[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by redfire

Patience - ditto is the case here with my son. He is 2 yrs old and likes to go out. I used to take him for a spin. If I get late then it is wifie's job. He also hates to be indoor and wanna play outside. He also hates dress change and things inside toilet . Cars are a weakness and always carry a couple of toy cars with him (even if we go out). Like what you said, sit on my lap and shouts 'ka' 'ka' when he see pics of cars in tbhp. His favourite movie is the old 'Gone in 60 seconds' and its long car chase.

Yes, I enjoy every moment with him. Nice thread you started, hope we can share many things here which will be helpful for good parenting.

It cannot be so close - exactly what is happening with me.

[greatDrive]

Originally Posted by lambuhere1

I don't foresee any expenditure, even for the docs, which shall be in a span of three months once visit. Diapers, kiddies clothes, toys , very less till they start demanding, at around 3 + years

Its not the kid who demands for intial 2 years, but the mother who will keep buying everything she likes for his son/daughter

[deepakhon]

Originally Posted by ntomer

She is very fond of dancing and wants to practice bollywood dance numbers with me, and I always turn out to be grossly inadequate :-((

Does she then say "Papa dance kar nahi sakta"?

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

How much is the financial penalty of having a kid.
Any rough estimates on increase in monthly household expenditure?
I am not counting schooling etc., but diapers/food/ blah blah

Food and diaper would not affect your financials much. It is mainly clothes, toys and accessories.

With the thrill/ excitement of having a baby, the parents would be on a shopping spree for clothes, toys and accessories. I cannot blame my wife in this regard as I am the main culprit here.

I enjoy shopping for my baby more than spending on my car.

He loves cars - plays with small car toys (makes sound of car and pushes it) and his tricycle most of the time. Battery operated cars do not last much in his hands.

I got a Fischer price tricycle from Landmark for 4000 though my wife did not approve it. Its lightweight, completely safe and can be used as a rocker aswell - my son does not enjoy rocking though.
Amazon.com: Fisher-Price® Rock, Roll 'n Ride Trike™: Toys & Games

The only demand from my son is for chocolates - he is addicted to chocolates. He does not like icecreams much. The demands are going to grow with coming years.

Originally Posted by SohailPistawala

I am Loving this thread, thanks Patiencewins

Same here brother.

Originally Posted by ntomer

The toughest part is to meet the expectations of kids about yourself. My little one calls me "my superman papa" and believes it ;-)
\N

That is too much. Hope you will meet her expectations.

[vivekiny2k]

one thing i am trying to do despite resistance from my wife is not to give him everything he wants.

kids do not know what are the ill effects of chocolate, cake and ice cream, what is the need to give it to them when they don't even ask for it. it's a different matter if they have been crying for it for continuous 4 hours.


ditto for toys (or pseudo toys, like my cellphone). I have a belief that the more kids learn to struggle to achieve things, better they are equipped for a better life. I mean how can a kid whose sole aim has been to get a Xbox (prom date would be a better example in US) throughout the session can compete with a kid who aim has been to earn his bread and job by studying and working harder.

I am already well off today, but I try not to give too much luxury to my son. especially temperature control. I know in america people start dying the moment their home temperate rises beyond 110 F. most of them here have lost their natural resistance. i like to keep my son exposed to the elements all the time, except for the snowy winters. you will be surprised how easily they can tolerate it compared to adults. just ensure you keep them hydrated and safe from the extremes.

@TSK. it all depends on how you want to raise them. there are families in india who see almost no difference in their budget because they are not so finicky about what they give to their children, and trust me, they turn out fine. reminds me of an old TV advert "dekho beta ye to kudrat ki baat hai. bachche to bhagwan ki den hote hain".

EDIT: @ greatdrive, very true. especially if you want to achieve whatever I have said above.

