Caring for Infant Twins After Leave: What Other Twin Parents Did

Figuring out a plan for what to do with two babies after those initial weeks of leave can be a challenge for new twin parents. Read on to get a better sense of how other twin parents handled caring for infant twins and returning to work (or not)! 

Depending on your current work and financial situation and where in the world you live, your options for parental leave may be limited. And we completely empathize with you. We’ve been there too. Figuring this out is arguably one of the biggest challenges of early twin parenthood! 

But know that you are not alone in this struggle. Twin parents all over the globe have had to figure out a plan to make caring for infant twins work for their lifestyle. 

Maybe your situation will work out with ease, or maybe it will take a bit of sacrifice. Either way, take some inspiration from what other twin parents ended up doing!

Twins went to daycare after leave ended

These twin parents had at least a few moths of leave and then put caring for infant twins in the hands of a daycare or in-home daycare:

— Went back to work after 7 months, put them in daycare – felt good about sending them there because they had each other and wouldn’t be navigating a new space/schedule alone. We love our daycare so much and the twins jump out of our arms to see their friends and teachers every day. ~ MB 

— 12 months of paid maternity leave in 🇨🇦. Then they went to daycare part time for a few months, and transitioned to full time after that. — MW

— 20 weeks paid leave and then took 4 weeks unpaid! My husband had 12 weeks total and did 6 weeks at the beginning and then 6 weeks when I went back to work. They started daycare at about 7 months- we were very lucky! — Sarah L. 

— Sweden here: 13 months and my hubby the first 6 months. So grateful! Then they’ll go to preschool (also subsidized) ~ LV

— 6 weeks paid/STD then 6 weeks unpaid FMLA, they ran concurrently so I was maxed out at 12 weeks leave. Then an in home daycare at $2000/mo. I was miserable through all of it. ~ M

— I’m a teacher. I had to use all of my sick days before unpaid FMLA for 12 weeks. Then I used child rearing leave offered by my district until the twins turned 1. The child rearing leave was unpaid, and no insurance (or I’d have to pay the district for benefits). I went back to work the Monday after my twins turned one. ~ CB

— Got 12 weeks paid from my work then I used my own leave and took some leave without pay. I was out of work for a total of 5 months. It was the best time! They then went to daycare and they’re still at the same daycare. We love it but wish it cheaper though. ~ TA

— Nurse in the U.S. I got 6 months and needed every single week of it. ~ BK

— 3 months unpaid and back to work. I was teaching chemistry in Ohio. ~ MR

— In Norway we have 49 weeks+17 extra twin weeks. With full pay. We shared the leave 50/50. With a couple of extra weeks unpaid. 3 months home together, and I was home total 10 months. Partly home together. At 13,5 months the dad finished his leave and we were all ready for them to go to daycare. Short days for the first 6 months…. Daycare is only subsidized in Norway, while school is free. ~ EÅ.

— 6 months off and went back to work. Was going to take 9 months like I did with my older son. Twins went to day care. No regrets! Day care is like another family and they are in great care doing things we can’t do with them. ~ AL 

— I had 3 months off for maternity leave then had a nanny for another 3 months while I went back to work full time. Then the twins went to daycare at 6 months old. They’re 2.5yrs now at the same home daycare which is about $1800 a month. They only do 3 days a week because I work 3 12-hour shifts and then they’re home with me the other days. It’s nuts, but we have no choice but to make it work. ~ A 

— 18 month parental leave and subsidized daycare in Canada. ~ KAJWM

— I’m a teacher and was off a few days before they were born for high blood pressure which was Feb. 20. I took off the rest of the school year and went back in August when the twins were about 6 months old. They go to a small in home daycare. ~ SJ

Help from family or nanny or a work from home situation

When it came to caring for infant twins, these parents enlisted the help of a family member or nanny, or one of the parents managed to care for the twins while working from home:

— 16 weeks off 12 are maternity leave the rest combo of PTO and STD. Will be back at work because we can’t afford life on one income. Mom will help a few days and hiring someone for the others. 3 year old in daycare/preschool. Can’t afford 3 kids in care. ~ B

—Teacher here. Took my maternity leave until the summer. Went back part time afternoons this year and it’s been great. My mom and MIL have babies during those 3 1/2 hour I’m away. — Jessica W.

— I forced my in laws to sell their house and move closer to us. ~ BA

— I left them at 6 weeks with my aunt/mom’s sister and although it was hard I was at peace. ~ YP

— Had 12 weeks and had the most amazing nanny till they were 18 months. ~ CS

— Went back to work full time when my twins were five months and had an au pair (10k down and about 150/week ). Decided to be a stay at home parent when twins turned 2. Best decision ever. I now work 2x per week per diem while kids are in preschool with occasional weekends and will increase my hours as they increase school. ~ AS

— I had 12 weeks paid then we had a nanny start. We could reasonably afford the extra cost of the nanny vs daycare with 2 infants, but when my girls started daycare at 3.5 I realized that I would have been happy sending them to daycare from the beginning. They would have thrived just as much.  ~ KW

— 12 weeks FMLA which is basically 60% of my pay. Went back to work. Staggered that with my husband’s fully paid 3 months paternity from his job. Then we chose an au pair program. Daycare wait lists were so long and scary that they weren’t even an option early on in Denver. 3 adults in one home is amazing! ~ SD 

— 6 months leave, 6 months home nanny while I worked, at 12 months they started daycare 5x a week. ~ DM

— I had my twins early, had 8 weeks leave spent it with them in the NICU. Went back to work when they were released I got 6 more weeks. I still WFH and they are with me 24/7. It is so hard, but I love being able to be with them all day. ~ JE

