You have to start early these days.

The Christian Science Monitor reports.

Pregnant? Start saving for college now.

Experienced moms have a message for pregnant women: Wake up and start saving for college today, according to a NerdWallet survey of more than 1,200 mothers nationwide.

NerdWallet polled more than 600 pregnant women and 600 mothers with teenage children to gauge the money fears of expectant mothers against the experience of seasoned moms.

Although pregnant women are more concerned about costs of health care and making a financial checklist before the baby arrives, nearly 44% of mothers with teenagers now wish they’d been advised to start saving for college immediately after their children were born.

“With the cost of college education growing much faster than inflation, families with older children are finding themselves financially unprepared,” says Farnoosh Torabi, a correspondent for NerdWallet.