Research Reveals the Best Age to Have a Baby If You Want a Smart Kid

There are plenty of reasons to wait to have kids. Wanting to find the right partner, get ahead in your career, travel or get that second degree you had your eyes on – all valid reasons! Honestly, any reason you wait to have kids is valid, if it’s right for you. The timing of a baby is just as important as making the choice to have one in the first place. And now, there’s research that says waiting to have kids might result in some smarter cookies. A study out of the London School of Economics suggests waiting to give birth until your 30s may mean you’ll have more intelligent children.

Data collected from 18,000 British children suggested that women who gave birth in their 30’s had more intelligent children.

The findings are incredibly interesting. Researchers discovered that the children of women who were in their 30’s when they gave birth performed better on a range of cognitive tests, compared to kids born to women in their 20’s or 40’s. The tests were administered to kids when they were 10 or 11 years old. They measured reading, thinking, and memory skills.

Across the board, the kids born to 30-something moms outperformed kids born to 20- and 40- something moms.

As to the reason for the differences, researchers did have a theory. Women in their 30’s were more likely to delay having kids so they could focus on and establish their careers. That’s not to say that women in their 20’s can’t have kids AND be successful on their chosen career path. But the data suggests that waiting gives moms more time and resources to devote to their children, since they are more settled in their career. Also, according to researcher Alice Goisis, “First-time mothers in their 30s are, for example, likely to be more educated, have higher incomes, are more likely to be in stable relationships, have healthier lifestyles, seek prenatal care earlier and have planned their pregnancies.”

Now, this study is a few years old, and obviously, 18,000 kids is a drop in the bucket. But you have to admit, the data is pretty interesting! Are you waiting until your 30’s to start a family? Does the possibility of having more intelligent children impact your family planning decisions? We’d love to hear from you!

(Image: Pixabay)

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