[akroy]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

How much is the financial penalty of having a kid.
Any rough estimates on increase in monthly household expenditure?
I am not counting schooling etc., but diapers/food/ blah blah

Then I can give you the latest update. My daughter is in 7th month. Food and daipers cost me close to Rs 5K a month. So far I have only spent Rs1200 on clothes the day she was born. After that she got lots of clothes from relatives and grandparents.

Now in the future the food and diapers cost will start to reduce and those will be replaced by toys which would higher.
But it is fun. I have a toy to play with whenever I am back home from office and time just passes by.

Abhi

[ntomer]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

How much is the financial penalty of having a kid.
Any rough estimates on increase in monthly household expenditure?
I am not counting schooling etc., but diapers/food/ blah blah

To give you a perspective - I spent more in my daughter's first year in school than I did in 4 years of my engineering ;-)

\N

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by ntomer

To give you a perspective - I spent more in my daughter's first year in school than I did in 4 years of my engineering ;-)

\N

I am not surprised - the school fees in Bangalore is so high. Reputed schools have entrance test for nursery admission, if the kid clears it you have to pay a hefty donation.

I plan to send him to an average middle class school so that he will learn life. I do not want him to get carried away by upper class lifestyle. For higher education he can choose his career and institution.

Originally Posted by akroy

Then I can give you the latest update. My daughter is in 7th month. Food and daipers cost me close to Rs 5K a month. So far I have only spent Rs1200 on clothes the day she was born. After that she got lots of clothes from relatives and grandparents.

Now in the future the food and diapers cost will start to reduce and those will be replaced by toys which would higher.
But it is fun. I have a toy to play with whenever I am back home from office and time just passes by.
Abhi

The first six months is taken care by gifts from relatives.
The expenditure will come mainly after 1 year with clothes and toys. I also found that branded good quality dress for 1 year old is quite expensive. Trouser for a two year old costs around 700 bucks in Lifestyle. For normal use local shops are the best bet.

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

kids do not know what are the ill effects of chocolate, cake and ice cream, what is the need to give it to them when they don't even ask for it. it's a different matter if they have been crying for it for continuous 4 hours.

ditto for toys (or pseudo toys, like my cellphone). I have a belief that the more kids learn to struggle to achieve things, better they are equipped for a better life. I mean how can a kid whose sole aim has been to get a Xbox (prom date would be a better example in US) throughout the session can compete with a kid who aim has been to earn his bread and job by studying and working harder.

Good points Vivek.

Once my baby grows up and start demanding stuff I plan to do the same. Currently the quota for chocolate is one a day - we usually give the quota when he is hurt/ wounded and crying. I make it a point not to give him the impression that he can get things done by crying. If he cries to go out of the house my answer is No, we are not going out. So usually, he requests as a good boy.

Another point is to teach kids the value of food. We give him food only in the right quantity so that he would not waste food. Anything extra, mainly biscuits, will go back to the container. Also he is not allowed to play with food.

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Good points Vivek.

Once my baby grows up and start demanding stuff I plan to do the same.

it may be difficult and painful if the foundation is not laid right. I am thankful now to my parents for not allowing me to do lotsa stuff i wanted to do. I hated them for that when i was in school

also thanks to my dad, i don't have a sweet tooth either.

[redfire]

This thread is turning real good. As Pateince said, it is for toys / fav food we spend most, while diapers and dress comes second. And I never mind to spend on them, especially for food. He likes fish, chicken and chocolate in that order. I have bought 3-4 RC controlled cars ranging from 250 to 1200 bucks but all are in pieces now . I think upto 4-5 years solid hard plastic toys are good. I have bought a Anand Army truck (a good solid plastic toy, have found in Zak's house too) and couple of Funskool cars/jeeps now. Bicycle (with support wheels) is bought by Uncle for his 2nd BDay and is slowly getting used. Again as Patience said we never mind spending for him, especially when he is with me. But I also never make him feel that he gets anything if he cries. I hope he will turn good.

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

How much is the financial penalty of having a kid.
Any rough estimates on increase in monthly household expenditure?
I am not counting schooling etc., but diapers/food/ blah blah

frankly speaking, you should be worried about allocating time and giving up freedom to the little one more than finances.

