Mother’s Day is often associated with flowers and breakfast in bed. But for many moms in San Diego, it’s also about making the numbers work.
With prices still high across the board, parents say raising kids feels more expensive than ever. Nationwide, the cost of raising a child to age 18 now exceeds $300,000, according to estimates from LendingTree.
For single moms Alexis Osuna and Niki Jones, those rising costs are part of everyday life.
“I think what moms do best is we adapt and we just get it done,” Niki says. “I mean it definitely makes it harder. You have to pick and choose. You might have to make sacrifices, which again is a big part of what being a mom is.”
Alexis says cutting back is not always the first option.
“I try to not cut things and instead I'm like, OK, how can I make more money? Like, can I pick up another side job?”
Even everyday basics are starting to feel more expensive.
“Even just like the basic things like McDonald’s are $17,” Alexis said. “I think eating out is — we’re cooking a lot more.”
“I was at Costco yesterday and $391 was our total,” Niki added. “And I say we bought what we needed. I was just like, 'Wow.' I think seeing that, I think that normally that would have been probably $250.”
Families say rising food prices, childcare costs and housing expenses are forcing many parents to adjust habits year by year.
And the costs begin even before a baby is born.
Even before diapers and daycare, the cost of simply having a baby can be overwhelming — families in the U.S. spend an average of more than $20,000 on pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care, even with insurance.
And on top of that, many moms face little to no paid maternity leave, with federal law only guaranteeing up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off — adding financial pressure at one of the most critical moments.
For Alexis and Niki, those financial realities are also shaping the way they parent.
“I think involving kind of my daughter in that conversation,” Alexis said. “I think those are important conversations to have and it’s OK that we can’t do everything. And even though it’s hard to say no sometimes, I kind of like just try to make as many of the times, rather than it being a hard moment, make it a teaching moment.”
The moms say community support has also become more important than ever — including turning to local groups like San Diego Moms for advice, encouragement and even borrowing household items from one another.
“We all don’t need to buy a cake stand,” Niki said. “You could come borrow mine.”
And while the cost of raising kids may continue to rise, these moms say motherhood is ultimately about figuring it out together.
