Welcoming children into the world is a massively big change, in more ways than just one. Of course, it’s one thing to consider that you’re now responsible for raising and looking after a living human being, but the responsibilities don’t end at safety. Raising a child is expensive, and these expenses aren’t always easy to anticipate.

There’s a ton that can catch you off guard when you’re parenting, but when you have a plan in place ahead of time, it makes those surprising moments much easier to deal with. Life is full of unexpected events that can threaten to drain one’s bank account, and that goes double for anybody responsible for caring for a child. So how does one go about making sure there’s a road map for everything? While it’s certainly true that you can never be prepared for literally anything that might come your way, it’s also true that you can plan for issues by being on top of your financial planning.

It’s not easy to think about, but the older we get, the faster the decades pass, and it’s always smart to have end-of-life arrangements taken care of well in advance. Your burial and funeral arrangements are a case in point. Taking care of them when you’re still young not only eliminates a potential stress point, but saves your surviving family members the burden of having to make the arrangements themselves.

Not only will the right burial insurance pay for your funeral arrangements, but it can also help with debts that can haunt loved ones well after the time of your passing. Shop around and look at different burial insurance plans, as the right one can go a long way toward making a difficult situation more bearable for your family.

Being proactive is the name of the game when it comes to navigating the financial ins and outs of parenthood. As such, it’s always smart to be aggressive when it comes to your financial planning, budgeting, and saving. Set up a system to help you track your spending, monitor your savings, and generally maintain a keen overview of your entire financial situation.

It might seem like overkill, but start planning for the future and seemingly unlikely or faraway events. One never knows what kinds of surprises the economy might have in store, and there are a ton of other factors that are out of your control, which might impact your financial situation down the line.

In the name of being extra proactive, it’s smart to start saving up for those major life expenses right away. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, after all. 

Start saving up for your kids’ college education right away and lessen the amount of financial stress you’ll feel when your little ones get ready for their higher education. Opening up a savings account with a high interest rate is just one way you can help grow the money you already have in preparation for the future.

Having kids is an exciting adventure, and it isn’t too late to plan your next steps whether you’re getting ready to welcome your first new baby or your third. With the right amount of planning and foresight, you can be ready for just about anything life might throw your way.

Sara Bailey has lost her husband. She created a website thewidow.net with resources helpful for those of us who have lost their partner and suddenly find themselves raising their children on their own.

"Through this site, I will be sharing my unexpected and ongoing journey of losing my husband and learning to be the best parent (and person) I can be while nurturing my grief. Parenting, much like life itself, is full of ups, downs, twists, turns, sorrows and joys — that’s just as true when you’re a widow, and maybe even moreso. But with love, acceptance, time and community, we all can and WILL triumph over tragedy."