They ain't called "tax deductions" for nothin' :)
Just thought I'd point out that while you do have to spend money on the little buggers, at least you end up with a tax refund in April. And, even though you are looking at the expense of childcare, that too is deductible.
FWIW,
Amy
"The notion of limited government and frugal government has been shattered by this administration, which cares far less about limited government than it does in building conservative government - a government with huge payoffs to corporate America," Allan Lichtman, a presidential historian at American University in Washington.