‘The two will make it!’ Fraternal twins struggling with twin stereotyping and different relationship experiences during the transition from home care to nursery

The transition of twins from home care to nursery or other care presents unique challenges, including the risk of twin stereotyping, where twins are perceived as a pair rather than individuals. This paper presents findings from a case study focusing on a pair of fraternal twins attending the same nursery group. Once-weekly, one-hour observations were conducted from their first day, using the Tavistock Young Child Observation model. Observations continued over four months, with two follow-up observations after a two-month break. Preliminary findings indicated that staff often addressed the twins as a pair, reflecting an unconscious tendency to perceive them as a single unit. Closer analysis revealed significant differences in how staff interacted with each twin, without apparent, conscious awareness. Such unrecognised differences resulted in each twin having different relationship experiences with the care workers, shaping their adjustment process differently. The study uses excerpts from observation accounts to trace the twins’ contrasting paths through their first month in nursery and considers how the care worker interaction shaped their contrasting experiences. The discussion highlights the tendency to focus on the child who adapts more easily, and how this may reflect institutional dynamics which defend staff members from confronting painful feelings.