We have a three-year-old boy and a 12-week-old girl so we pay about $875 a month for child care. When Brody was born three years ago we had no idea how much it would cost but we didn't want day care to be a deciding factor. We spent three years getting prepared for our second child. We budget every month down to the penny.
Because of the cost, my husband doesn't want another child, but I do. And I hate the fact that money might keep us from expanding our family. If we did have another, we'd have to wait until Brody started kindergarten so we wouldn't have that day care expense, there's no way we could afford three in day care.
In Massachusetts, the cost of child care for a two-parent, middle-class family averages 16% of their annual income. In Mississippi, costs average 7.3%. See how your state ranks.
