Children are dear and dear to us. Not just because they enrich our lives. They also cost a lot of money. Especially if they are the first ones - and dad is also experiencing a consumption rush in addition to the endorphins. And what great things you can't buy! And what won't we need? The Internet and the family are of course full of more or less good advice.

There is also a lot to consider: the apartment must be made child-friendly, the vehicle fleet and horizons need to be expanded. So furniture is purchased, a stroller and books of advice. So far, so sensible. But parents can spend a fortune on the initial equipment alone. Our stroller was almost cheap at 400 euros. Especially since he rolls around almost every day.

Unlike our now discarded extra bed. That a) had no wheels and b) was hardly ever used. Both are bad. On the one hand, baby beds are impractical because they cannot be easily moved to another room. On the other hand, it was an expensive model from Denmark. An exhibition piece, but still expensive. Our daughter hardly slept in it. So a replacement had to be found. If you buy poorly, you buy twice.

But there is also good money to be made from first-time parents who choose the right products right away. The newborn industry is booming. According to the Cologne Institute for Retail Research, parents pay around ten billion euros a year for pregnancy tests, children's furniture, clothing, food, care products and toys.

The Federal Statistical Office calculated in 2018, before the inflation brake, that couples with a child under the age of six spent an average of 679 euros per month on their offspring. Most of it for food and housing. A fifth, around 120 euros, goes to toys, clothing and equipment.

But the best things in life come as gifts: for example, the knowledge that children really need little in the way of basic material equipment. Sure, that's not new. “Become like children,” it says in the Bible. But actual insight often requires a flesh-and-blood teacher.

So what have been the best purchases for our life with children so far? A baby carrier, a small stuffed bat and a water bottle that my wife made a rattle out of. It doesn't cost the world and yet it's priceless for me (including my wife).

What can't you do without, besides your family of course? What was your biggest mistake? And which product for young parents should finally come onto the market? Feel free to write to me at familie@spiegel.de!

My reading tips

Almost as important as the question of the only correct way to load the dishwasher - write to me if you would like to know that too! – in families there is the issue of dishwasher tabs: which ones really solve everything, including dried cereal porridge and leftover food that is only discovered after a few days, for example on the underside of high chair tables? Stiftung Warentest has examined which products are worth the money. You can find the result here.

Why women tolerate alcohol more poorly is also one of the topics that families probably discuss from time to time. There are supposed to be mothers who like to drink a glass of wine every now and then. Children shouldn't dictate your entire life. In any case, the answer has to do with quercetin, a substance from the flavonoid class. Do you only understand train station? Don't worry, my colleague Irene Berres is a science journalist and can explain such things in an understandable way.

Is it possible to have a winter holiday without skiing? You can't ask me that either. I don't do either. But I know someone who knows: our colleague Philipp Laage has researched gentle tourism in the Alps. He recommends these four regions.

A newsletter on the topic of abundance in the children's room at best contains a text with scientific findings about the right amount of toys for healthy development. And since Easter is coming up, the “second Christmas,” as the toy industry calls it, parents, grandparents and anyone who wants to do something good for their children will certainly be happy to receive gift tips. Luckily, we have just the thing in the archives. This way please! 

The Last Judgement

The Year of the Dragon has just begun in China. May he bring us luck. We celebrate the magical creature with a delicious spicy and sweet pasta dish.

My moment

In my previous edition of this newsletter I wrote about my family going to a concert. Our conclusion was that it works brilliantly (of course only for family-friendly events). Not possible at all, says Martin S. (a man of course!):

»And now we also know why the volume in live concerts has to be turned up in an increasingly earplug-friendly way: because the audience can no longer listen and instead prefer to talk, cough, laugh, “chat, sing along and move freely” and join in ›Sound‹ has recently been joined by sweet baby cries, if possible with a diaper change. Goodnight Germany. You're obviously confusing a concert with a family birthday

," he wrote to me.

Apparently he confuses life with the downfall of the West. Thank you anyway!

Yours sincerely


, Philipp Löwe