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?

Not everything is double eh when both of mine were in nappies i didn’t buy double, I just more frequently, some things you can share especially in the early stages too

I do see what you’re saying as people choose to have 2 separate children but no one intentionally chooses to have twins.

Its not like anyone can say well you chose to have 2 kids.

However, I was under the impression that you did get double the child benefit and extra UC because you have 2.
I may be wrong though.

It’s completely different.

You’re having to buy 2 car seats at the same time, 2 prams, double the nappies, milk, bottles, clothes, sudocrem, calpol etc.

If you have 2 separate kids then the cost is spread out or you can reuse things.

I know someone either twins and they have to buy double the school uniform and schools shoes etc and it must cost an absolute fortune.

I had a one year old when my twins were born, they were de facto triplets. I had three high chairs, three car seats and a triple pram. It was insane.

I met a lady in the park who thought that twins get a free nanny from the government. I explained that I got 3rd child childbenefit, and the council gave me a bigger bin.

The biggest kickers were and still are, school expenses, especially shoes and coats, school trips and food. And a massive car.

The year my twins started seniors the uniform bill was £1200.

YABU - you get child benefit for them both in the same way I did for my 2 kids (20 months apart)

I had a friend who would bleat on about this when her twin girls were at school - she refused to pay full amounts for school swimming etc (would just pay for one 'voluntary contribution' )

Said friend was NOT poor and had gone through IVF so knew the chance of twins was high . Mortgage paid off now and a rental property and still as tight as a duck's behind !!!!!!

OP, I get what you are saying. Nursery fees are so expensive that I would struggle to afford it. We would have to move if we had twins. I also get that nobody else should have to fork the bill for it .

People who have 2 kids close together have to have 2 of everything. And my kids are 2 years apart but different sex, they can’t share school uniform or other clothes anymore than twins can.

Same! DS was 16 months when my twins were born.

Two lots of nursery fees!

What pram did you have? I had an I candy Pear with a ridiculous side car thing that reduced me to tears, and a giant ABC Adventure Triple.

Well said.

I had 6 cycles of IVF, all paid privately.

I had two embryos replaced all 6 times fully aware that a twin or triplet pregnancy could occur. In fact it did, my last cycle (the only one resulting in a live birth) was a twin pregnancy but one twin was lost.

How does any of that mean I should have been entitled to anything more than someone with a singleton pregnancy? I’m assuming you’re not being forced into so why should you or I be entitled to more?

I've said this on the other thread ... but I have twins and my second born (3 minutes later) got the reduced child benefit as she is classed as my 2nd child.

TAMBA (the twins and multiple birth assoc) has been campaigning for years to change this. I didn't have a pram to hand down, or highchair, etc.

School trips - paying for two at the same time - brownie/sports/cub camps - paying for two at the same time .. .nothing is staggered.

And it isn't a choice unless you choose to put two eggs back during IVF. mine were naturally conceived and a huge joy but there's no doubt it is expensive.

I was just thinking that. I know a family with triplets and when they went to uni their parents actually remortgaged, drawing down some of their equity to help pay their costs.

It depends where you are. The UK economy is scuppered and everyone is fighting over scraps.

Other countries acknowledge that it’s not so much the number of children but how the expenses arise together that causes hardship, and there’s also more widespread support for poverty prevention.

When they were all tiny, I had the Peg Perego Triple which was an absolute beast and often reduced me to tears too. As soon as I could get DS walking consistently, I did and then it was the Mountain Buggy Duet which is great.

People are saying it's the same as having a baby and then having another baby a year later? Eh?

When you have twins you have to have the money to buy double then and there. Twins can't share car seats or a reasonably priced single buggy. You are going through double nappies, formula, clothes (yes they shared clothes but you still needed to buy double) first shoes, nursery fees were astronomical there was no discount for them.

That's slightly different to having a single baby and then 'choosing' to have a baby a year later. A second child will inherit all the items from the first baby (if you choose to buy everything new after a year then that's on you). But it's certainly not the same as forking out double in those early years.

When you have twins the financial hit is sudden and you have to get through it.
Child benefit was received gratefully and the only discounts I ever received were when Clarks used to do a first shoe discount for twins. So that was nice.

Also, birthday parties all the same ? Share toys the same? Twins may sometimes look alike but get this?They are two individual human beings with two totally different sets of friends and interests.

I'm dreading university.

For fewer years…

Yes but I imagine it is basically almost unaffordable unless you have a decent income.

It’s my opinion!

I am spending a lot on treatment too - ideally I’d like one child, not two. We would struggle to afford two! That’s why I think there should be additional support.

Feel free to disagree, and move on!

There’s published research that it actually costs the average family £20,000 more having twins rather than having two children staggered one after the other.

Link

As for twins going to uni together and sharing a room ... that's vanishingly unlikely! They are separate people with different interests! If you've done your job of parenting twins properly!

Another thing with twins is that they are more likely to be premature and have birth complications. This can cause additional financial costs. Also paternity leave. I would have loved my (now ex) husband to have had more time off work for support. Most of his leave was used while my girls were in special care (I couldn’t drive as I had a c section).
I did laugh at the twins can share toys comments - anyone who has had toddler twins knows that doesn’t happen!

And something else ... a pregnancy with twins can be tough on the body and you're likely to start your maternity leave earlier, esp if it involves a commute on public transport, which mine did.