If you’ve lived in Big Sky Country for awhile, you know that there are plenty of great reasons to love the state. It has tons of wonderful areas to explore nature, skiing and snowboarding are fantastic and the craft beer scene is huge.

You may also be aware of some of its challenges, like the lack of housing, frigid winters and low-population density. But all places have their advantages and disadvantages.

If you’re thinking about adding another member to your Montana family, you should look below first to make sure you have all of your bases covered before you start trying to add a baby to your family.

Are You Ready to Become Parents?

Even if you might jump at the question and answer “yes!”, both you and your partner should examine if you’re both ready.

There are a lot of factors to determining if you’re ready for the next step. Where are you in your relationship? Are you married, engaged or neither? Does it matter to you to be married before having children?

Are both of you 100% on board with wanting to have a kid? It can’t be a one-way ride, with one of you managing the GPS and driving around while the other takes a nap in the backseat. It has to be a joint decision and joint effort from here on out.

It’s also wise to start thinking if you’re mature enough to take this next step. In all honesty, no one is ever 100% ready to be parents. Sure, you may have taken care of kids before but being a parent is a huge step. Do you feel like you’re up for it?

Once the child comes, your schedule is going to change dramatically. Those happy hour outings with your coworkers might get shelved. Going out on a date will mean calling a babysitter. Your priorities will become a distant second place to that of the child.

Are You Financially Ready?

When it comes to finances, are you prepared to welcome a new member into your family financially? While Hollywood and books may make it seem like having a child is just a regular thing that happens and everyone is OK with whatever results, the truth is there is a lot of preparation work that comes into play before.

If the mother is going to have to take time off to stay with the baby, can you both survive on one salary? Will the father need to put in extra work hours, even if it means being away from the family? Be sure and think about all this well in advance.

You’ll also have to start thinking about different savings account, college funds, etc. Talk with a financial professional to get the full scoop and big picture.

Is Bozeman a Good Place For Families?

Even if you’ve been a Bozeman resident for awhile, you may never have thought about this question.

After going through some doom and gloom, it’s time to look on the bright side. The short answer is yes, Bozeman is a fantastic place for families. The city is regularly filled with different events and activities for families.

As you probably already know, with Bozeman’s small population, the city truly brings out a small town feel and you can become quite involved in your community and get to know tons of people in the area. They often say it takes a village to raise a child and you’ve got a village around you at all times.

The city is also home to Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital, a fantastic hospital with plenty of amenities to make the parents-to-be feel welcome and at home.

Thinking way far in advance, Montana State University, the city’s largest employer, routinely ranks around the Top 100 in public universities and the city encourages entrepreneurship and has a growing tech scene as well.

Zooming out a bit, you will also be comforted to know that the state of Montana as a whole performs very well in the educational sphere. The high school graduation rate beats out the national average and students within the state test out better in math as well. If you’re in Montana, you can rest assured knowing you’re in a great place with a great future ahead of you and your family.