Nobody is prepared for the financial burden brought on by having twins. 

That’s according to Lunchtime Live caller Alison from Meath, who had to leave her job to meet the demands of raising twins.

Research from Twins Trust and Per Capita shows that parents of twins or triplets are paying almost €24,000 more in the first year of their children’s birth compared to those who had two babies in succession.

Alison said the “big purchases,” like buggies and car seats, were particularly expensive.

“Usually, they can trickle down to the other kids, and you’re only buying these things once,” she said.

“You buy something for food and know you’re going to recoup the cost over the next baby or the next two or three.

“With twins, you have to buy two equally good things at the start, all in one go, and you can’t survive on hand-me-downs from older kids.”

'Not prepared'

She said “nobody is prepared” for the financial cost of having twins.

“You’re doing everything twice and you’re not prepared for it,” she said.

“You know, you may have been preparing to have a baby and putting money aside, but no one's really prepared for that moment when they go into it.”

24 June 2015; 19 month old twins Luke, left, and Cian Daly, from Screggan, Co. Offaly, at the game. Bord Gáis Energy Leinster GAA Hurling U21 Championship, Semi-Final, Offaly v Wexford, O'Connor Park, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Picture credit: Matt Browne / SPORTSFILE

Alison said she ended up leaving her job as a result.

“We had one child in school, one in ECC, and then two in the baby room,” she said.

“It was just unfeasible for me to stay in my post because we were paying everything to the creche.”

Renovations

David in Dublin, a father of twins, said he had to make home renovations.

“One thing that caught us on the hop was a double buggy we bought – a big tank of a thing,” he said.

“It wouldn’t fit through the front door, so we had to get the house modified so we could come down the side entrance with the buggy and bring it in the back door.

“Child seats were another issue; after trying to squeeze the child seats and mommy or daddy in the back seat, we ended up buying a different car.”

School

He said costs “really rack up” when the children begin attending school.

“Because now you're into something as simple as two school bags, two sets of books, two uniforms,” he said.

“Inevitably, they come home and have growth spurts at different times – one lot fits and one lot doesn’t.

“We should have got staff discounts at some of the shoe shops we were going to so often.”

It’s estimated that one in 250 pregnancies are twins.

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Main image: Two Babies In Matching Hat And Overalls. Image: Kelly Redinger/Design Pics via ZUMA Wire