financially prepared so they can give their child and themselves a good, stable life. Last year I saw a post made by my local food bank regarding the huge increase in visits and users from the year 2022 to 2023. The number of children they supported had increased by 75%! I think a lot of people my age who either plan on having a child or accidentally have one, don't fully consider how much everything costs until they're in the process of it. For example, I don't think people who are planning on having a child look at the expenses of how much a crib costs, or how much they'll have to spend on clothes each month because their kid is constantly growing, or how much their child's education/daycare could cost. I believe you need to actually prepare and budget before having a child to ensure you can properly care for them.

I chose this website mostly because it breaks down the costs so you have a better understanding of the costs of parenthood. Normally, if I think of the cost of a baby, immediately what comes to mind is diapers, formula/food, and clothing. However, the website mentions how you will probably buy "medications, moisturizers, a baby monitor, a playpen" and the list goes on. The website gives you a better insight of what to expect to buy.

I chose this website because it talks about how and why the birth rates are incredibly low as well as the concern from Canadians. I luckily still live at home and don't have to pay any bills however I do the grocery shopping for the family and I have been shocked at some of the prices. As someone who only started paying attention to grocery prices a couple of years ago, it makes me wonder how much cheaper they were 10, 15 or even 20 years ago. I shop at No Frills which is normally cheaper than grocery stores like Loblaws and Metro, however, I think it is shocking for a bunch of asparagus to cost $4.99. Or in other cases, 1lb of beef could cost $15-$20.

I chose this video because I think hearing a woman's experience rather than reading about the costs of treatment, makes you feel more empathetic to parents who choose to do treatments. Although I knew treatments were expensive, I did not know that the costs were rising every year and on top of that, they also have to pay for medications for their treatment which just increases the price of it all.

Although this video talks about how inflation is affecting a Canadian family such as rent and gas, it also mentions how healthy groceries have gone up in price, camps for their kids have gone up in price as well and clothes for their kids have gone up in price. I think this video is different from the rest of the videos as well as the websites because it talks about how inflation is the reason why the cost of having children is increasing.

This video is different from the other videos/websites because it talks about how single parents are struggling with the financial cost of raising children. Up until I was two years old, my mother was a single parent and my biological father did not pay her child support so she was the only one financially supporting her and I. She has told me stories about how it was extremely difficult and at times she did not eat because she only had enough food to feed me. I do think there are many parents who are facing the same situation as everything is more expensive than it was 23 years ago.

I think having a kid can be expensive, however, I think having a kid who has a disability can be even more expensive. I have a younger brother who has disabilities and although I don't know exactly how much it cost my parents, I know they spent a lot of money to get the support and services he needed for him to be successful in school and to be able to control his emotions. As for myself, I had a speech impediment when I was younger so I went to Grandview Kids School in Oshawa which is a school that helps children with their physical, communication and developmental needs. However, it costs thousands of dollars depending on what your child needs. I think it would be very difficult for a low-income single parent to be able to afford a kid who has a disability because of all of the extra costs it comes with.