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If you're expecting twins, you're probably excited to meet your little ones and nervous about how much work it's going to be.
And if those twins you're expecting are identical, you're probably also terrified about how you're going to tell them apart. If you weren't worried about that aspect or it hadn't even crossed your mind until you read the previous line, I'm sorry.
And if those twins you're expecting are identical, you're probably also terrified about how you're going to tell them apart.
When we found out we were expecting twins, I was absolutely shocked. At no point during my first 10.5 weeks of pregnancy did anything give me a feeling nor tip me off that there might be more than one fetus in there. While I am a twin myself, whenever I'd thought of having kids, I'd always assumed they'd be just one at a time; as silly as it might sound, the thought of having twins myself had never occurred to me.
When we found out at 20.5 weeks along that they were identical (monochorionic/diamniotic, or mono/di, for short), again, I was shocked. My husband and I both assumed they were fraternal because a) I am a fraternal twin and b) my sister had fraternal twins. We have no identical twins on my side of the family.
But my husband has multiple sets of identical twins on his side of the family. While many people say that identical twins are just spontaneous and luck of the draw, with the amount of identicals on his side of the family tree, I'm beginning to wonder.
I began to think about the challenges of differentiating two babies who were going to look exactly alike.
Once the surprise wore off, I began to think about the challenges of differentiating two babies who were going to look exactly alike.
While I was expecting and worried about how we were going to be able to tell our babies apart, once they were born, we just knew who was who. We'd read that this would happen–that we'd just know–but we didn't believe it. Granted, in our situation, there was almost one-and-a-half pounds' difference between them, so it was easy to visually tell them apart, but even if they'd been closer in weight, their personalities, even that early, gave them away, and they only flourished from that point on.
And yet, there were still times when we first got home that we caught ourselves doing a double-take to confirm who was who. An interesting thing happens when you have identical twins; while their voices are slightly different, when they get crying–like, REALLY crying–their wails harmonize and find an equilibrium. And then, somehow, as if by Mono/Di Magic, the length of their cries sync up and it literally sounds like you have only one baby…one really loud baby. And it's so hard to tell them apart when this happens. Before I had my twins, I would have scoffed if someone had told me this, but I've experienced it myself.
...while their voices are slightly different...their wails harmonize and find an equilibrium. And then, somehow, as if by Mono/Di Magic, the length of their cries sync up and it literally sounds like you have only one baby…one really loud baby.
Aside from just wanting to know who's who, you might legitimately have a medical reason to need to be able to tell them apart, which is especially important when you need to make sure any caregivers who are watching your children can, without a doubt, tell them apart. You don't want to accidentally give the same baby Tylenol twice in a row. More importantly, you don't want any medication for a disease that only one of the twins has to be administered to the wrong child. Or maybe, one of your twins is on a supplemented formula for weight gain while the other doesn't need to be on that same diet.
Whatever your reason, here are three quick ways to tell your newborn identical babies apart.
1. Use color-coded bibs
When we were feeding our babies, we decided to color-code their bibs; one baby always wore the green one, the other baby always wore the blue one. It helped us know, at a quick glance, who was who. When we look back at photos from the early days and come across an angle that's hard to tell who's who, we instantly know who it is just from the color of bib they're wearing.
PandaEar Silicone Baby Bibs
These bibs are easy to wipe, have a trough to catch any dropped food, and come in different colours for easy deciphering between twins.
2. Use color-coded soothers
Another at-a-glance way to tell your identical twins apart is to use color-coded soothers. Like the bibs for mealtimes, one baby had a set of blue soothers, and the other had a set of green soothers. This way, we could always tell which baby we were holding. Plus, if a soother fell out, say, in the bassinet while they were snoozing, the two-color system ensured the proper baby would get their own (germy) pacifier back. And again, when looking back at photos, we could instantly tell who was who by looking at the color of soother they had.
Philips AVENT Soothie 0-3 Months Pacifier
This four-pack of pacifiers will stock your living room, nursery, and diaper bag. Available in multiple colors, you can assign a hue to each baby.
3. Use color-coded nail polish
I purchased a vegan nail polish to have on-hand just in case we had to paint one of their toenails if had trouble telling them apart when we got home from the hospital. It's still sitting, unused in a drawer in their nursery. Maybe I'll add it to their memory box…with a note that we didn't need to use it!
Sally Hansen Good.Kind.Pure. Vegan Nail Polish
This vegan nail polish is baby-safe. Available in several colors, you can match it to the palette of your home or the personality of your baby.
Don't worry
Whether you decide to try any of these tips with your own identical twins, don't fret. Rest assured–even if you don't believe it right now–that once your babies are born, you will, without a doubt, be able to tell them apart. They're yours, and you'll just know who's who.
Did you have identical twins? Was it difficult telling them apart after they were born? What tricks did you use to differentiate them in the early days? Let us know in the comments section below!
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