Why do twin parents pay double but get no extra help?

[Twinmama11]

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately… having twins means buying everything x2, but there’s not really any extra support or discounts out there.

It kind of feels like we’re just expected to manage it?

Does anyone else feel like this or is it just me?

I think this all of the time. I have 2 children but neither are twins.
I understand how hard and expensive it is with one so twins? I absolutely think people with twins should have some help from the government. Especially when it comes to paying for childcare and clothes!

As a parent of twins this eels exactly right. No hand me downs here.

There used to be Twin Club discounts when I worked in retail so a shop like Clarks would give you a 50% discount on the second pair of shoes.

I do think twin parents are hit harder financially - you plan for one like everyone else and then suddenly have to deal with additional expenditure. Maybe you only ever wanted one child.

With two singletons there’s more of a chance you can reuse clothes and other items (not always, but usually). With twins, there will be times you need to make double purchases that you wouldn’t with two singletons. Two high chairs, two bikes, two scooters etc. Two lots of nursery fees at once.

But with other things like activities, I agree with others that it’s the same as having two singletons.

As others have said, Twins Trust membership gets you some good discounts. And look into local twin groups, ours is a great community with lots of selling of pre-loved stuff in doubles.

On balance are sooo many benefits to having twins that in my opinion offset the financial hit!

I don't understand why you feel you should get more than others because you have twins. You have child benefit for each child like everyone else.
You have two children. How is it fair that you should get more because you have twins but other people with two singleton children shouldn't.
So, following on from your idea, should parents with one of each gender also expect more money because they have to buy different clothes for boys and girls?
Congratulations on your twins by the way. You are blessed to have your two beautiful children.

It’s things like school trips, uniforms, shoes and childcare (and then uni!) that are the hardest financially having twins which others having their kids spaced apart won’t appreciate. You can’t “share” shoes can you!

Also love all the “but you get two lots of child benefit comments” 🤣 that assumes that we actually get it! I earn just over the threshold as a lone parent so don’t get CB for my twins …..my siblings who are married and have two incomes have a household income nearly double mine but still get child benefit due to the incredibly ridiculous and unfair way it’s calculated

My kids aren’t twins and they can’t share shoes either, one’s a boy and one’s a girl. No hand me downs either once out of the newborn stage. Still pay for 2 lots of childcare and uniforms etc.

Again, this isn’t a twin thing, exactly the same as anyone else with 2 or more kids

Some of these comments are really shocking. As a mum of twins, I can honestly say there was no “planning” involved—twins don’t run in my family and I didn’t have IVF. It just happened.

At the time, my company offered a generous maternity package, but with twins I still only received one maternity leave and one set of payments—while raising two babies at the exact same stage. That meant double the cost for everything at once: two cots, two high chairs, nappies, food, and a double pushchair which is significantly more expensive than a single. Later on, nursery fees are also doubled, all at the same time.

Comparing that to having two children close in age isn’t the same. With separate pregnancies, there’s at least the chance to reuse items and spread costs over time.

This comment feels quite cold and dismissive, especially towards the original poster who may already be struggling. A bit more understanding and empathy would go a long way.

But that’s the same for anyone with two or more children. There’s only a year between ours so we had double nappies, and the double food and anything else goes on until they leave home.

huh? Not everyone gets child benefit. We don’t.

OP it is hard especially when you have to fork out for two car seats, double buggy etc.
however there are loads of twins clubs around and people are always selling things (in pairs). It’s simply not worth buying new for some things. We got our beautiful double pram and two Babybjorn bouncers from someone in our twins club for a third of the price.

But it's not the same as one child, is it? Generally speaking, parents of multiples didn't plan of expect to have more than one baby at the same time.

You chose to get pregnant twice which resulted in two babies. You chose to have two children close in age. That is not the same as having twins.

But parents of multiples didn't plan to have 2 or more babies at once! So it's not the same. I have no idea why it's so hard to comprehend that the cost comparison is between multiples and singletons, not multiples and your choice to have two or more children.

Not every pregnancy is deliberate. And parents with 2 kids still have extra costs, you don’t get extra just because it was a surprise to get 2.

Sure. But twins cost more than singletons, which is what is being discussed and compared.

I don't "get" anything from the government so I can't "get extra" but I understand that not everyone is in as fortunate a position as I am and that for some people having two babies when you were planning for one can be financially crippling.

I genuinely can't see how it's so difficult for some posters to comprehend.

It isn’t difficult to comprehend, im not sure why you find it so difficult to understand the other side either. And although I ‘comprehend’ your argument, I still don’t think it’s realistic that all twins get extra funding and double maternity pay etc because who is paying for it?

I don't really think this argument justifies everyone else's taxes giving extra support- everyone needs support when they have newborns, but suggesting the state should supply it is strange- having no family support was going to be really hard whether or not you had twins- and is very predictable.
I definitely don't think the state should be dishing out nannies to parents of multiples. Nursery costs could be tackled though.

It isn't "the other side". The fact that you chose to have more than one child is irrelevant here.

And that same argument about funding could be made for almost all state benefits. Why do you need child benefit? You should have been better prepared. Why should my taxes support you because you can't afford your children? And why on earth have more than one child if you couldn't afford the first one without child benefit?

I don't make that point because I can totally understand why those state benefits are in place and I'm happy to contribute to them.

Are you not able to comprehend some people have accidental pregnancies?

Sure they do.

Twin parent here - I don’t necessarily think there should be extra support for all twin parents. But things like nursery costs for two are extortionate and can’t be staggered as is often the case with siblings. For some people this could be a real barrier to parents returning to work so perhaps targeted help for people in that situation.

I’m a bit baffled by the comments from a few people asking why you need to buy two of everything of course you need more everyday things like clothes, bottles, nappies etc for twins and unlike a lot of siblings you can’t just reuse the pram/cot/toys/clothes from the first child you need two at the same time.

Interesting- I wonder if anyone at the Treasury has modelled the economic impact of twin parents working less because of the double cost of nursery places. It would be fascinating to understand whether there would in fact be a net gain in tax receipts if more twin parents could afford to return to paid work without that crippling financial burden....there would be income tax to collect from both parent and nursery....

Just curious as my children are adults now. When mine were children we used to get child benefit for each individual child. So that should be the same for twins habing child benefit for each child.

Not everyone receives child benefit. But for those that do, it's £27.05 per week for the eldest child and £17.90 per week for subsequent children.