Halifax baby expo offers parents ways to navigate rising cost of living

With the cost of living continuing to rise, an event in Halifax this weekend offered parents ways to help navigate what can be a rewarding but expensive experience.

Dozens of vendors participated in the Pregnancy and Parenting Expo at the Halifax Forum on Sunday, with several focusing on helping mitigate the burden on parents and their wallets.

"A lot of the businesses here take these opportunities at these expos to offer free services or highly discounted services," said Ashley Cooley, who organized the event. 

Parents spend on average approximately $293,000 to raise a child from the time they are born to the age of 17, or more than $17,000 a year, according to a 2023 study by Statistics Canada. 

The expo, which was first held in Halifax last year, brought together businesses and organizations that help with prenatal, birthing and postpartum care. Also in attendance were services for helping babies sleep and eat.

It's also an opportunity for parents to learn about the help that's available to them and create their own support network with other parents, said Cooley, who owns the company Birth, Baby, Sleep. 

"We wanted a place where we could all gather and people can come in and just do a one-stop shop," she said. 

Helping with short- and long-term costs

Some vendors at the expo offered parents help facing the immediate costs of having a child while others focused on planning over the long term. 

Representatives with the Parents of Multiple Births Association of Nova Scotia had a booth set up at the event.

The organization supports parents in the province who have more than one child at once, such as twins, with initiatives like free clothes for premature babies, breast pump rentals and discounts at certain stores. 

"Obviously the cost of everything is double so anywhere where we can get a discount for parents of multiples is obviously a bonus," said Tyana Randell, president of the association.

Steve Murray, a sales representative with CST Savings, said he participated in the expo as a vendor to tell parents about the post-secondary grants available to them as soon as their child is born. 

The cost of tuition is going up by three to five per cent every year and will only continue to climb, Murray said.  

Certain subsidies from the federal government, such as the Canada Education Savings Grant, allow parents to put away money from the time their child is born until they go away to school, he said.

"The earlier you start, the more affordable it is," Murray said.