My gymming routine is gone for a toss, and when planning anything, first thing we need to check is how my son will take it. I am sure your travelling will take a big hit, and forget about "let's go" moments, off road hiking and frolicking with your other half. In all probability it will be limited to a perfectly planned nearby spot where all of you can sit and entertain the little one.

[sriturl]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Set a good example (Very Important): He just imitates our speech and behaviour. If we set a good example, he will definitely a good individual.

I can share a few things that my daughter learned, and things like that and few others always amazes me the speed at which kids learn, and their observation skills.

I always wear seat belt, and insist that my wife wears seat belt. As soon as we enter the car, she used to shout "wear your seat belt" if I am late by a few secs.
Same with helmet. Even while I am wearing my shoe to get to office, the first thing she used to remind was "Did you take your helmet"
Some times I had to show her my car keys to tell her that I am taking car, and do not need helmet.
This was when she was less than 3 years old.

Even to this day, when some one honks on the road, the first thing she says is "bad boy. why are they horning?". She shouts when she sees high beam from a vehicle towards us.

I am sure she will turn out to be a responsible person

[mohang_j]

Originally Posted by bharanidharang

finance with the kids aint too much except towards diapers. Food is not much. Its usually doctors who take the honour of extracting the money. I would say before schooling years, around 4-5 K a month. Once schooling years starts, I am sure it will climb faster than inflation with their teen years denting you.

Exactly.But you will spend much more for their cloths, footwear ,toys*.*-just go to a kids section in a mall and you cannot come out without buying one even if you are alone-ask me how i know.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

How much is the financial penalty of having a kid.
Any rough estimates on increase in monthly household expenditure?
I am not counting schooling etc., but diapers/food/ blah blah

Not much really-sky is the limit

[mohang_j]

I have a six year old son-Shishira.
3 years back when we brought car (me first car driving and i am a slow watchful bullet rider)i used to get tensed with two wheelers and pedestrians when they disturb my driving and many times i have shouted.My son started shouting when i stopped that (that is when i learned proper driving).
He knows functions of all knobs,buttons and levers inside/out side the car/ house.
I can watch cricket match or news only when tom&jerry,krishna,hanuman cartoons are not present in any channel.
They are amazing learners,very often i will find my self answer-less for his questions.
Every weekend when we go for shopping/eat out he will visit music shops to find new release of hanuman and krishna cartoon movies.
The moment he sits inside the car he will check all door locks first and he he says appa cd haaku (daddy songs please) and to increase the sub woofer volume.

[snaronikar]

This is a nice thread. Patiencewins.

I have two kids. My son, Shreyas, who is 5 1/2 years old and daughter, Sneha, 1 1/2 years old. Altough my daughter is naughty, my son listens to what I say. He can understand things now. My son is very interested in cars, trucks, trains and similar stuff. It has come in his genes and he has inherited it. But when we go out, and if we do not buy him toy cars of his choice, then he starts screaming on road itself. By seeing this, nowadays, even my daughter has started to act like this.

My father was a Govt employee and we were not able to afford many luxury things during my childhood days. I do not want my son/daughter to suffer the like me. I usually purchase whatever they ask for as I do not want them to cry for things which I used to do. But this does also not mean that I will not punish them. I do punish them if they do something wrong.

But for studies, either myself or my wife has to sincerely concentrate on them. Otherwise, they will never get to learn things. I usually sit wioth my son durin weekends for getting his homework done and during weekdays, my wife will take care of these things.

Another thing if we have two kids is sibling rivalry. Whatever my son wants my daugther also wants that and they often start fighting for the same item. Be it sitting in chairs or toys or sitting in my/my wife's lap, they ofter fight over this.

But we are capturing all these things on video so that they can see it when they grow up and enjoy their childhood days. And whenever we replay these things we can have a hearty laugh for the pranks they would ahve done.

Its nice to be a parent and you will certainly enjoy the feeling.