The 5 most important insurances for your baby
When a new family member is on the way, the anticipation among parents and future older siblings is great. Of course, the focus is on preparing for the new family life, often spatial and professional changes.
In this exciting time, however, parents-to-be should also think about the insurance situation of their newborn child, after all, all parents want to protect their offspring in the best possible way from the very beginning. Insurance-Switzerland gives you an overview of how you can optimise the insurance situation for your family.
If a desire to have children becomes concrete or if the offspring is already on the way, parents-to-be should consider the following things when it comes to insurance:
1. Health insurance
You can register your children in basic insurance up to 3 months after birth and have a free choice of providers. After this period, your baby will be assigned basic insurance, as every resident in Switzerland must have basic insurance. You should avoid this if possible, because if you are assigned basic insurance, you can no longer freely choose the provider and change the insurance at the earliest at the next possible termination date.
Supplementary insurance: Early registration pays off
If you want to protect your offspring with supplementary insurance, it is worth taking it out early. In many cases, providers do not require a health check for newborns and toddlers and offer their insurance at a low rate. In this case, a health examination is usually required, and in the case of pre-existing conditions, the insurance company can exclude certain treatments from the list of benefits or refuse to admit your child altogether. In addition, you have to pay for the health check, which usually has to be carried out and documented by a pediatrician, out of your own pocket.
Some insurers offer parents-to-be the option of insuring their offspring before birth. You should take advantage of this option, because it eliminates the need for a health check and your offspring is insured in the best possible way from day one.
Supplementary insurance: Take advantage of family benefits
If the parents or siblings of the newborn already have supplementary insurance, it may be worthwhile to ask this provider about tariffs for the offspring. There are often discounts for other registered family members, but for children these are often particularly high. Some supplementary insurance policies also offer other benefits tailored to the needs of families. For example, some providers give families a joint benefits account, the benefits of which can be distributed individually at the beginning of an insurance year. This means that even costly treatments for individual family members can be financed without exceeding the annual maximum amount.
2. Liability and household contents insurance
Children are automatically insured in the parents' liability insurance if they live in the same household. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind so that there is no unnecessary bureaucracy or even a rejection of reimbursement in the event of damage.
Liability insurance: register your offspring
In order for your liability insurance to cover damage caused by your children, you must register your offspring with the insurance. This is usually done with a simple message, the amount of the premium does not change with most providers. If you do not register your child, the insurance company can refuse to pay in the event of damage.
Exception : In the case of families with children, family coverage has often existed since the first child, which includes all family members. In this case, every newborn child is automatically insured.
If you have not yet taken out liability insurance, you should do so now at the latest. After all, when living with children, something often breaks, and the damage can sometimes be considerable. Not taking out liability insurance has already cost some Swiss dearly, especially as a young family, you should not save money in this area.
Household contents insurance: Adjust the sum insured
As long as your child is a minor and does not live in their own household, your household contents insurance also applies to your offspring. However, you should check the sum insured by the insurance: children's furniture, toys and other accessories cost a lot of money and can significantly increase the total value of your household contents. It is best to keep receipts and proof of purchase carefully and increase the coverage of your household insurance by the appropriate amount. As parents, you should do this regularly anyway: the bigger the child, the more expensive the purchases often are.
If you have previously refrained from taking out household contents insurance, you should now change this. At the latest, when the offspring learns to walk and goes on a discovery tour in their own home, one or the other object can quickly break.
3. Make financial provisions for your child
Even if you don't like to think about the negative sides of life, you should also insure your offspring for emergencies. Above all, insurance policies are important if one parent becomes unable to work as a result of an accident or illness or, in the worst case, dies. To ensure that your offspring is covered in an emergency and can maintain their standard of living, we recommend private provision in addition to statutory protection.
Disability insurance guarantees you a stable income, even if you can no longer provide for the family's livelihood temporarily or permanently. With life insurance, you ensure that a certain sum is paid out to your offspring in the event of death, so that your child continues to be financially secure. Many insurers offer tariffs that combine protection against occupational disability and disability with the benefits of life insurance.
Conclusion & Recommendation
Starting a family is one of the most exciting times in a young person's life. In addition to all the joy and excitement, worries can also dampen the positive mood: After all, a healthy, financially successful and secure life is not automatically granted to everyone, the worry about the offspring has already deprived many a person of sleep.
However, choosing the right insurance is often difficult. There are offers in all price ranges, and there are countless different types of insurance, which sometimes makes it extremely difficult to distinguish useful offers from unnecessary ones.
If you want to protect your family in the best possible way without unnecessarily burdening the family budget, we recommend our large insurance comparison for babies 2024 . This will save you time, money and nerves and you are guaranteed to find the right insurance for your loved ones!
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