As I have American ex-pat friends living in Paris with a young child, I can tell you that the main difference is support from society. Replicating socialized d

As I have American ex-pat friends living in Paris with a young child, I can tell you that the main difference is support from society. Replicating socialized daycare on your own is massively inefficient (often one or two children max per caretaker) and really challenging financially. Instead of paying for child care over the course of say 10-12 years, many countries in Europe effectively spread that out over your entire working life (40 or so years) via taxation. Clearly the American way needs to get someone a Child-Care Bond or Annuity or something...