How do you know you are ready for a baby?

FH and I are both 27. We also both have college degrees and careers (teacher and police officer). However, we still feel "too young", even though we are probably some of the most responsible people in our families. We own our home and our finances allow for a comfortable lifestyle. We just don't feel we want the responsibility of a child, nor the loss of sleep and lack of free time. We say maybe we will feel different in our 30s.

I don't think you are ever "ready", you will experience everything and more than you can read in a book. I had my son when I was 19, am now at 28 still don't think I'm ready for all the things that come up. Should I have waited yes, but then if you ask my sister shes's 32, has bought her house, has her degree, if she is ready, she will also tell you she is not ready.

It depends on you 2, not an internet forum, but you 2 together. It's how you will change your life to adjust to another human being you have to take care of, who will help watch the baby, will you become a stay at home mom, will he stay home, all questions only you 2 can answer.

Personally, I never wanted kids. Always figured that I would be that crazy cat lady. But very recently I have gotten a serious case of baby fever (I am almost 28). I think when you are ready, you're ready. I will wait until after the wedding, but then I am totally ready for a baby.

Take your time. We are both 25, married at 23. Financially we could handle kids now. But we want to do us for awhile. We have a few trips we want to take and things to do first. We said around 27 we'd revisit the question of kids we don't want to feel like we missed anything so we can fully be focused on raising kids when we get there.

Just like the brides that ask for validation on their marriage, you aren't ready if you need to ask strangers for validation on a decision you are making. This is 100% a decision that needs to be made between you and your partner.

I'm with everyone else saying if you have to ask an Internet forum, then you are nowhere near that thought yet.

The simple answer to your question is this: There is no answer. Not from anyone else's life experiences or anything. You will know when you are ready.

The short answer is, it's a personal preference. I'm 30 with two cats, completely content being childless. A good friend of mine has three kids (oldest being eight, youngest being less than a year) -- she's 25, but she swears she's known her whole life that she wanted to be a mom.

If I'm completely honest, I know for a fact that I'm entirely too selfish to handle caring for a baby. I want to come home, make dinner, enjoy a long shower and a read a good book. I enjoy my solitude for the moment.

You and FH should sit down and take a good look at what your five year plans are individually and collectively. Do you want to pursue a career where you'll be working full time? Would you be comfortable putting your child in daycare, or could you afford to have one of you stay home full time?

I will offer a word of caution. My best friend got married at 21 and had a baby at 22. Said baby precluded her education and she dropped out of college. She also ended up becoming very socially isolated because guess what? We were still going out and getting plastered and she was pregnant/caring for a baby. She couldn't always get away and when she did, she didn't enjoy it because she felt guilty. Our relationship had a lot of growing pains but we made it through. She has said that if she could go back, she wouldn't have gotten pregnant so quickly (it wasn't an accident) and she would have enjoyed her twenties. There are three of us in this little group of friends, and my cousin and I spent our early/mid twenties traveling, finishing undergrad and going to grad school, and not having adult responsibility like a mortgage and children. She wishes she had finished school, traveled, and enjoyed being married first. That's my advice on trying to get pregnant immediately after getting married. Take him for you and take time to be married first. Become financially stable and enjoy the early days of your marriage.

I had my son when I was 18. Pre-degree, pre-career and pre-"being ready". The one thing I always say to my friends: wait until you are financially stable. And not just kind of. Finish school. Start careers. Enjoy your time together as newlyweds before bringing a new stressor into your relationship. Kids are beautiful and wonderful and amazing things, and if you're not sure- it's not time. If you have them now there's a lot within your marriage and at this age that you're going to feel you've missed out on. I'm 25 and I haven't been "young". I got myself into a career to care for my son and it is what it is now, but go travel, love each other, learn each other, build your foundation with one another so that you can have something great to add kids into. That's my thought.

When your ready you will know

Just tell them when im ready i will tell you thats between him and i

@Erika Thanks! I just think it's so selfish to start a family when you can't provide yourself basic life necessities.

Everyone is going to ask you that question because of societal pressures it is often then next "expected" thing to do. This is a personal decision after you and your husband have sat down and discussed whether you feel you are ready financially, do you have room in your home? Honestly though no one is ever truely ready and by your post it doesn't seem as though you are ready yet just read your own post over again and that is your answer. There is no need to explain yourself to others.

I'm a mom. And even though I'm a young mom (I got pregnant at 19 and had her on my 20th birthday), I firmly believe that no one is ever TRULY ready to have a child.

While you can plan and prepare, nothing can really prepare you for motherhood until it's here.

My advice to anyone is if you're waiting for the perfect time to have a baby, you're not gonna find it. No matter what age you are or how much money you have, motherhood is challenging in ways I never thought possible until it was happening.

Obviously having children is a very personal decision and you should never listen to others pressuring you, but just know that there will never be a PERFECT time. Just go with the flow and do what you feel is right. Everything else falls into place.

You just know. Seriously. Does the thought of a positive pregnancy test give you anxiety? If the answer is yes, it's not the right time.

That's a question that's totally up to you I'm 31 and FH is 34. Neither of us have children yet and we've been getting nudged about having kids for a long time. I imagine it'll get worse after we're married because people love to make assumptions. I'm just finishing up school while working a full-time job and cannot imagine children at this point in my life. That said, there are many women my age on their third or fourth child. Only you know what you want for you and your FH. Are there certain things you feel like you have to do before you have children? You guys should talk about this.

That's a super personal question and I find it annoying people ask. Anyways it's really up to you guys, none of us can answer that for you. I know some people say you can never 100% be ready for a kid, but if you are having serious doubts about doing it anytime soon, don't. You have tons of time