> Childcare is an expensive, albeit temporary, expense. It's $15-40k per year for 5-6 years, often per child. Consider 2 children born 3 years apart with no n

> Childcare is an expensive, albeit temporary, expense. It's $15-40k per year for 5-6 years, often per child. Consider 2 children born 3 years apart with no non-nuclear family childcare help, which means 8-9 years of 9 AM - 5 PM childcare needed for at least 1 child. With a nanny in or near a big city at $25-40k per year, that's $200-400k total. With a childcare center in same scenario, it's likely similar in total cost, albeit with (to your later point) spreadsheet-worthy complexity.