From CNNMoney:

New parents be warned: It could cost nearly a quarter of a million dollars to raise your child -- and that's not even including the cost of college.

To raise a child born in 2013 to the age of 18, it will cost a middle-income couple just over $245,000, according to newly released estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's up $4,260, or almost 2%, from the year before.
Estimates can vary widely depending on where you live and how much you earn.
High-income families who live in the urban Northeast, for example, are projected to spend nearly $455,000 to raise their child to the age of 18, while low-income rural families will spend much less, an estimated $145,500, according to the report.

The figures are based on the cost of housing, food, transportation, clothing, health care, education, child care and miscellaneous expenses, like haircuts and cell phones. But the estimates don't include the cost of college -- a big-ticket expense that keeps rising.

The good news: overall costs have grown more slowly in recent years thanks to low inflation, said economist Mark Lino, who has written the annual report for the USDA since 1987.

But many families are still having to do more with less. The country's median income remains more than 8% below where it was before the recession, while child care and health care costs continue to grow faster than inflation.

Related: 'The most surprising cost of raising my kid'

Child care, in particular, is a huge burden -- often costing as much as the family home.
In 2012, center-based care for one infant was greater than median rent payments in nearly half of the states, according to Child Care Aware of America's most recent report.

In Seattle, Britta Gidican and her boyfriend spend $1,380 each month on daycare for their 17-month-old son, just $20 less than they spend on their mortgage each month.

"When I was pregnant I knew daycare would be expensive," said Gidican, a public relations manager. "But I didn't expect to pay two mortgages."
Rising transportation and food costs are also eating up a big chunk of family budgets. Gas prices have nearly doubled since 2004, according to the AAA. Meanwhile, food prices have increased more than 13% since 2008, according to the USDA, and make up the third biggest child-rearing expense in the agency's estimate.

Kim Blackham, a mother of four and part-time marriage and family therapist, says she has seen her grocery bill climb dramatically in the past decade. Today, she and her husband spend around $1,000 each month, in part because of her son's food allergies and her efforts to cook healthier meals for her family.

"I used to coupon shop, but the problem with coupons is that they are all for processed items," she said. "You seldom see a coupon for fresh fruit or meat."

For families trying to get by, here are some ways to ease the sting:
Use your community: From fancy strollers to bike seats, Boulder, Colo. mother-of-two Kate Lacroix said she has found a large community of people willing to share their hand-me-downs.

"There is a real economy of scale when you use the village," she said.
Try looking on local parenting blogs or websites to find everything from free baby clothes to a family looking to share a nanny.
Calculator: Cost of living: How far will my salary go?
Take advantage of tax credits: Many employers offer tax-advantaged accounts that let parents pay for health and child care expenses with before-tax dollars.
Taking advantage of these accounts, and other child-related tax credits, can help you save thousands of dollars come tax time, said Bob Gavlak, a wealth advisor with Strategic Wealth Partners in Independence, Ohio.
Plan (and save) ahead: When possible, expectant parents should prepare for the added costs ahead of time, said Matt Becker, a financial planner who specializes in working with new parents.
First, estimate your child-related expenses and then try to save that amount each month. By the time your child is born, you'll be used to living without that money and also have a sizable savings built up.
"Having a baby is a huge life change. You are going to have unexpected things come up," said Becker, founder of planning firm Mom and Dad Money. "Having that extra savings can help a lot."

This is what I mean:

What's wrong with a culture when having kids is too expensive?

The culture is doomed. Having kids is natural and has been part of life since the very beginning. If you can't pass on your culture and values, your value system obviously doesn't work! Having kids=survival for a culture. Cultures each do things differently, but some things are universal: if they don't have more than 2.1 children per couple, they die out. That is science.

Check my math; So according to the article, that is about $37.30 per day.  That seems a bit high by my experience.  As I have ten children, that would equate to $373 per day, or about $11,190 per month;  The state calculates about half that amount for child support.

I saw this news today, it's being pushed across media. Another, you're not responsible if you don't plan sort of message to it. Being a practicing Catholic, I could sense the "plan" agenda message it's trying to convey.

There's supposedly a shock value to the $250k headline number. If you amortize that amount over 18 years its really not that much at all, even less as others mentioned.

So I guess all young, educated adults should, stop, plan, put off, etc. having children because they cost too much. You got student loans, rent, and car payments! Who could afford anything else? Of course poor uneducated, non religious, no family structure people will have kids to flood society.

What crossed my mind was the cost of getting old. NEVER MENTIONED with reason on the media because you can't offend the Baby Boomers. The false dream sold to everyone is save, invest and when you're 60 you're set for a vacation. Few have done that successfully.

 The young are expected to pick up the tab for expensive medicine to increase lifespan.

Assisted living, visiting nurses, nursing homes cost BIG money (that's without dire medicial problems), $100-200k per year.

Now other poor societies survive by keeping filial piety, but Americans threw that away. People are a burden. You need money.

The fundamental mindset of looking at children as "costs" is the problem.  Children are an asset!

What a difference having mom at home would make.  She wouldn't need to spend as much on clothing, shoes, transportation and would be able to cook from scratch which would lessen the grocery bill.  Homeschool the kids which saves on child care, clothes, food, transportation, and the kids won't be getting sick so often so healthcare goes down too!  Mom cuts the hair (I did) and since the kids are home they don't need a cell phone.

Mom at home = problem solved.

Marsha

As for haircuts.  In our house of 8 people, (seven have hair).  Every few months a mobile hair dresser women comes by and cuts all the hair which has been washed the night before, for around $35 or $5 per head.  Takes her about 80 mins conveyor belt style.

My hair was last cut with scissors in 1994.  Since then it has been dormant waiting for the new springtime to kick in.

What would we really expect to hear from the world regarding children?

Of course they view children as a cost to be avoided.

Our Lord said we are to be pulled out of the world so if we keep hoping the world will someday see things our way then we suffer from a spiritual illness.  

Also, I must add, Ggreg really gave us a lot of good advice in his post.  You can really buy quality material and high end clothes for 10% of the original cost or even less on ebay.  I know this to be true because I have done it myself.  

One should bear in mind that there are a lot of materialistic idiots out there. People who spend 600 dollars on a shower bar or 400 dollars on a leather pooffe only to find it doesn't match their decor.  Poorer people then spend 100 dollars on a new Chinese made shower that will stop working properly after 2 years of family use or buy cheap furniture on the never-never because they can only "afford" a payment of 50 dollars per month.

If you use ebay intelligently and are patient and ready to buy things you NEED as they become available you can find bargains in just about every aspect of life.  Last week I replaced a shower bar that came with the house but had developed a back-flow leak, with a super expensive German made one sold by a woman who was redecorating her Glasgow apartment.  It cost 30 pounds or 6 percent of the RRP.

When you have a large family the most sensible thing to do is by very high quality second hand.  Don't spend 2000 dollars on a new sofa suite but spend 1500 dollars on a 7000 dollar full aniline leather or hide suite that you can wipe baby puke off repeatedly for the next 20 years.  Because there is going to be a lot of baby puke.

Size 4 and Size 6 (US), 6/8 UK clothes are bought by slim women with great figures.  Those people see their figure as an asset so they don't look for second hand clothes on ebay.  Supply outstrips demand, thus low prices.  If you cut the arms off and rehem them, pretty easy with a sewing machine, they fit 7-12 year olds really well.