How Many Caregivers Do You Need for Your Twins?

Here is a question from a mom who says, eventually, she wants to be working outside the home again. “Who do I get to take care of the girls? Can I trust one person to handle both of them, or do I need to have two people?”

Considering a Caregiver for Twins

Now, if you’re considering returning to work, keep in mind that childcare for twins, well childcare for any children is expensive. You’ll need to consider and weigh the trade-offs between the income you would make and the expenses that you would have in childcare. It may be financially to your advantage to not return to work, but instead to stay at home with your kids. So make sure you run the numbers and check your budget to see if it will work out in your favor.

That being said, if you do plan on returning to work, the older that your twins are, the easier it will be to care for them. You’re going to notice this as well. As your twins get older, they get more self-sufficient, they sleep for longer periods of time, and they’re able to do more things by themselves. Naturally they are more easy to care for. You’ll also notice that you are less and less burdened caring for two as you were in the early months, when they were newborns. The same will be true of a caregiver who you find to take care of your twins.

Choosing a Caregiver for Your Twins

First, look for family members, or friends. If you have to go outside that circle, look for some personal references from people you trust. You may also consider checking with your local multiples club to see what other parents of twins and multiples have done to find childcare specifically for their twins. If you are looking for a nanny, try to find one who has cared for twins or multiples before. You don’t necessarily want your new caregiver to be brand new to twins, and you don’t want to be training her on the job.

Even if a caregiver has not cared for twins in the past, but perhaps has cared for several young children that are close together in age before, that too may be OK. So, do you need two caregivers for twins, one for each twin? Well, in a perfect world, that would be great, but it’s not necessary and one should be just enough.

This question was originally addressed on the Dad’s Guide to Twins Podcast Episode 57: Long Distance Father/Twin Relationships, Finding Caregivers, Newborns and Running a Business. Picture by Ruth Lozano.