> Americans buy way more large SUVs and trucks than the rest of the world, even those with fewer than three kids (or no kids). Trucks are a mostly useless metr

> Americans buy way more large SUVs and trucks than the rest of the world, even those with fewer than three kids (or no kids). Trucks are a mostly useless metric here. Many of those are work trucks, and most won't fit car seats for three kids. While Americans buy lots of SUVs, many Americans do not have one, and for those, transporting three kids is indeed a challenge. > From a pure financial standpoint, I'd look more to the cost of education, healthcare, and housing. Housing definitely comes into play, but I don't think the other two end up being major factors in the decision because they are so far out. In the US, you literally cannot leave the hospital with your baby if you don't have adequate transportation and an approved car seat. So Americans are made acutely aware that they need to have a transportation solution for their family right now before choosing to have a baby. Healthcare is a non-issue for many because their employer-provided insurance covers as many kids as they have. Education is somewhat far down the road and fairly fungible so it's less likely to be a showstopper.