The government is offering the baby bonuses in the hope that German women will have more children to stabilize the country's dwindling birth rate, the BBC reported.

German women have an average of 1.37 children. An average of 2.1 is needed to keep a population stable.

One of the country's ministers recently spoke about "the lights going out."

Parents of babies born after the first of they year will be eligible to receive up to $33,300 to ease the financial burden of parenthood.

Those born even one minute before Jan. 1 will not be eligible for the cash.