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Identical Individuals

Helping Twins Develop Their Own Identities

By Lisamarie Sanders

(Plume, 2000), offers these suggestions to help people differentiate between identical twins:

• Identify physical differences: If Laura has a dimple but her sister Kelsey does not, let people know. Alerting others to these physical traits will help them identify who is who.
• Color codes: If Ryan prefers the color red and Bob likes blue, try dressing them in color-coded outfits. Even the most distant relative could remember this mnemonic device.
• Different hairstyles: This is often easier for girls, as one could wear her hair down while the other wears pigtails. Or parents can use different colored barrettes for each child. For boys, it's a bit more difficult, since both boys will look good in the same style. In this case, one child could use gel in his hair while the other remains natural.
• Identifiers: While playing sports, the children could wear different colored pads or bandanas, or they could wear their names on their shirts so coaches could identify them quickly from a distance. At other times, girls could wear different colors of fingernail polish or different jewelry. Boys could attach tie tacks of different colors to their collars or wear a small initial pin.

While these "cheater" methods help identify each child easily, the best way to differentiate between twins is by getting to know them. Spending as little as five minutes talking to them one on one will make a huge difference.