@egirl1025 we found a great in home daycare lady. We pay $25.65/day so each month depends on how many days there are. Before DD started on table food and milk we provided everything for her to eat. Now this price includes 2 meals and 2 snacks plus milk each day.
When this new LO goes with DD we are expecting to pay around $1200/ month for both. But in home care is a lot different than a day care facility. This lady is an older lady with plenty of kids and grandkids of her own. But she isn't licensed or certified which is why it's cheaper.
@egirl1025 DD's center is $270/week for 5 days - this includes care from 6:30am-6:30pm with breakfast, lunch, and 2 snacks. Next week we're dropping her down to 3 days at $200/week. ETA: It's an early childhood education center, so you're also paying for the educational program, not just day care.
@BelhurstBride - In my practice the pre-payment is for L&D (based on insurance). It doesn't cover the rest of the appointments that come before, if I owe anything for those I'll be billed separately.
The bummer for me is that our insurance plan runs 3/1 - 2/28 so I'm basically going to hit my deductible and then have to start all over not long after.
@gusgus14 Really? I've never heard of that. My pre-payment covered everything up through the birth. Although now that I think about it, US and BW may not have been included and will be billed separately. But that's because I'm seeing a midwife and they send me to another facility for the US.
@missblaze Yep, most of it will be covered but BW, U/S, and I feel like a couple of other things are billed separately and not covered at 100%. It doesn't really matter to me though, either way I'll only be paying up to my deductible so it doesn't really matter and I have enough in my HSA to cover it all with no restrictions on when I can use the funds.
ETA: because I wasn't actually finished when I hit submit.
@egirl1025 At the center where Thing 1 is now for preschool, it's $315/week with 2 snacks and milk/juice provided. It'll drop to $300 when he moves into the 3yo room this fall. This seems to be typical-to-low for the centers around here. We did visit one really nice one that was over $350/week for the 3yo class, but fortunately they were waitlisted so I didn't have to have that argument with DH. At the in-home where he was before, she charged $220/week for infants and $190/week after he turned 2yo. She provided lunch and snacks once he was done with baby food. I think we will send Thing 2 to her too, as the center has an infant room but it's like $420/week.
@bainidhedub eeeesh! I thought we were getting price with $330/week being the norm here... although we are paying for two so that makes a difference - they give the sibling discount to one of the fees... Still searching to see if I can find an in-home option but there are very few spots at the places we've gone so we don't have a lot of time to mess around.
@Mudge85 How old? I forgot about the sibling discount but that's still not enough to make the difference for us. Our lady was just really cheap I think. Her husband works nights but they're both licensed so they can have more kids in the house. I'm up in Germantown/Clarksburg area. Goddard was the crazy $$$ one but Kindercare was up there too.
@bainidhedub - that's for the infant room (currently 17w6d w/ twins)... oh crazy - The Goddard here (Chantilly) is $380/week, KinderCare is $329/week, MinnieLand is $330/week... There was one other we were not impressed with but I'll leave the name out because I know they all have GREAT Locations and OKAY locations... and they were $344/week.
@bainidhedub@egirl1025 I don't know much about pricing, but I was a full time pre-k teacher at Goddard in Virginia and when I was pregnant with DS they told me the wait list was 15 months out for the infant room, and that even if they did have room, the director/principal said I couldn't afford to put my son in their school with what she paid me. She never gave me a number though. Probably didn't want me to know since it didn't make a difference since they were full anyways. I've interviewed and worked at tons of schools in IL, AZ, and VA (military wife) and I have found that the cheaper daycares/schools tend to be a bit sketchy so make sure to do your research before choosing one. Also know that just because it looks decent, the staff might not be great. I've quit at schools after seeing how horrible the staff treats the children. Not trying to scare anyone. Just saying sometimes paying a little more is worth it. Good luck with the childcare hunt ladies!
