If you don't have twins, this article can simply be an interesting read. But if you are the parent of a new pair of babies, these are just a few of the things you’ll want to know about raising your twins.
- First of all, twins are not that rare of a phenomenon nowadays. One pregnancy out of 250 results in twins. And if there is a fertility treatment involved, then the chance of having twins increases to almost 30% [1].
- Twins often create their own language, which only they can understand. This phenomenon even has a name, it’s called "twin language" or "cryptophasia". It‘s cute and funny, but it may lead to delayed speech development because the children don’t find it necessary to learn the language of adults. Therefore, persistently talking to twins becomes more important than with single children [2].
- Identical (monozygotic) twins usually may present the same illnesses, so if you find it in one, look for it in the other. But for dizygotic (non-identical) twins, this is true only half of the time [3].
- Twins’ external similarity does not mean they have the same preferences and talents, though it may seem that way because twins adapt to each other from infancy. Psychologists recommend separating them into different classes at school so that each can develop their own abilities [4].
- National Twin Day has been celebrated annually in Twinsburg, Ohio since 1976 on the first weekend in August. Since 2019, the holiday has been recognized internationally and is now celebrated separately on December 18th [5].
