Parenting Questions Answered – The Best Age To Have A Baby

I have been asked many times lately about my thoughts on “the perfect age to have children”. My answer is always that there is never a “perfect” time to have a baby. I personally wanted to be done having babies by the time I was 30, and we started trying a year after we got married. I had just turned 22 when my oldest was born. Within 4 1/2 years we had our 3 babies and I am 99% sure we are done – that’s a topic for another day.

There are pros and cons to starting a family both earlier or later. For me, fertility issues run rampant in my family and I wanted to give ourselves the time we may need. I am extremely thankful that we got pregnant quickly and easily with each one. I also don’t know how long I am granted here on earth, so I wanted to have our babies young so that I would have as much time with them as possible.

With that being said, we had just built and moved into our brand new “starter home” when I got pregnant. I quit my job right after I had him. Had we been a bit older, we could have had more “stuff” and taken more vacations. As it was, we didn’t and I was excellent at being cheap frugal. But we were still blissfully happy and I was/am able to stay home.

I have always had a bit of an old soul and knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a mom. Just because starting a family young worked with us – doesn’t mean it will with everyone. Some people simply aren’t ready for the stark reality that comes with a screaming newborn. Some couples want those years alone to get to know each other more before adding to the mix.

The answer will be different for every couple. What works for some, doesn’t for others. Some people want to be more financially stable, while some throw caution to the wind. Others don’t have a steady relationship as early as we did and don’t find their significant other until later in life. How about you – When did you start a family?