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Original poster

How many people know identical triplets?

120 replies

BonBonVoyage · 01/01/2019 13:16

A comment on another thread started me thinking (this is not a TAAT though!)

How common are identical triplets? I've looked at stats online but I'm more interested in how it translates to real life.

I'm a teacher and in all my years teaching I've taught one set of identical triplets. They were super identical - same voice, handwriting, drawing style, personality. It was uncanny (in a nice way)

I have taught another set of non identical triplets and my sister has too (different school). I know a lady who has triplets grandsons (two identical, one not).

I know one set of identical twins, have taught in two other schools with two other pairs.

How many identical triplets do you know?

OP posts:
thebaronetofcockburn · 01/01/2019 15:19

None but I do know a family who have two sets of identical twin boys.

blueskiesandforests · 01/01/2019 15:26

There are so many sets of twins in the area that feeds into our small primary school (one form entry, have 3 children who've been through the school with only the youngest still there, no class in the school has been without a set of ID twins since 2011 and some with 2 sets) that I'd assume it was something in the water except that they're mostly ID, which occurs coincidentally ... DS1's year was small - only 19 children, 4 of whom were two sets of ID twins... No triplets though.

I taught secondary for 6 years and 9nly taught 4 sets of ID twins, no triplets of any type.

DD is friends with a triplet now at secondary school - his brothers are ID but he isn't. His brothers are also at a different secondary school, which is unusual I guess but another girl in her class is a twin with the other twin being at a different school.

I've only ever met 3 sets of triplets in my life, that I am aware of. Never met ID triplets at all.

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 01/01/2019 15:30

DD2 and DS have 9 babies in their baby room at nursery, 6 of whom are twins! DD2 is the only girl.

I have only once met a triplet.

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NoTeaNoShadeNoPinkLemonade · 01/01/2019 15:36

i went to s holl with identical triplets, same voice, hairstyle and handwriting were all left handed too. I think the elder one had a very slight marking on his skin so you could tell who he was then he also grew slightly taller than the other two.
They must have been soo tired of being asked if they were triplets, everyone was fascinated by them!

GunpowderGelatine · 01/01/2019 15:37

I know identical quads! All boys

GunpowderGelatine · 01/01/2019 15:38

Natural conception as well

VictoriaFarmer · 01/01/2019 15:39

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PawneeParksDept · 01/01/2019 16:00

I've only met one set, two of them were distinguishable as Sisters more than twins but the third was a mix of both Smile

PawneeParksDept · 01/01/2019 16:02

The set I knew were naturally conceived also

KindergartenKop · 01/01/2019 16:05

I know 4 sets. One all girls and the others 2 girls, one boy. One set I went to school with, one I taught, one is the offspring of a colleague and the last I am friends with one of them. I don't know any identical triplets.

Catsandbootsandbootsandcats · 01/01/2019 16:07

I know one set. One of them was friends with my twins. (Went to same club his brothers didn't attend) It was awkward as we only knew the one so never knew if we were saying hello to him or one of the others! I used to wait for him to say hello first just in case they thought I was a weirdo!

I can't even tell my twins apart, let alone someone else's triplets! Grin

KindergartenKop · 01/01/2019 16:10

It depends on the circles you move in as to whether you know lots of multiples. The likelihood increases with maternal age, ivf and ethnicity (people from Central Africa produce more twins).

notsurewhatshappening · 01/01/2019 16:10

I know one set of triplets with two identical boys and a non identical girl (obviously!)

Panicwiththebisto · 01/01/2019 16:10

When I was in the waiting room for a 12-week scan, a pregnant woman came out from having her scan and told her mum that she was going to have triplets (apparently the scan showed that originally it was quads). The Mum then announced to the waiting room that her daughter was going to have triplets and how her life would change and that she couldn’t go on the cruise she wanted to go on as she would have to be helping out with the babies.

spiderlight · 01/01/2019 16:11

I was at school with triplets who were identical except that one of them was a lot shorter than the other two. In terms of looks and mannerisms they were indistinguishable. Their mother had had another set of identical triplets about 12 years previously who had all died as newborns :(

I also knew quadruplets of whom two were identical twins. Three of them - the twin girls and one of the two boys - all had very dark hair and were very obviously siblings, while the fourth had the brightest ginger hair imaginable and a completely different build: you wouldn't have believed he was related to them at all!

bookworm14 · 01/01/2019 16:13

No identical triplets, but I went to nursery with a set of non-identical triplets and to secondary school with quads!

Oogie · 01/01/2019 16:14

I knew of a set of identical triplet girls, who each had an identical grey pony!!

smokealarm · 01/01/2019 16:14

Don't know any identical triplets either! But a good friend of mine from university is a triplet - her, and 2 identical sisters.

gamerwidow · 01/01/2019 16:15

I went to school with identical triplet girls in the 80s and I know one set of non identical triplets. I think most people could easy go through life without meeting any triplets though. They’re not very common.

itssquidstella · 01/01/2019 16:17

I knew a set of identical triplets - they were all at Cambridge with my ex.

There are two sets at the school I teach at: one set boy girl girl (non identical) and one set of identical twin girls plus another girl.

itssquidstella · 01/01/2019 16:22

@smokealarm I wonder if we know the same triplets!

Oddsocksandmeatballs · 01/01/2019 16:25

I knew identical triplet boys when I was growing up back in the 70s and recently met another set of newborn girl triplets.

AppleDump · 01/01/2019 16:27

I've taught triplets. 2 identical boys & 1 girl (older mum who tried for at least a decade and got 3)

My husband taught non identical set.

My friends grandma has triplets and 2 sets of twins.

Notquiteagandt · 01/01/2019 16:30

I know 3 sets. 2 are bbg triplets with the boys identical. The 3rd set where identical boys. But one passed away at a few months old due to complications from being prem. The drs and everyone where fascinated with mother throughout pregnancy. Apparently identical multiples larger than twins are very very risky so thats why you dont see as many about. Which is sad to think.

anewyear · 01/01/2019 16:33

I used to work with 2 girls who were part of a set of triplets,
When they were together at tea break I mostly had to look really hard to determine which was which.
The 3rd sister visited one day and it was disconcerting to say the least Grin

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