The Observer Let's face it, if we counted the cost before we started none of us would have any children at all.
Kids cost a lot - and as they get older, they cost even more.
Goodness knows why the baby magazines are always making so much of the cost of a cot, an all-terrain buggy and a complete set of outfits from Baby Gap. I'm one of a family of four myself, and though my husband has only one sister he was always very attracted to the idea of a big family. But if hordes of children spells fun, penny-pinching spells misery. If you were the sort of person who cared a lot about lifestyle and spending money and having luxurious things, I don't think you'd have a big family,' says Sophie bluntly. And it's a gross generalisation, but parents with four or more tend not to be big worriers, either, which definitely helps.