Crunching Numbers

I am obviously a language-oriented person. Careful word selection, grammar, syntax and punctuation have been lifelong friends of mine. I am, however, learning to appreciate the precise simplicity that is a number. Why? Because babies and families are a business.

I've spent countless hours researching baby merchandise. Where do my eyes look first? The price. If it seems reasonable, I then skim the user reviews and product descriptions. I, like most Americans, am a seasoned consumer. Having a child when you are young and unprepared demands thrift and sensibility. I've been fortunate enough to have my expenses as a student covered by my parents, but now that I'm about to be a parent, it's time to grow up.

On June 25, 2010, the New York Times reported that it costs a middle-income American family $222, 360 to raise a child from birth to age 18, according to the U.S.D.A. That number shows an increase of 22% from 1960, primarily adjusted for inflation.

The U.S.D.A. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion Web site provides a "Cost of Raising a Child Calculator." The generator asks the number of children you have, their age(s), whether or not yours is a single- or two-parent household, regional location and your annual before-tax household income. Within seconds, it calculates your annual estimated costs overall and for each child, breaking down the expenses into categories: housing, food, transportation, clothing, health care, child care and education, and other. The national average total for raising one child under 1 year of age for one year is $9,559.

Naturally, big baby businesses contribute heavily to these numbers.

According to surebaby.com, parents can expect to spend between $1,600 and $2,300 on diapers by the time their child is potty-trained. Babies are expected to use 7-8 diapers a day, even more during the first few months of life. The cost is estimated at $80-$130 per month. I don't even spend that much money on food in a month.

The same Web site reports estimated costs for each item a baby "requires." I can't help but wonder, how much of this stuff do babies actually need? Is a swing essential? No. What about hooded towels? No. I'm also beginning to understand that a lot of these numbers leave certain questions unanswered. Are these estimated annual costs adjusted for families who breastfeed or bottle-feed? Do they take into account the varying health insurance policies available all over America?

I find myself doubting that any of these numbers are exact. Every family in the United States is different, just like the unique fingerprints on each little baby. One thing I am certain of, however, is that babies are expensive. A number may be a simple thing, but finances are not.