— I am a teacher in the US, so I used my sick time and qualified for STD for the days I did not work at the end of the school year. I returned to work on schedule at the beginning of the following year. They were four months old. They stayed home with my spouse, who has been working full-time from home for a long time. ~ WW

— I had 11 weeks off with only 6 being paid. Nanny from care.com came to my house and watched them for 4 years full time and now works part time one evening a month since they’ve started school. Best decision to not have them in a day care facility. ~ JB

— I had 9 months of statutory pay. Then I had to leave my current job and find a wfh job as we couldn’t afford childcare fees. Now I do 4 days a week too, so it’s been a huge drop in pay. ~ JM

A combo of daycare and in-home support

These twin parents had a hodge-podge of supports in place when caring for infant twins:

— I had 16 weeks off. After I went back to work, I’d take them to an in-home daycare 3 days a week. The other 2 days my mom & MIL would come over and watch them. Almost 3 years later and we still rock this schedule! ~ JF

— I got a year off then went back two days a week and later three. My mum cared for my boys one day a week and they went to daycare one day a week, later two. ~ BBC

— I had 16 weeks off through combination of PTO and STD. I asked if I could take double since I was so efficient at having babies. We ended up having a nanny come help us because we found it to be only a little more pricey compared to the challenges of getting 2 babies out the door. We have done daycare and Nannie’s and there are benefits and drawbacks of each. ~ TH

— I got 1 year maternity leave in Canada. Then I went back to work for a couple days a week and had a nanny come to our home. After that, they went into full time daycare at 2 years old. ~ SW

Left their job to care for their twins 

These twins parents decided that leaving the workforce was the best option when it came to caring for their infant twins:

— I left my job. I would’ve only had 12 weeks (unpaid leave) if my employer was nice as I hadn’t been with the company for 12 months yet. It didn’t make sense for me to work a full time job and for us to put them in daycare at $2400 per month. I’ve been working part time (on my own schedule) since they started kindergarten which works best for me since raising 7yo twins and managing a household is still a lot of work. ~ KL

— Quit my full time job and got something part time to do from home with my twins + toddler home with me. ~ SL

— I went back to work for about a month and then quit. I didn’t work again until they were 16 months and even now, it’s remote work so I do my best lol but the twins always come first. ~ LK

— Had 20 weeks of paid leave. At the end my husband left his job to be a full time stay at home parent. ~ EB

— I quit my job. ~ KV

— Opted to not return to work and instead ran an in-home daycare for nearly 4 years. Had my third & last during that time so it was a win-win until she was able to attend a daycare of her own once the twins started school. Best decision ever.  ~ BB

— I decided to leave the job market for one year to enjoy them…started looking for a new job when they were one year old and it seems like I will start working now with them at 18 months. Do not regret it ~ BH

— I left my job as an elementary teacher to stay home with my twins. The money I make teaching would all be going towards daycare for two, so it was more realistic to just stay home. ~ LL

It was complicated…

For one reason or another, these twin parents had a whirlwind experience in figuring out a plan for caring for infant twins:

— I got 4 weeks off then worked from the NICU for 5 weeks then took another 8 weeks off. Went back to work for 3 weeks and took the boys to childcare. Then quit my job after my first week back to be a stay at home mom because we were loosing money with them being in childcare and their schedule got all mixed up and felt like we never saw them. Best decision ever! ~ CJ

— In the US, I had an 8 week leave and initially used close friends to watch them in home. Then at 1 year I stayed home full time and at 2.5 yrs they went to daycare full time. In my free time in the future I hope to advocate for double the paid maternity leave time for twins. Ridiculous that there was no additional time. ~ BH

— I was a teacher at the time, so I took the rest of the school year off (mid February through early June). Then I had the summer off and went back the next school year starting in August. We had a homecare nurse (covered through Medicaid) watch the twins then since they both had feeding tubes still. When the twins no longer qualified for the homecare nurse, I left teaching and started my own business so I could watch them and work from home on my own schedule. What a journey! ~ PF

— A combination of multiple solutions (no pun intended). First 3 months leave and then husband 4 months leave, all that combined with grandmas helping out. Then move to a new job and they stayed with a nanny 6 hours a day and husband and I would make a huge logistics to cover for the rest. Then I quit the new job and stayed with them for one year. Later, husband quit his job and stayed with them. Now when they turn 3 in a few months, just then they will go to a daycare full time. ~ HW

— Mine came at 31 weeks and spent almost 6 weeks in the NICU an hour from our home. When they finally came home, my maternity leave was over (6 weeks, and had a c-section). My manager allowed me to work from home 4 days a week for the next few months to get settled. We sent them to daycare for a few years and then I quit my job and stayed home for about 6 months. Then returned to work again. ~ HS

Final thoughts on caring for infant twins after your leave ends

Figuring out a plan for what to do with your twinnies after any initial leave you have is a big decision. But definitely take some time to research all of your options!

Talk to human resources at your job, look up paid leave and short term disability options in your state or country, or look into more flexible work-from-home options. And don’t be afraid to talk to close friends and family members to see if anyone is able to help you out as you make the transition back to work.

Also, if your twinnies are still on their way, keep in mind that you may need to be flexible with returning to work if they come early or spend time in the NICU.

We hope that taking a look through these real-life scenarios gives you a little bit of hope and inspiration in figuring out a plan that works for you.

Interested in more articles for ideas for caring for infant twins? Check these out too!

• Daycare for Twins: Finding the Best Center for Your Twins
• Where to Find a Good Nanny
• Having Grandma as a Nanny

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