Oh, and I would also suggest looking into nannies. I've also done that. Websites such as Care.com or Sittercity.com both offer background checks and are a great way to both find nanny jobs and find childcare for your own little one. I'm a SAH mom now, but I nanny out of my house for families that I've connected with through those sites ☺️
@egirl1025 we pay $350 a week for DD. It includes breakfast and snacks. We provide lunch.
when she was an infant (through 16 months) it was $406 a week. We provided bm or formula, bottles, and diapers. They provided baby food and snacks once she started solids.
This is 5 days a week and no restrictions on drop off and pick up. The center is open 7a-6p.
@egirl1025 DS is 20 months and just moved to a new daycare closer to my home. All food is provided but they do ask for me to bring him snacks occasionally. We pay $185 a week. The previous daycare we were at for infant care we paid $212 per week and that included formula, which was a huge savings for us. This new daycare is $195 per week for the infant room, doesn't include formula, and I'll receive a $10 sibling discount for DS.
@BelhurstBride my insurance covers prenatal at 100% other than diagnostics so my actual payment that's due is for L&D only. Ultrasounds and blood work is billed separately. My paperwork from my ob office says it's fine to use an HSA but not an FSA and I've worked with my FSA before, they will pay the debit charge and ask for an itemized receipt and when the services rendered doesn't match the service year or is in the future I will get a bill from them. Thanks Bank of America FSA. Haha.
I'm with @cyanope on the bills after baby. I remember being really freaked out by this while pregnant with DS and worrying what it was going to cost me. Since i had met our $500.00 deductible for the year, it didn't cost me anything for l&d, and all of my prenantal visits and testing were completely covered with no co-pay. I feel very fortunate to have the insurance my company provides.
Most likely this LO will be born in January, so i will probably only have the deductible to worry about. I literally can not believe the cost behind all of this and it sucks for those who have to pay so much out of pocket.
@karacc18 You are really lucky to be covered 100% after the deductible! My coinsurance is only 10% but that still added up after Thing 1's birth and when he was hospitalized for a few days at 5 weeks. And the year after he was born they went and doubled our deductible & OOP max so I know it'll be a lot more this time.
Any recommendations for bath time for a 2 year old? My back is starting to kill me on my knees or even when I sit on the tub. I thought about washing him in the kitchen sink like we did when he was an infant but it seems dirty bc he won't be sitting on anything in the sink now. If any of you do sink baths, what do you clean it with prior?
@BelhurstBride The amount my doctor's office estimated actually covered the total cost of care (visits, tests, delivery, etc) and then split out the delivery fee separately. The delivery is the only part they are asking for upfront monthly payments, the rest I've been paying as I go. I was not suggesting I shouldn't have to pay for all the services they provide until then end. I just was caught off guard because in my mind, you pay for a service when it is provided. Then again, I've never had a major medical expense, so I have no experience with this, hence, the reason I asked the question.
I went looking at day cares for after the baby is born. It's going to be $345 a week for 5 full days a week. Looking at what everyone else is paying, I don't even think that's that bad for LA!
This is all majorly valuable info, everyone, thanks!
Another money related question, and totally understand if it's personal and you don't want to share... But how are you saving for baby's future/college? Is the 529 really the best way to go? One of my friends said they have both a 529 and another acct but couldn't remember the other acct type (her DH handles the $). I know VA offers 4 plans so I have to research anyways, but thoughts?
@clc515 we have a 529 for DS. It's been working out well for us. It's been nice for grandparents too because we can just give them the account number and they have been adding for holidays and they can get some tax benefits from that too.
Thanks for the advice everyone. We checked out the first place today. The facilities were great and diapers and wipes were included along with meals. I need to look a little further into the details but definitely a contender. It is $305/week. It is actually a brand new facility that isn't open yet, so I feel like I want to visit once it is open with kids, which it should be in a couple weeks. I think I am going to scratch the place that makes you pay extra for meals. They don't provide a place to keep a lunch you would bring cool, which makes me feel like I am sending my 18 month to regular school . If they had a fridge and would heat up the food, etc... Then I may feel different.
I have one more place close by that I want to look at. It is $265/week. I am glad I did not procrastinate this time.
