What You Need to Know About Raising a Child in Australia

If you are about to be a parent or are a first-time parent, you may be wondering how to raise a child in Australia the right way.

For starters, children are beautiful and pure souls with their whole life ahead of them. That said, you can’t just jump into parenting a great child without any knowledge.

Everything you do can shape your child profoundly, from the food they eat to the surroundings you put them in.

With this massive influence, as well as the financial burden of child-rearing, it’s no question that raising a child can be an overwhelming ordeal for first-time parents.

If you’re feeling the pressure, let’s break it all down, from the costs associated with raising a child as well to the parental obligations expected of you.

Costs Of Raising A Child

Let’s face the facts: bringing up a child is costly. Every aspect of raising children involves money, from buying infant food and diapers to funding their schooling.

According to one government study, parents can expect to spend around $140 to $150 a week on one child. 

But that is just for the most basic costs. Considering averages, the cost of raising a child per week is marked at a minimum of $170 to $180. 

Parents need to allocate that much for raising a child, with some additional padding in case of emergencies.

These are additional estimated costs for raising a child in Australia per month:

• Childcare. This will vary depending on your childcare subsidy and how many days your child is in care but the average is around $70 per day out of pocket. 
• Clothing: $140
• Education: $400.  This is the average. If you send your child to a public school you won’t have any fees but you will still need to factor in uniform costs, stationary, books and equipment.
• Entertainment and leisure activities: $140
• Food: $400
• Healthcare: $120. Most healthcare is free but you’ll need to factor in dentist visits, potential emergency x-rays etc. 
• Personal care and hygiene: $100
• Other utilities, transport, pocket money, and school excursions ect: $200 

And all this does not include savings and contingencies for the future. Once that’s factored in, the total amount needed for raising a child can reach up to $2,350 a month.

Knowing the cost of raising a child can help you plan for the future and be financially stable. You will also be able to provide a better environment and amenities for your child.

If you need a little aid, there are also government schemes that help with childcare costs, such as Child Care Subsidy and In-Home Care.

As parents get busier, the cost of raising a child in the modern age must consider paying for nannies and following legal and tax frameworks. Service providers offer domestic employee payroll management and ongoing support for families.

Parents are employers with legal employment responsibility on their shoulders. A service provider can help employers by taking accountability for proper and legal nanny employment.

Check this article on CarePayCo: How to Pay a Nanny Legally to help parents and their domestic employees have a good working arrangement that meets Australia’s legislative requirements.

Your Role As Parents

As the parent, you remain a primary caregiver throughout your child’s development. You should play the beacon that provides them warmth and protection through all their hard times.

Moreover, parents should serve as a child’s role models, particularly in their younger years. The responsibility to help them become an upright and honourable citizen of the world falls on the family.

As such, you must provide a nurturing environment for your child as they grow. You must provide encouragement and support to them whenever the situation calls for it. This will enable them to develop their full potential in every aspect of their lives.

Additionally, you also need to develop emotional and social skills for your child for a healthy upbringing.

As a parent, you should strive to teach your child morality, freedom, and the limits of this freedom. At least until they grow older. Other than this, teaching your kid to function independently is also important.

It’s also important to remain practical. You should never forego your responsibility as a parent for fleeting sources of pleasure. Remember, your family is always your priority.

Above all these, spending time with your child and being there to support them in their development is the most important thing you can do as a parent.

The time you invest in them will be returned to you manifold as they grow older, so don’t take your time with them for granted.

Keeping Your Child Healthy

Your child’s health is also crucial. Keeping your child healthy does not only mean feeding them every day and exercising regularly. 

Children are more susceptible to infections, environmental changes, and mental or peer pressure. These outline the three factors a child’s health can be regarded with; physical, mental, and social well-being.

Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly can help keep your child fit. Making sure they have the right vitamins also helps a tonne. Avoid making them overweight as this can worsen their health over time.

Regular health checkups and communication with your child can help keep you in sync with their physical and mental well-being.

Finally, exposing your child to the right people can help them feel part of a community and increase their sense of self. Try to socialise with them as early as you can to allow them to reap the benefits of a healthy social life.

Education In Childcare And At Home

As a parent, you must teach your child the right values and knowledge. But, of course, it’s not expected that you carry the entirety of the weight of your child’s education.

According to the Australian government, a child spends an average of 25.2 hours a week in childcare.

Early learning and child care play a key role in shaping your child’s development. In Australia, there are various childcare facilities you can put your child in. This includes:

• Long-day care
• Family day care
• In-home care
• Outside-school-hours care
• Kinder (from ages 3-4 which is now free in some states)

At home, you can consider applying home-based learning techniques to accelerate your child’s learning outside their child care.

They don’t have to be too complicated either. Children are generally curious and love asking questions. If they go into a “Why?” spiral, for instance, answer their questions genuinely and don’t shut them down.

According to Raising Stars, this inquiry-based learning fosters active engagement and develops key skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity.

Another learning method is play-based learning, where children engage in learning experiences through play. This type of learning is more common in childcare centres but can also be done at home with the child’s own personal toys.