I think that a good age is between 26-29 yrs old. By then you should be financially stable with a job and have matured to understand the outside world and how to tend for a family. You may have those things earlier in life, so maybe you can have a child younger than that, but I do not see why you should have one before the age of 22.

Totally agreed.

I voted 26-29, however, it really depends on how emotionally mature you are. Plus, you need to have some education or life experience. Babies are cute, loving, and wonderful. However, they're also emotionally, physically, and financially draining. PLUS you should be in a stable relationship with the person you're having the baby with. If you have to get pregnant to keep a man, then he's not really YOURS.

LOL, I hate my first pregnancy, I meant had my first pregnancy.

Below mid 20's your body is not fully mature. After late 30's there are medical issues involved. This has nothing to do with preference, but pure, unmitigated physiology. Statistics show that babies born in the late 20's to early 30's moms simply do better. We waited ten years after being married to have a child..due to school loans. YES, there IS a "worse time" and a
Better time" to have children, depending on your circumstance, but the BIOLOGY part could care less if you have bills, or don't have a significant other...etc.

That is what we did (bills were outrageous in our 20's) and we ended up with an amazing kid after waiting to our early 30's.

FINANCIAL..the part WAY too many people forget.

as long as you r 18 or older

I believe a lot of factors go into making the "best" time to have a baby.

That's a good point. Having the kids out when you are in your 40s sounds like a good idea. I usually don't think of that aspect but who really wants their kids in the house when they are ready to retire??

Exactly! This is my thought behind it too. I will be young enough to enjoy it! My hubby is 42 and has 2 children with me that are 3 and 1, well they will be graduating when he is 57 and 60, if they are on time. It is about what you want your life to be about.

Actually, most women are not only fully sexually and reproductively mature at between 16 and 18, but fertility peaks in the late teens and early 20s.

What does "simply do better" mean? Emotionally? Intellectually? Financially? When I studied Child Development I never saw anything that said this. And in practice (as I work in Maternal Infant Care) I have seen some 18 year old mothers who are fantastic and some mothers in their 30s and 40s who are just.... terrible. And visa versa.

It depends on the person. You're always going to "have bills." My Man and I have NEVER not "had bills" and have never NOT been in some kind of debt (home, school loans etc.) We had kids anyway, and the first two were when I was fairly young, just out of college. They did pretty well. (The oldest one is running her own day care business and an other business with her partner and the middle one is in Grad School)

Everyone has a different life, yes, one should be financially stable, but in this day and age, not having debt is a rarity reserved for the upper classes.

I had my first two kids younger because I was afraid of infertility. (My mother had terrible fertility issues, and I was afraid I might inherit them.) Also, I wanted babies asap, before I got too old, or my fertility waned. For us "the biology" as well the desire to have babies was very important and "baby need" hit me in my teens and I had to fight it until I was finished with college.

Everyone has a different life, some stability is necessary. A partner with a decent job, some education, a place to live, no food issues is important.

But, I don't think there is one "right age" for everyone.

Yep. My husband is older and will be... near retirement age when our youngest is in college. (He was about your husband's age when our youngest was born.) He will probably have to work longer than if we hadn't had her when we did. But, when we had our 2nd child, I had a major depressive episode when she weaned, so we thought we were done having kids. Some years later, "baby need" hit me again, and we took ONE chance (I "thought" I was in my "safe time" and... there she was...) and I got pregnant with her.

I found I had more patience being a little older, but less stamina and energy. My husband had a LOT more patience with the 3rd one when she was a baby (he didn't understand babies and why they cry so much when our first one was born. He had never been around a baby before. He learned quickly) but being in his 50s with a preteen (soon to be a teen) is grating on him some, he doesn't have the patience I have.... but he isn't the Mama.

But, it is interesting to see how it works out anyway. I think wanting a child or children is more important than when you have them, as long as you want them for the right reasons. Having a baby so "someone will always love you" isn't going to work (especially when they turn 3 and then 10 or 12) having children because you feel you have something to offer by adding your stock to the population and know you will be a good parent and most likely turn out good kids is a good reason to have kids... within reason.

Whenever you are ready to be pregnant.

Agree with this here. Financial stability and just stability in general is what I aim for before I feel ready to raise a family.