Wysiwyg - I agree this is an area where the often quoted numbers don't necessarily capture the experience of many families. A huge proportion of families rely in unpaid care by family members like grandparents when they return to work. Which is lovely for those who can. For those who can't, for those who have to add the time of their long commutes to their childcare bills, for those who rely on additional hours of childcare (above their working hours) to juggle other challenging life circumstances, for those who work rotating rosters that mean they have to book (and pay) for days when they are not working - all of those people will have disproportionately high child care costs that are not reflected in the averages.