“How do you tell them apart?” is a question I am asked often. This was a pretty big worry of mine before I had the boys. How would I tell them apart? If I can’t, does that make me a horrible mother? Would anyone actually know if I got them confused?  I kind of joked to my friends that it really didn’t matter which baby was which until they went to school or a medical issue arises.

Luckily, I can tell them apart most of the time even at seven months old. Their heads are shaped slightly different and I am tuned into their distinct personalities. Plus, I have a few other tricks.

If you’re worried about telling them apart or want to help out the rest of your family, here are a few tips and tricks to try:

  1. Keep the hospitals tag on as long as possible. I actually kind of forgot that the tags were on their legs for a full week. By then, it was a little tight to cut them off.So don’t wait too long.
  2. Look for stork bites, angel kisses, or birthmarks. Any marker on the body that is different is great. Unfortunately for us, the boys had stork bites about the same shape on their necks.
  3. Check the shape of their ears.Perhaps one baby has a crinkled ear. This may be temporary due to his/her position in the womb and during labor but it may help you for a few weeks.
  4. Paint a fingernail or toenail a different color.
  5. Dress them differently. This can be completely different outfits or choose a designated color for each child. As infants, the limited clothing selection may dictate that you dress them in different outfits for the day.
  6. Have different colored items, such as blankets, pacifiers, or car seat toys for each child. Since the infants have these items with them most of the time, you can quickly identify the child. Different headbands or earrings for girls.
  7. Embroidered bibs and burp cloths. We received these as gifts recently and I have found this to be great for myself and daycare providers.
  8. Embroidered anything: clothes, car seat covers, etc.
  9. Personality. This may take some time and is more difficult for those who see the babies rarely, but their different personalities may be distinguishable even a few hours old.

Another useful tip that I learned: If you are taking photos of the babies, have one parent hold the same child for every photo. Or, designate a child as “1” and the other as “2”. Have that parent display the number of fingers for that child in the photo. You will appreciate these markers in the photos in a few years when you finally have time to organize their baby books.

I use several of these tips myself. If you want to keep everyone else guessing, you can change things up! Good luck in telling your twins apart!