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Jan. 4th, 2005 09:19 amYesterday, I saw this list posted somewhere:
The average cost of preparing for a baby
Crib, mattress, dresser, rocker $1,500
Bedding/Decor $ 300
Baby Clothes $ 500
Disposable Diapers $ 600
Maternity/Nursing Clothes $1,200
Nursery items, high chair, toys $ 400
Baby Food/Formula $ 900
Stroller, Car Seat, Carrier $ 300
Miscellaneous $ 500
Total $ 6,200
WTF? That's the *average* price? If I had to buy all this stuff new, I could probably get it under $2000 (decent enough quality to be safe and attractive, but not necessarily top of the line), and how many people actually buy all of it, let alone new?
I'm not sure which is more disturbing - that "average" means that quite a lot of people spend more than this, or that so many people believe that all this stuff (and spending this much on it) is truly necessary.
The list was attached to a comment basically trying to convince a 14 year old that she couldn't afford to be a mother. Stupid, really. The list is WAY too easy to pick apart, and it draws the focus to the exaggerations, not to the real issues involved in a 14 year old becoming a parent.
We head back up to lala land in a few hours. I am filled with various vague discontents.
The average cost of preparing for a baby
Crib, mattress, dresser, rocker $1,500
Bedding/Decor $ 300
Baby Clothes $ 500
Disposable Diapers $ 600
Maternity/Nursing Clothes $1,200
Nursery items, high chair, toys $ 400
Baby Food/Formula $ 900
Stroller, Car Seat, Carrier $ 300
Miscellaneous $ 500
Total $ 6,200
WTF? That's the *average* price? If I had to buy all this stuff new, I could probably get it under $2000 (decent enough quality to be safe and attractive, but not necessarily top of the line), and how many people actually buy all of it, let alone new?
I'm not sure which is more disturbing - that "average" means that quite a lot of people spend more than this, or that so many people believe that all this stuff (and spending this much on it) is truly necessary.
The list was attached to a comment basically trying to convince a 14 year old that she couldn't afford to be a mother. Stupid, really. The list is WAY too easy to pick apart, and it draws the focus to the exaggerations, not to the real issues involved in a 14 year old becoming a parent.
We head back up to lala land in a few hours. I am filled with various vague discontents.
