Returning to work once you have multiples brings a whole new meaning to the phrase out the door by 8am, or earlier!

We asked NIMBA parents what actually works for them, and there were some great as well as slightly unhinged ideas from choosing the right role in the first place, breakfast in the pram to dressing twins in their clothes the night before... and more!

Look at the flexibility of the job

Before taking on a new role, it’s worth asking what the flexibility actually looks like day to day?

• Can you work from home?
• Can you change your start and finish times?
• What happens when a child is sick?
• Is there understanding around daycare closures, appointments and the inevitable last-minute phone call from childcare?

One NIMBA parent who manages a department at a university said she has worked hard to create a mutually respectful, flexible workplace where people have flexibility around their families and other commitments.

Another parent shared her experience of doing a four-day workload with several direct reports while her twins were two. She had a flexible workplace, could work from home, had a supportive team, childcare, family help, a cleaner and a fairly even split of the parenting and household load.

When she later moved into a role without that flexibility, things became much harder.

So if you’re considering stepping into a bigger role, it might be worth asking less “Can I manage this?” and more...

“What does this workplace do to make it manageable?”

Get everything ready the night before

This was probably the most repeated tip.

Bags packed. Bottles filled. Clothes ready. Breakfast organised. Shoes by the door.

• One family walks to daycare, so the twins’ bags and water bottles are already packed into the pram.
• A few have put their twins to bed in their clothes for the next day, or at least dressed them in their daycare tops so there’s less to do in the morning.
• Others happily sent their twins to childcare in Bonds wondersuits or PJs on the hard days.

Breakfast on the move

If your daycare offers breakfast, use it! Several parents said they stopped trying to feed everyone at home on daycare mornings.

If breakfast needs to happen before you leave, a portable breakfast is your friend.

Yoghurt pouches, fruit, milk, pikelets or anything that can be eaten in the pram or car can save a lot of time — and a lot of Weet-Bix scraping.
Subo bottles got several mentions too, particularly for breakfast on the go.

One parent summed up the appeal perfectly: she much prefers cleaning a Subo over scraping Weet-Bix off the highchairs and the children. (see last month’s article on Subo here)

And breakfast doesn’t necessarily need to happen before you leave the house. If you’re walking to daycare, breakfast in the pram can be part of the journey.

Think about the daycare commute

If you’re still choosing childcare, location can make a big difference.

One NIMBA parent chose a childcare centre at her university, just a five-minute walk from her office. When one of the twins got sick, she could be there almost immediately. For another family, childcare close to home made more sense. There’s no universal answer, but it’s worth thinking about what your normal day looks like and what happens when someone needs to be collected unexpectedly.

DAYCARE BUGS

“Don’t underestimate the childcare bugs, they are relentless” Expect to be away from work more than you think you will be in those first few months. More than one preschooler means a fairly impressive number of germs coming through the front door.

Having a workplace where sick days and working from home are genuinely manageable can make a huge difference here.

Divide up the drop off and pick ups

One parent might have more flexibility in the morning and do drop-off, while the other has more flexibility in the afternoon and does pickup. One of you might be able to have a later start/earlier finish arrangement if your workplace allows it. One NIMBA family has Dad doing mornings because his work is more flexible then, while Mum needs to leave by 7.30am.

Another family with four children and hybrid work has a simple rule: whoever is working from home takes charge of breakfast, getting everyone dressed and out the door, while the office parent gets to shower and leave on time...in theory.

Lower the household standards

If breakfast is still on the table when you get home from work, so be it. If the house gets destroyed during the week, let it.

One parent managing a large team, international travel and four days of childcare said her survival strategy was:

• Fortnightly cleaner.
• Lower expectations.
• Weekend meal prep.

Other parents mentioned:

• Family help,
• Easy meals,
• Sharing the household load

and... accepting that some weeks are going to be better than others.

Build yourself an easy-care work wardrobe

Returning to work with twins or triplets may not be the moment to reinvent your personal style; unless your personal style is things that can go straight in the dryer.

A few strategies:

• Build yourself a small capsule uniform of work clothes that are easy to mix and match.
• Choose clothing that can survive the washing machine and dryer
• Keep a blazer in the car/office to cover inevitable stains!
• Forget anything that needs special care, delicate hand washing or an ironing board. It’s just not going to happen.
• If you do need to wear shirts... One mum bought affordable shirts in multiples, so she could repeat outfits without anyone noticing how long it took her to actually do the ironing.
• Another great tip was to find one really good, easy-to-wear top and buy it in three or four different colours. Pair it with the same few pants or skirts and you’ve basically got a work wardrobe on autopilot.

Think simple, comfortable, easy.

Protect your work clothes!

One NIMBA mum gets herself ready but puts an apron on before tackling the kids and breakfast. The apron comes off when they’re heading out and — hopefully — the work clothes underneath have survived...and if you accidentally arrive at childcare still wearing the apron, apparently that’s just an excellent conversation starter.

Another parent suggested simply not putting your nice work top on until after drop-off.

HOT TIP: Keep an emergency outfit at work or in your car.

No time for makeup in the morning? Do it at work... or one mum said they even applied their mascara at the lights.

This article was first published in the NIMBA Noah's Ark Newsletter Issue 333, October 2026.