Texas Is One Of The Worst States For Having A Baby
So, Texas is one of the worst states for having a baby, but will it stop any of us? Nope! It's just nice to know what we're getting into.
When you add up all the medical bills, it costs about $10,000 on average to have a baby. And then we forget the pain of childbirth and the pain brought on by the medical bills, and we decide to repeat the process and have two or three more babies. Caution, meet the wind. Parents are risk-takers and we're okay with it.
Wallethub points out that the costs of childbirth vary from state to state, and even from baby to baby. If we wait six years between births, inflation may have driven the costs up by the time baby number two enters the world. And it's going to be cheaper in North Dakota than it is in Texas.
To figure out the best states to have a baby, Wallethub looked at things like the hospital's conventional-delivery charges, plus annual average infant-care costs and pediatricians per capita.
Top 10 Best States to Have a Baby in America
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Vermont
North Dakota
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
District of Columbia
Maine
Washington
Connecticut
Texas ranked #41 overall. We ranked 39th for cost, 43rd for healthcare, 34th in baby-friendliness, and 33rd in family-friendliness.
What do we say to that? Um, oh well? I think we might have better brisket, corn dogs, and amusement parks than they do in North Dakota, and kids like those things. It's not a total loss.
I don't remember how much it cost to bring my three girls into the world, and that number is probably a little fuzzy for most parents. We'll just say it was worth every penny.
It would be nice if having a baby was free, but ultimately it doesn't matter how much it costs, right?. We'll make it work. Family is one of those things you can't put a price on.