Getting two 2 year olds to do what they are asked, at the same time.

[rattling]

I'd like to hear some opinions about a problem that seems to be getting harder to deal with.

I have twin boys, nearly 2 and a half, and we live in a second floor tenement flat, and getting them up the stairs, together and safely, is proving a nightmare - to the point that we often end staying in when we'd all like a bit of fresh air and space.

The problem is I need both of them to be agreeable to what I am asking immediately. Having one of them set off up the (concrete, slightly spiral) stairs while I have a (however brief) discussion with the other is not an option. Having either one of them dawdle on the stairs, or stop or mess about at all, is not an option.

So 80% of the time I end up carrying 15kg of wriggling child under each arm. Not comfortable for any of us - and generally I don't think they are behaving any worse than I could expect from any 2 year old, so they don't really deserve it.

When I get a chance I'm going to buy some stickers, try the reward route. But I'd love to hear some other ideas.

I'd make it a competition. "Who can get to the top of the stairs first?" etc.

I'd say counting games and pretend games. Follow the leader, which could start on the path home and then continue up the stairs. Give the reward stickers to them and get them to give you a reward if you do all the steps a certain way? Its gotta be fun, then they dont realise you are making them do wot you want. Shouting and nagging is a game to them too i guess, but a negative one where you dont control the outcome. I used to do 4 flights of stairs, with child, buggy and shopping! No wonder i was so skinny then!
Good luck!

Well, this isn't a great advertisment of my parenting skills, but this is the sort of situation where I end up with '1.....2......3' with my 2.10yo, with three being taking away a toy for the rest of the day. I rarely, if ever, get to 3, and it's not the type if parenting I like but I have a small baby too and sometimes we can't just negotiate all day.

If I do have plenty if time I'll say things like 'let's have a race' (although not up a stone spiral staircase!), or 'do you think you could do x? No?! Really?! I bet you can't do it all by yourself can you?! Wow! What a big boy!' I fond this works well with putting shoes on etc.

Or the other thing I do is say something like 'let's be a train, come in, choo choo' or 'let's pretend we're divers/ farmers/ climbers' etc and make a game if it.

I'm interested to see what others say because I'm finding cajoling ds1 can be such hard work and he'll say 'I'm just....' or 'no!' and i don't want to resort to '1.....2.....3'. I want him to just do it!