@clc515 we started a 529 for our son and for the tax savings we get now it is a perfect solution for us. I also purchased a whole life policy for him. It will grow in cash value throughout his life and will accrue dividends every year as well. He can pull the cash value without tax penalty so in the future can be used for any type of investment. When he is older and whole owner of the policy he can up coverage without going through a medical exam. He will always have the best rating. We pay just under $60 a month for $100k in coverage. It is probably a little more expensive of a plan, but the benefits and dividends are amazing!
I should add that even though I work for the insurance company I am not a salesperson.... Just a lowly cybersecurity professional.
@egirl1025 talk to me more about this life insurance thing? Is that like the Gerber Life Insurance I see on commercials? A little pack came in the Motherhood Maternity coupon pack lol.
@egirl1025 we currently pay $356 week for 5 day, full time care. This includes breakfast (cereal/milk), two snacks, lunch and diapers/wipes. My DD is currently in the toddler classroom (15 months-24months). The infant program ran $383 week for full time care and included the above (food when they were old enough to eat solids), rice cereal/oatmeal.
@CANTW82BMOM I still always get in the tub with DD but realize that that will end soon as this belly grows. I wish I had advice. DD is almost 2; we tried a shower two weeks ago and it did NOT go well lol.
ETA: I tagged the wrong person. Seriously dumb over here, folks!
For savings, we had actually purchased some bonds when we were ttc, and they should mature when he's about 16.
I've been thinking about looking into life insurance too... Thanks for the reminder.
And @clc515 before getting life insurance for yourself or spouse, or especially for a child i suggest you read chapter 11 of Dave Ramsey's book Financial Peace. It explains the different types of life insurances, how much you need and what to avoid really well, and not as an insurance agent or a company trying to sell you insurance would so you can get what is best financially for your family. You can probably find a copy of the book at the library, you can download it, or buy it.
@sbishop426 that's really interesting.. my hospital wouldn't let me take my own BP meds or prenatal, I had to use the ones they supplied. I'm delivering at a different hospital this time so maybe I'll ask if I can bring in my own stuff!
To be able to take your own home medication in most hospitals the Doctor would have to put in a doctors order saying it's OK for you to take your home med. (I don't want to say All because policies often vary) Let your Doctor know at your next appointment that this is what you would like to do and they will be able to tell you whether the hospital would allow it. Usually it would take the Dr. One extra minute to put that order in, so not a big deal unless it is against the policy. @schaze@sbishop426
@egirl1025 talk to me more about this life insurance thing? Is that like the Gerber Life Insurance I see on commercials? A little pack came in the Motherhood Maternity coupon pack lol.
It is kind of like the Gerber life insurance, yes. I looked at the Gerber stuff as well, but it didn't have as many benefits in my opinion (example being not every company pays out dividends) and I cannot remember if I was able to get as much coverage. I have a specific financial rep that I work with so it was so much easier to ask questions and get prompt answers. I do not pay anything to meet with the rep either so that is nice. If you would like to know the specific insurance company I purchased through I will PM it to you.
@mamaof5already thabks for the advice on dave ramseys book. I actually love personal finance blogs and they usually talk about total monry makeover, but will def check that one out.
@egirl1025 thanks for more info. Im gonna talk it over with DH to see if it makes sense for us, but its very intriguing. Def would appreciate a pm w name so i can research, thank you!
When do we have to stop sleeping on our backs? I can't remember from last time but trying to enjoy the last few times while I can!
I just checked this morning because i was wondering the same thing, it seems 20 weeks is the cut off. Although some sites recommends start of 2nd trimester.
@maueraa07 last time my friends all said your body will tell you and you will know when it's time to stop. Sure enough it did. I think it was between the weight of the tummy, and having a hard time breathing that got me.
@maueraa07 I never stopped.... I'd always try to fall asleep on my side, used my snoogle and everything....and would consistently wake up on my back! It freaked me out so much, that I asked my OB. She basically said what @supercoolstephy said. Your body will help you to figure it out :-)
Re: Questions for STMs 7/26
When this new LO goes with DD we are expecting to pay around $1200/ month for both. But in home care is a lot different than a day care facility. This lady is an older lady with plenty of kids and grandkids of her own. But she isn't licensed or certified which is why it's cheaper.
