Little one on the way

Obligatory congrats on the secs. Get on those daycare waitlist now. I'd also start a 529 plan. Its got pretty good tax benefits.

Daycare runs me 1k a month for our two kids and I think that's pretty cheap respectively.

Sign the little one up for an investment account and contribute to some sort of fund like a total index fund or ETF

I'm about 2 months ahead of you.

529 - I plan to teach my kids that college isn't a hard requirement, but having this available will be nice.

Find a daycare - We toured 6 daycares until wife chose one. All 6 had a 4-6 month waitlist. It is not cheap. We may expedite the second one and keep wife home for 4-5 years to raise them, but we'll figure that out later.

My go to advice:

Velcro swaddles, a Dohm sound machine (for their room and yours) and whiskey.

In retrospect, make sure you save for your retirement until maxed out. If you have money left to fund a 529, that is good.

My kids ended up getting big scholarships so we had money leftover.
The 529 will let you change the beneficiary to others including grandchildren, your self, your spouse, niece and nephew.

Outdoor vacations like the beach, mountains, or Grand Canyon are better than theme parks.

You don’t need a bunch of different activities every week. Play sports in season. Play a variety of different ones.
Some team, some individual. Don’t overdo the sports thing until they really want to pursue it. Eighth or ninth grade is the earliest I would consider travel ball. By then they would be big enough and played enough to really want to do it more often.

Pick a hobby to do together. Repairing small things at home, cooking, chess, bridge.

Resist the expensive photo session. I’ve got museum quality photos of my kids that cost a fortune, but your phone can take a good picture. School pictures are not any better than you take. Most men will agree with this. Most women feel obligated to purchase the photos.

We didn't subcontract ours out. No daycare. But you scarface a lot and need a flexible job. I am not big on 529 plans. Just buy an etf or crypto. fricking dance is expensive.

Simple advice that has helped me raise my daughter to be a pretty great kid.

529: Just do it. If he/she gets a scholly you can use it for living expenses. This has our plan. I plan to use it to buy a piece of property, lease it to her, then give it to her. I do not plan to drain this account. My plan is to contribute to it until I die and when she has kids, hopefully she will do the same. Over the course of time, if everyone buys in, college cost will never be an issue.

Activities: I try to get her in at least one sport, on social activity, one community activity, and one academic activity. We did this for years until she started to figure out herself. Now she picks and inevitably leans into touching things that check these boxes. It makes for a well rounded, and thoughtful kid.

A personal savings account: this doesn’t grow for shite, but I put away a couple of bucks for her every month. This will be her “oh shite” money, or I’m a dumb arse and will waste this money, her choice.

Something that grows: find a Roth or some index fund that you can drop some cash in every month. This is her life goals money. It could be for a dream house or a once in a lifetime vacation.

Academics are important: we studied religiously from 5-10. I taught her how to study. Then I let go. I let her frick up. I let her make 12yr old academic mistakes so that she can learn from them and not make 18-22yr old mistakes. Failure is good for character.

Spend time with your kid. Talk to your kid. Don’t be a friend but a parent. Let your child know that he/she is safe with you, no matter what. I may not be happy with my kid, but she knows I will always be there and I love her.

Damn baw you got some, congrats. About a year she might let you hit it again