We have an au pair. Much cheaper than an American nanny and we don't have to deal much with taxes/insurance. Its a year commitment to start, and there is an agency if you have issues. The overall cost is much more affordable. We used Cultural Care at first, but they are very wary of two pilot families (the girls are only allowed to work 10 hours a day and 45 in a week, however if you can come up with something that works for both you and the au pair that can be worked around). We are now with Great AuPair, they have a much wider selection of countries.