I use Hypnobabies! http://www.hypnobabies-store.com/link.cgi?affiliateID=472
J18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies!
EDD: 1/6/2018
Eva Jane: 7/23/2014
The bummer for me is that our insurance plan runs 3/1 - 2/28 so I'm basically going to hit my deductible and then have to start all over not long after.
I use Hypnobabies! http://www.hypnobabies-store.com/link.cgi?affiliateID=472
J18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies!
EDD: 1/6/2018
Eva Jane: 7/23/2014
ETA: because I wasn't actually finished when I hit submit.
At the in-home where he was before, she charged $220/week for infants and $190/week after he turned 2yo. She provided lunch and snacks once he was done with baby food. I think we will send Thing 2 to her too, as the center has an infant room but it's like $420/week.
Jan 18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies
I'm up in Germantown/Clarksburg area. Goddard was the crazy $$$ one but Kindercare was up there too.
Jan 18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies
@bainidhedub - that's for the infant room (currently 17w6d w/ twins)... oh crazy - The Goddard here (Chantilly) is $380/week, KinderCare is $329/week, MinnieLand is $330/week... There was one other we were not impressed with but I'll leave the name out because I know they all have GREAT Locations and OKAY locations... and they were $344/week.
Oh, and I would also suggest looking into nannies. I've also done that. Websites such as Care.com or Sittercity.com both offer background checks and are a great way to both find nanny jobs and find childcare for your own little one. I'm a SAH mom now, but I nanny out of my house for families that I've connected with through those sites ☺️
when she was an infant (through 16 months) it was $406 a week. We provided bm or formula, bottles, and diapers. They provided baby food and snacks once she started solids.
This is 5 days a week and no restrictions on drop off and pick up. The center is open 7a-6p.
J18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies
Edit it because I meant to say is not isn't.
J18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies
Most likely this LO will be born in January, so i will probably only have the deductible to worry about. I literally can not believe the cost behind all of this and it sucks for those who have to pay so much out of pocket.
Jan 18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies
Another money related question, and totally understand if it's personal and you don't want to share... But how are you saving for baby's future/college? Is the 529 really the best way to go? One of my friends said they have both a 529 and another acct but couldn't remember the other acct type (her DH handles the $). I know VA offers 4 plans so I have to research anyways, but thoughts?
I have one more place close by that I want to look at. It is $265/week. I am glad I did not procrastinate this time.
I should add that even though I work for the insurance company I am not a salesperson.... Just a lowly cybersecurity professional.
ETA: I tagged the wrong person. Seriously dumb over here, folks!
DD1 EDD 9/29/2015, Born 9/24/2015
DS1 EDD 1/3/2018, Born 12/26/2017
BFP #3 3/21/2019, EDD 11/29/2019, MMC/D&C 5/7/2019
BFP #4 6/28/2019, EDD 3/12/2020
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fatherly.com/love-and-money/politics/center-american-progress-shows-how-much-americans-pay-childcare/amp/
For savings, we had actually purchased some bonds when we were ttc, and they should mature when he's about 16.
I've been thinking about looking into life insurance too... Thanks for the reminder.
older siblings: ds 16 dd 14 ds 13 dd 11 dd 7
@schaze @sbishop426
ETA:. Tag @clc515
@egirl1025 thanks for more info. Im gonna talk it over with DH to see if it makes sense for us, but its very intriguing. Def would appreciate a pm w name so i can research, thank you!
And thanks to everyone else re: 529 responses!
older siblings: ds 16 dd 14 ds 13 dd 11 dd 7
edit: spelling
J18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies
FTR, I've slept on my back through both of my full time pregnancies, without any problems.
DD2 8.22.13
MMC 1.4.17 at 16w
Expecting #3, EDD 1.29.18