How much does it cost to raise a child until the age of 18?

How much does it cost to raise a child until the age of 18?

ARANTXA ALDAZ

Calculating what a child costs has a beginning, but it may never end. What is clear is that, if you take out the calculator, the result adds up to a fortune. A minimum of 100,000 euros, without too many extras, until they reach the age of majority. The calculation depends on many factors: from whether the parents are lucky enough to 'inherit' accessories (the crib or the baby carriage) from relatives or friends, or those of older children, to preferences for a public or subsidized educational center . To do numbers, the study published ten years ago by the Spanish Confederation of Housewives, Consumers and Users (Ceaccu) has been updated.

The big outlay is made before the baby is born. Parents have to have everything ready: from the crib to the changing table or the car seat. The feeding chapter will depend on whether you opt for breastfeeding (normally, an average of 4 or 5 months, until the mother returns to work after maternity leave). They will then begin to buy adapted milk, at an average price of about 12 euros per jar, although there are up to 20 euros. The star item is taken by diapers and hygiene products for babies. The supply of products has skyrocketed, so it will be parents and common sense who will decide where to put the brakes.

Food: 1,200 (without the four months of lactation).

Hygiene: 960 (80 euros per month (50 euros in nappies and 30 in cosmetics).

Clothes and footwear: 720 (180 euros per quarter).

Public/Subsidized Education: 1,190 / 2,100 (Public Nursery: 170 for 7 months and Private Nursery: 300 for 7 months).

Leisure and toys: 150 (playground, stuffed animals...).

Health (Public): 30/348 (Extra vaccines 316 and medicines 32),

Complements: 2,000 (All the complete equipment: crib, stroller, changing table...)

Celebrations: (If there is a baptism, the cost of clothing and food for the celebration).

Food: 2,280 (240 euros per month).

Hygiene: 840 (70 per month, including diapers).

Clothes and footwear: 800 (200 euros per quarter).

How much does it cost to raise a child up to 18 years old?

Public/Subsidized Education: 1,870 / 3,300 (Public Nursery: 170 for 11 months and Private Nursery: 300 for 11 months).

Leisure and toys: 200 ((The outlay varies greatly depending on each family).

Health (Public): 120 ((Syrups and other medicines).

Complements: 300 / 2,200 ((Car seat, adaptation and room furniture).

Celebrations: (Own and friends' birthdays).

If the baby is cared for in a nursery, the wallet begins to have to pay a monthly average of between 118 and 208 euros per full day -dining room service included- if it is a public one (the price varies depending on the rent) and about 300 euros in a private one.

As the boy or girl grows, the games also get fatter. The first breath comes when he leaves the diaper, which saves about 50 euros a month (each diaper costs 0.25 euros, and the private label ones, 0.15 euros). But other expenses are incorporated immediately, such as a greater outlay on food and clothing and footwear, because at that age they are small in no time. Those who can inherit from older siblings, cousins, or friends are lucky.

The beginning of the school stage, normally in the two-year-old classroom, allows us to say goodbye to childcare expenses, but welcomes other expenses for services such as lunch and transportation. In public centers, the cost of materials and books does not begin until the age of six (about 30 euros per year, to which must be added the cost of materials that each center decides). An annual fee is also usually paid, which varies. And then subsidized extracurricular activities can be added (around 10 or 13 euros per month). The dining room service involves an expense of 92 euros per month for a regular service (4.6 euros per day). Sporadic access to the dining room costs 5.2 euros per day. In addition, the Department of Education of the Basque Government finances a wide range of scholarships for the lowest incomes (61,000 for the canteen and 124,000 for teaching materials). The choice of a concerted center triggers the cost. The monthly fee is usually around 80 euros, to which you then have to add about 135 euros for the dining room and another 100 if you go by bus.

Food: 2,640 (220 euros per month).

Hygiene: 72 (Incorporated into family spending).

Clothes and footwear: 600 / 1,400 (150 euros per quarter).