Families say cost of housing means they'll have fewer or no children : NPR

Families in the U.S. and around the world are having fewer children as people make profoundly different decisions about their lives. NPR's series Population Shift: How Smaller Families Are Changing the World explores the causes and implications of this trend.

At an indoor play center in Cheyenne, Wyo., a sea of toddlers throw around colorful blocks and balls. Grace Moreno, who is 21, is there with her 11-month-old son, who is dressed in pajamas with little firetrucks on them.

"It's the only free place, so it's worth it," she said.

Finances are tight for Moreno and her husband. They moved to Wyoming from Texas, while pregnant, so her husband could work a higher-paying electrician job. But now that they are parents, paychecks seem to disappear.

"Our rent in Texas was like $800,"