Credit: STATEC
The national statistics institution STATEC has estimated that parents in Luxembourg need a minimum monthly budget of up to €361 per infant.
In its report on budgeting for a newborn in Luxembourg, STATEC found that the minimum budget required to meet the basic needs of a child under six ranged from €304 to €361 per month, depending on the child's age.
While the minimum budget tends to increase with age, that of an 18-month-old infant is the highest, at €361. STATEC has attributed this trend to the need for specific food products that disappear as children get older. Regardless of age, the report found that food was the most important item in a budget for children. At €122 per month, parents of a five-year-old spend a minimum budget of almost double that of a six-month-old, which comes to €75 per month.
In total, the cost of milk for babies up to six months is €42 per month. Around five months, babies begin to eat solid foods, starting with vegetables, fruits and potatoes. This represents a monthly budget of €32 per month for a six-month-old baby. At 18 months, the monthly budget for solid food comes to €123 per month - higher than that of children aged three or five (€103 and €120 per month respectively).
According to the report, the minimum hygiene budget for a six-month-old in Luxembourg is €68 per month compared to only €23 for a five-year-old. The budget devoted to hygiene therefore decreases markedly with age, mainly due to children gradually moving away from nappies. Until then, children need 4,500 to 6,000 disposable nappies, bringing the monthly cost for a child under six months to €54. Between two and three years old, the child begins his / her journey towards being potty trained, which leads to a drop in the budget for nappies. Conversely, it becomes necessary to plan hairdresser visits every two months from the age of three, which sees an increase in the body hygiene budget to €12 for children aged three and five.
Regarding social activities, children's social lives mainly revolve around family activities. A six-month-old child in Luxembourg is thus allocated a social life budget of €32 per month. This includes expenses to celebrate the arrival of the baby by sending out invitations and holding a small reception at home. The social life budget of a three-year-old child amounts to €44 per month, needed to finance various activities such as shows, outings to restaurants or one exceptional outing per year, such as a trip to the zoo. Finally, the social life budget for a 5-year-old stands at €55 per month; this includes the possibility of celebrating a birthday with friends or attending another friend's birthday party and bringing a small gift.
