IT USED to be rare for fathers give up their work to look after their young children.

But Justin Jansen is just one of those increasing number of doting dads who are giving up work to look after their children.

The 39-year-old – who is a stay-at-home dad for Amber, five, twins Lewis and Finn, four – admits it has taken time and patience.

Just after his twins were born he took voluntary redundancy from his job at market researcher A C Nielsen and stayed at home to look after his children, while his partner Elaine Poyser went to work.

He said: “It was just about weighing up the pros and cons of how much it was going cost putting them into child care.

“My partner was enjoying work more than me at the time.

“She was 100 per cent behind me. She knew I would enjoy looking after the children.

“It was testing at first and it seemed a bit odd. A lot of times I was the only male at the child groups.

“One my memories is that I would change the first one, then change the second one, then change the third one and the first one would need changing again.

“With three children we had a fridge full of bottles and we were constantly sterilising.

“It took a lot of time and patience.”

According to the Office of National Statistics, the number of men who are economically inactive in the South East because they are looking after a family or home has nearly doubled in the past 18 years to 20,000.

Mr Jansen estimates it would have cost his family £25,000-a-year to put his three children through childcare.

He said: “It is about £4-£5 an hour per child. I believe that it is better if one parent can stay at home.”

Margaret McInroy, 44, from Carterton, whose husband Rory looked after their two sons, Harry, nine and Stuart, seven, for four years, said: “When I was pregnant I had a very good job as an event organiser and I was the main breadwinner. My husband is good with children and used to be a primary school teacher so it seemed logical.”

Mr Jansen’s children now all go to Windale Primary School in Greater Leys. Mr Jansen plans to spend a few months at home before returning to work or retraining.