One of the things that may come as a shock to teenage parents is how much their
little bundle of joy will cost them over the years. You can possibly pay up to
$10,000 in the first year, including your hospital costs. By
teenparentingmagazine
The biggest expense for your new baby will be healthcare, but other items that
will be quite costly are diapers, formula, wipes, and lotions. Then you need to
take into account the costs of cribs, prams and baby clothes.
It may be helpful before the baby is born to sit down with a responsible adult
and work out a budget and try very hard to stick to your budget, which can be
found in
Parenting Magazines
This is not a time to be proud, if you have friends or family members that have
children and they offer you their hand-me-downs, don’t be ashamed to take them.
Babies don’t stay in clothes for long, they outgrow them before out wearing them
so most hand-me-downs are still in very good condition and this can save you a
lot of money.
You may be able to get financial help from your parents, but most teenage
parents are not able to rely on their parents. Your parents have their own
lives and their own families to support.
Although many parents will help out as much as they can, particularly if they
want their teenagers to stay in school and still be able to gain a good
education.
Quite often teenagers will need to combine a part-time job with government
support as well as possibly continuing at school. It really is important to
continue your education if this is possible to give both you and your baby the
best future possible.
You may be able to temporarily stop school for the early stages and return to
school when your baby is at an age that you don’t mind sending them to
childcare.
If you are a single mother then you will need to let your state Health and
Welfare Department know who the father is so that you can collect child support
from him. A single mother must identify the father of the child to receive
benefits.
Once you have identified the father of the baby, he must pay you child support,
which will usually be taken directly out of his pay check. A father that
refuses to pay child support for his child can be sent to jail and will possibly
lose his driver’s license.
If the father of your baby is also a teenager and still living with his parents,
it may be more difficult for him to pay child support. Under these
circumstances he may be able to pay child support jointly with his parents.
It is just as important that the father be able to continue with his education
to give himself a better future, but he will possibly have to work part-time to
be able to provide you with some child support.
Things may seem to get hard at times but remember there is always a light at the
end of the tunnel and things will work out in the end. Be organised, set your
budget and work hard at sticking with your budget is the best way to ensure you
will cope well with your finances.
