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We have one, a two year old, and we're thinking about a second. But I need actual numbers rather than vibes.
We're in a two bed in Leyton. Childcare for one is already £1,600 a month before the funded hours kick in. A second would presumably mean two in nursery for a while, a bigger car, maybe a bigger flat eventually.
Those of you who've done it in London, what did it actually add to your outgoings?
Year one was almost nothing extra because we had all the stuff and I was on maternity leave. The killer was the overlap of two in nursery, which for us was 14 months at about £2,900 a month combined, and that was with a sibling discount. That period was brutal, we put almost all of our savings into it.
After that it became fairly manageable. Funded hours make a huge difference.
We didn't move. Two boys in one room in a two-bed and they love it. Bigger car was the other thing, and you can make a 'normal' car work with a narrow car seat if you're careful.
Things people forget: food bills creep up a lot once they're both eating proper portions. Holidays go up, you're paying for another seat on the plane at 2. Clubs and activities double. And school shoes. Always school shoes.
Planning the gap around funded hours helps a lot. Ours is 3 years 2 months so the eldest was on the 30 hours by the time baby started. Cheapest gap I could find.
This is exactly what I needed, thank you. Lou, the overlap number is scary but at least now it's a real number.
I just want to add the hidden cost of everything being lost or broken more often. My second has destroyed three remote controls.
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