I really need advice please!

Hi everyone! I am new to the first year forum.. my mono/di twins Lena and Anna are just about 2.5 weeks old now. they are identical twins.. and myself and my family are having a hard time telling them apart. I still have Anna and lena's hospital braslet on since it still fits and have marked one of their ear lobs with their innitals. Im really afraid that once the bands come off that im not going to be able to tell who is whom! There are days where i think I am almost sure who is who, but then they seem to change a bit and I start all over. Please tell me that I am not the only one who has had this fear/problem and please PLEASE tell me what you ladies have done to help you.
beth

 

Paint a toe nail on each one to help tell them apart

 

Search for birthmarks. Ryan's didn't develop until about 1.5 months and let me tell you, it came in handy at 3am! I've also seen adorable ankle bracelets that are different colors that you could use. If you can, you could assign colors to the girls (ie one pink one purple) and keep them in those colors. I had planned to do that but got so many matching outfits as gifts that it was nearly impossible. In a few months you will be able to see a lot more differences in them. My id boys smile so differently and weigh different that I'm now getting people asking "they aren't twins are they??".

 

We intially painted the big toes on just Avery because we were so worried about mixing them up. I studied every inch of them those first few weeks and found nothing different about either. Ultimately, one developed a hemangioma (little red mark) on her belly. Now Bailey has more hair on top (9 weeks). I found it too hard to dress them in different colors, but I did buy different colored hats for them and that really helped at first. Also, we always put Avery on the left and Bailey on the right in things like swings and bouncy seats.

 

Even though mine arent identical, they looked so much alike when they were born. We did like one of the pp's and always had the same baby on the left and right. Plus that really helped family members not have to ask who is who. They knew in each picture of them together since Derek was on the left and Tyler was on the right.

I almost painted a nail.

 

my boys are also identical and wore their ID bracelets from the hospital until they got to chunky and the bands were too tight. in the beginning they were very hard to tell a part but we started to see slight changes in them everyday. while they were in the hospital, along with their braclets, they wore hats that said "a" and "b" on them so that helped too.

i agree with the painted toe nails trick although we've never tried this. i was also given this suggestion by a lot of people when i was scared i would never be able to tell them a part.

i also agree with searching for birthmarks, hemangiomas (which start out looking like tiny freckles) or any slight differences.

eventually you will know who is who, i promise, so don't worry. one will get a little chunkier, their head a little bigger, etc.

although, in my case, as they've gotten older they have started to look more and more alike. when i get tired i don't know who is who. i dress them in different outfits and try and remember who i dressed in what in the morning so that i know who i've got.

you'll figure it out soon

 

The painted toenail or bracelets are a good idea. My boys are ID, but were a pound different in weight when they were born due to a velamentous cord on Carter. At the beginning it was actually fairly easy to tell them apart. Now as they have gotten bigger, it has gotten much harder. However, they have very different personalities and different smiles. There is also still a slight weight difference. Most of the time I can tell them apart if they are awae, but I do have trouble if they are sleeping. I make sure I always put them in different PJs at night and use different sleep sacks so I don't have to try to figure out which one is which in the middle of the night. I also usually dress them differently during the day as well to make it a little easier.

 

You're not the only one! We painted Amelia's big toenail red before we left the hospital. She kept it painted red until they were old enough that we could tell them apart.

:welcome: to the first year with twins and congratulations!