Tips to Raising Twins

Having twins is a true blessing and a unique life experience for any family. Are you a parent of twins? If yes, then you are in the top 3% of all the births in the United States. Are you a twin yourself? You ARE the top 3%!

Did you know that there are two different types of twins? Fraternal twins and identical twins. About 2 in every 100 births are fraternal twins. Although, fraternal twins share a birthday, they have individual facial and body type characteristics and can be different genders. It is very likely that you may know a fraternal twin or that you are one! I myself am a fraternal twin!

A much rarer occurrence is having identical twins. Only about 4 in every 1000 births result in identical twins. Identical twins are ‘identical’ because they share the exact same genes past down to them from their parents. Over the last few years, the birth rate of twins has risen but having IDENTICAL TWINS is still quite rare!

FUN TWIN FACTS

Even identical twins have different fingerprints.

About 40% of twins invent their own languages to communicate with each other.

Twins can be born on different days…and even have a very rare chance of being born in different years if they are born on New Years Eve and New Years Day!

Studies have shown that if you are a mom of twins, you may live longer!

TWIN PARENTING TIPS

Read twin parenting books to learn all there is to know about being a parent to twins.

As a parent to twin babies, sometimes you may need an extra set of hands. Welcome the kind gestures of friends and family to help raise your little ones.

Talk to other parents with twins and join a ‘twin mom group’ in your local area or online to gain tips and tricks to raising twins.

Regularly spend one on one time with each child. Read their favorite books, do their favorite art projects and spend time doing activities with them that they enjoy individually.

Ask friends and family to find ways to tell your identical twins apart. A few ideas to tell twins apart are routinely dressing them in certain colors, having twin girls wear a specific color of nail polish, or having friends learn to recognize them by their personalities. Learning to tell the twins apart enhances their individual personalities and makes them feel special.

When your twins have parent conferences at school, schedule them at different times. This will encourage even their teachers to think about them and their behaviors separately.

Encourage twins to develop their own personalities and interests. Many twins enjoy being around each other and doing activities together.

Twins should be motivated to participate in sports and activities that are of interest to them.

When people buy gifts for your children, encourage them to buy unique gifts for each child.

Recognize that your twins may have a special relationship with each other. Twins often want to do activities together and will include each other in automatically. Encourage this and know that it is natural for twins to be each other’s biggest fan!

You may be wondering your chances of having twins? Studies have shown that genetics, age and fertility treatments can all play a role in being a parent to twins. Based on twin scientific studies, the genetic history on the mother’s side of the family has been shown to impact the chance of having fraternal twins since they develop from two fertilized eggs. However, once a mom has a set of fraternal twins, her chances of having another set is much higher. Research is still being done on how genetics influences having identical twins.

Having a child is a treasure, having twins is double the blessings! There are great opportunities to learn and connect with other twin families in your community and online. Being connected to other families will encourage you to learn about the ‘twinships’ or friendships that your twins have with each other!