Babies: How to Afford Your Bundle of Joy

You’ve taken the pregnancy tests, made the big announcement and you’ve probably caught a glimpse of your baby on a sonogram. Congratulations! You’ve got a bundle of joy on the way and the one thing you’re probably not prepared for is the bundle of money it’s going to cost to raise that little one.

In Babies: How to Afford Your Bundle of Joy, writer Lisa van de Geyn leans on financial experts to help parents save a few dollars and get the most bang for their bucks before and after their new additions arrive. While there doesn’t seem to be one specific amount of money experts agree on, raising kids costs a pretty penny. The good news is that there are trade-offs expectant and new parents can make to their lifestyles to make having a baby — and the price tag attached to it — more manageable.

This guide will ensure you’re well-versed in everything from the benefits of seeing up a registered education savings plan and what maternity and parental leave means when it’s tax time, to the payments you’re entitled to from the government after you deliver your baby and advice on getting on employment insurance. We’ll walk you through budgeting and offer plenty of tips and tricks from parents like you who are so wrapped up in the sheer excitement of pregnancy they forget to research what a baby will mean to their bank accounts.