Cost · Colorado

Cost of Having a Kid in Colorado (2026)

A consolidated look at what raising a child actually costs in Colorado — daycare prices for the cities we track, the five state laws that shape your family budget, and what national averages cover the rest.

The short answer.Infant daycare in Colorado runs about $1900/month (in Denver, CO), which means year-one out-of-pocket costs typically land between $25k–$26k including diapers, formula, pediatric copays, and gear. Paid family leave: FAMLI program — 12 weeks paid Colorado FAMLI...

Daycare costs in Colorado

For the Colorado cities in our daycare-cost dataset, Denver, CO represents the high end at $1900/month for infant care. Toddler care runs about $1500/month and preschool $1350/month. National median infant daycare is around $1,500/month, so Colorado sitsabove that benchmark.

For an apples-to-apples comparison or to model your own city's numbers, see the full per-city breakdown:

See Colorado daycare cost details

Monthly + yearly costs across infant, toddler, and preschool age bands, with notes on local subsidies and supply.

See Denver, CO daycare costs →

FAMLI program — 12 weeks paid Colorado FAMLI provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave, started Jan 2024. Up to 90% wage replacement for low earners.

Read the full Colorado paid family leave guide →

Pumping break law in Colorado

Stronger state law Colorado requires reasonable break time + sanitary location.

Read the Colorado pumping break law guide →

Kindergarten cutoff in Colorado

Cutoff date Child must be 5 by October 1.

Read the Colorado school cutoff guide →

Car seat and booster laws in Colorado

Booster: Required until 8 years old Mixed age and height/weight criteria.

Rear-facing car seat: Until 1 AND 20 lbs Minimum standard.

Booster seat law →  ·  Rear-facing law →

Other essential parenting costs

Beyond daycare, the line items that hit every family's budget in the first year are roughly:

  • Diapers: ~$70–$90/month for disposables (~$960/year). Cloth diapering trades a $300–$500 upfront cost for near-zero ongoing.
  • Formula (if not breastfeeding): $120–$180/month (~$1,560/year). Specialty formulas run 30–50% higher.
  • Pediatric copays: $25–$50 per well visit; 8 visits in the first year if your insurance covers preventive care fully, the visits themselves are free.
  • Initial gear: $800–$1,500 for car seat, crib, stroller, bottles, and clothing if buying mostly new.

Use our tools to model the specifics for your family: Diaper Calculator, Bottle Feeding Calculator, Nursery Budget Calculator.

Plan your Colorado family budget

Three calculators map directly to the numbers above:

Hub US Parenting Laws by State All 50 states × 5 topics indexed and searchable. Hub Daycare Cost by City Monthly + yearly daycare cost across 100+ US cities. Pillar Childcare Guide Daycare vs. nanny vs. home-based, plus what to ask on tours. Guide FMLA Eligibility Who qualifies for federal unpaid leave, and what to do if you don't.

Cost figures reflect 2026 averages from our city-level dataset and national benchmarks (Care.com, BLS, Child Care Aware). Law summaries are aggregated from the Colorado pages of our state-laws engine and are for general information only — verify specifics with the Colorado agency listed on each topic page or with an attorney for legal questions.