1 in 3 families say childcare costs influence family planning

1 in 3 families say childcare costs influence family planning1 in 3 families say childcare costs influence family planningHaving a child is going to upturn yur world and empty out your wallet. Too many of us are still unprepared for what it takes financially to balance a new family with our personal and professional lives, according to Care.coms fifth annual survey of childcare costs.Three in four families reported that the childcare costs were more than they expected. The U.S. Department of Health and philanthropisch Services defines affordable childcare as costing up to 7% of household income, while parents in the survey said they were paying almost triple that number. One in three families said they spend 20% or more of their household income on childcare costs.Increasing costs of childcare are straining finances and marriagesChildcare is increasingly unaffordable. According to Care.coms national averages of weekly childcare costs, while a nanny cost $472 and an after-school babys itter cost $181 in 2013 in 2017, a nanny costs an average of $580 and an after-school sitter costs $242.More than a quarter of parents surveyed said they would put themselves in debt to pay for childcare costs. These added concerns take a toll on our personal relationships. Thirty-five percent of parents said childcare costs caused relationship tension with their partner. It is limiting families futures. Families are waiting to have children longer, or are having fewer children than they would like if money was no object. One in three families said that childcare costsfactored into their family planning decision, which helps explain why the U.S. fertility rate is at a record low of60.2 births per 1,000 women in 2017.The demands of childcare costs also influence our career choices. The top career changes parents said childcare influenced them to do were changing jobs to increase take-home pay, requesting a more flexible work schedule, switching to a part-time schedule, and becoming a stay-at-home parent. And sometimes, these careers switches are done with regret. About one in four parents said they would not have done the same career decisions, knowing what they do know about childcare costs.