Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Parents Of Twins Share Tips For Not Mixing Up Their Babies

How do people tell their baby twins apart? Parents have many strategies. Some of them are pretty funny.


laughingjackals98 asked: Parents of twins, how did you make sure you didn't mix your kids up when they were babies and if you did how did you figure out which was which?

Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.

ID bracelets.

Giphy

My parents made a little purple bracelet that said my name on it and a pink one for my sister until they could tell the difference without it. Sometimes I wonder if the bracelets ever got switched by mistake though...

tmsdnr

This just made me realize that humans can't be identified like a car or anything with a serial number. People don't have bar codes and stuff.

I think I may be really dumb

etheran123

DNA, fingerprints?

MiFengNoMai

Identical twins have identical DNA. Also I can't imagine parents taking fingerprints from their babies when they're born, so I doubt that would work in these scenarios.

sleepyseaslug

Size matters, but so does personality.

When my identical Daughters where still in hospital they wore hospital tags. When we finally got them out of ICU, we were carefully monitoring their weight by weighing them daily. they had a 200g difference in weight consistently for the first many months, (which is fairly significant when you arent much over 1kg) so we always knew.

After the first few months we just knew them, and it has never been hard for my wife or myself to tell them apart, despite being able to confuse most people with ease. The most obvious physical difference we know of is that the one's earlobe is shaped slightly differently, but their personalities are very distinct.

Kyratic

I know of several twins who have anxiety about the possibility of being 'the fat twin'. Now I kind of hope they never read this someday, and realize that you could mainly tell them apart in their infancy because one of them was definitely 'the fat twin.'

garbagecompressor

This should be obvious.

Giphy

My friend has boy/girl twins. She still gets asked how she tells them apart. Ummmmm.....

marythelpc

"Well this one has a small freckle near her ear, and this one has a penis."

robhawt

"This one will have breasts in about 15 years"

MysteriousPlatypus

"And so will the other."

"You gotta stop feeding them junk food, Fran."

stratosfearinggas

Sometimes mothers always know... or do they?

I'm a preschool teacher. One year, I had 3 pairs of twins in the same class, but only one pair was identical. One of the boys was named Drew, so his mother usually dressed him in blue. "Drew wears blue." His twin wore any other color, but most often red. I was grateful as I could not tell them apart otherwise.

I asked their mother how she told them apart. "They just look different to me."

Mysid

This would take one heck of a steady hand. They're tiny!

My boss had twins, and when they were born, she painted their toenails different colors so she could tell them apart.

carly-rae_sremmurd

Baby toenails are f*cking tiny. I'm impressed she could even do that successfully.

to_the_tenth_power

When everything is identical, even the clothes, it gets confusing.

Giphy

Aunt of twins here. Babysat them once when they were newborns. My sister brings them over and I had to ask her which twin was which. Keeping Baby A on the left of the living area and Baby B on the right, I had to figure out how to tell them apart because my sister dressed them the exact same, packed the exact same blankets, extra clothes, socks, burp clothes, etc. (evil witch)...I immediately went into panic mode. BUT then I realized I did have a way to tell them apart. I used nail polish to mark X's on their socks. Blue for Baby A and Orange for Baby B (then I wrote it down in case I forgot LOL).

redink85

I feel like parents of multiples are playing on hard anyway, but why do so many whack the difficulty up to insane by putting the infants in matching clothes?

It's cute, but surely it causes some headaches? It's probably easier once they can talk properly though

ChrissiTea

Ohhhkay then.

My parents circumcised me, but not my twin.

Toggafasi

Do you have strong opinions about that now?

Merry_Pippins

A bit jealous of my twin. I wouldn't have chosen to be circumcised given the option, but my parents did their best..

My personal belief is the decision shouldn't have been made for me without medical necessity. Like I shower once or twice a day so it's no benefit because to be circumcised all it would have been is an additional thing to wash.

Toggafasi

What birthmark?

My brothers are identical twins but one of them had the consideration to be born with a bright red, circular birthmark in the middle of his forehead. Very handy.

But I could always tell them apart anyway, even when the mark was covered. They look different to me and always did. Mom used to get me to tell her which was which in pictures where you couldn't see the birthmark.

Katt7594

This parent avoided the problem entirely.

Giphy

I gave them both the same name so it never mattered.

kirkyesshatnerno

This guy twins.

workedSilly

Why not?

My parents just said whomever started responding to the name they said, that was the kid whose name it was. Hell I could have originally been my brothers name.

Therahl1

That's so chill. Love it.

wheresmypurplekitten

More from Trending

Ryan Gosling; Jake Hamilton
Jake's Takes/YouTube

Ryan Gosling's Reaction To Being Interviewed By Journalist Who Is Stranded In The Desert Is All Of Us

Celebrities get interviewed from all kinds of places, but the side of the road in a desert? That's not typically one of them.

But for a recent sit-down with Ryan Gosling, that's exactly where Good Day Chicago reporter Jake Hamilton ended up asking his questions. From the side of the road, no less.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots of Sheldon Whitehouse and Kristi Noem
PBS News

Kristi Noem Blasted For Trying To Play Dumb After Being Shown Photos Of Bedroom On Her Luxury Jet

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was called out after appearing dumbfounded this week after Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse grilled her about her use of a luxury jet by showing her images of its bedroom.

On Monday, Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the DHS recent funding lapse. Last month, reports surfaced that Noem’s department had sought approval from the Office of Management and Budget to purchase a luxury Boeing 737 Max 8.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of Hillary Clinton; Donald Trump
@GOPoversight/X; Kay Nietfeld/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Hillary Clinton Was Asked If Trump Should Be Deposed About Epstein—And Her Blistering Response Is Spot On

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a blistering response during her deposition in the House Oversight Committee's Epstein investigation when asked about whether or not she thinks President Donald Trump should also be deposed.

Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, testified separately behind closed doors last week before the House Oversight Committee regarding their connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier, pedophile, and sex trafficker. Video recordings of the depositions were released by the committee on Monday.

Keep Reading Show less
screenshots of friendly fire incident with US F-15 over Kuwait
@CNN/Instagram

Video Of Kuwaiti Locals Rushing To Help American Pilot Shot Down In Friendly Fire Incident Goes Viral

Video of Kuwaitis hurrying to check on the condition of a United States Air Force pilot who ejected from an F-15 fighter jet went viral online.

It has been reported by United States Central Command (CENTCOM) that three U.S. military jets were accidentally shot down over Kuwait as a result of "an apparent friendly fire incident" by Kuwaiti air defenses. Initial reports attributed the crashes to Iranian military forces.

Keep Reading Show less
Donald Trump
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Was Spotted With A Huge Rash On His Neck—And Nobody Is Buying The Explanation

President Donald Trump's health and fitness are once again in the spotlight after he was spotted with a red rash on his neck to go along with the bruises on his hands—and the White House physician's explanation for the matter isn't satisfying anyone.

A reddish mark could be seen on Trump's neck during a Medal of Honor ceremony on Monday, extending above his shirt collar and ending just beneath his ear.

Keep Reading Show less