Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with twins

When was the last time the leader of a country had an identical twin?

BuddhaInABucket — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:35:59 -0800

When was the last time a Head of State had an identical twin?

How to Alleviate Separation Anxiety in Twin Toddlers?

zarq — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:38:53 -0800

Any suggestions for separation anxiety in twin toddlers? My wife and I went to Dallas (from NY) with our 14-month old twins last week. I returned home with my son on Monday morning and she will return with our daughter on Friday evening. This is the first time the kids have been separated for more than an hour or two at a time.

Since Monday evening, they've both been heartbroken and inconsolable. They constantly look for each other, whine, cry and want to be held and cuddled. They aren't sleeping or eating well, either. It's as if they're grieving. We feel like the worst parents in the world.

I realize that they only have two days left, and the best possible advice might be to simply let them go through whatever they need to. But I'd like to try to comfort them and attempt to alleviate their sadness and loneliness if possible.

Can anyone suggest ways we can possibly do this?

We've been trying to keep them distracted with toys, books and videos. But that doesn't help their sleeping and feeding situation.

Friends have been suggesting dosing them with medication (Benadryl, Baby Motrin, etc.,) and/or taking them into our bed(s), but frankly, I'm not thrilled with either idea. The kids have never slept in our bed and I'm concerned about establishing a behavioral precedent. Dosing them just seems wrong, somehow. At this point, I think we would be willing to do either or both if necessary, if we really felt it would help.

identical or sororal

whatgorilla — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:40:16 -0800

Fetusfilter: what are the statistical chances that two female fetuses, 15 weeks, diamniotic/dichorionic ("di-di") are identical? So evidently our twin girls (15 weeks) are diamniotic-dichorionic (di-di), meaning they each have a placenta and sac to themselves. This seems to mean that the chance of identicals (versus fraternals) is 11% (33% twins are identical, 33% of those are "di-di" so 1/3x1/3=1/9 or 11%).

HOWEVER, since we now know they are both girls, does that somehow affect the odds? It would seem to raise it again, but I have no idea by how much or where it would go in the calculation. Any ideas?

Baby Video Recommendations?

zarq — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:12:33 -0800

Can anyone recommend baby videos for nine-month olds (and up)? My two nine-month old twins (boy and a girl) watch approximately half an hour of television a day. I'd like to expand their viewing selection.

What worked for your kids? Were there videos they loved? Hated? That you loved... or made you want to toss the dvd player out the window? Would you recommend the Baby Einstein series or not, and why?

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We're based in the US, but I'm open to hearing about non-American productions. Videos that are specifically aimed at kids under a year old would be great, but I'm totally open to learning about videos for any age. After all, they're gonna grow up!

We have Bounce videos from PBS Sprout. (I find I'm singing that ^%$%! earworm of a "Hello Song" at all hours. I suppose that's normal. *sigh*) We also have HBO's Classical Baby series.

Looking for meal ideas for Murphy's Law pregnancy: Gestational-diabetic-menu-filter?

Sweetdefenestration — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:50:29 -0800

Can you wonderful ladies (and awesome supporters of same) who have experienced gestational diabetes, even though you already ate pretty well, post as many meals as you remember eating/liking/working for you? So, this might be a bit long. My sister is just shy of 28 weeks pregnant with twins, and was just diagnosed with gestational dibetes. Other complications include: PCOS fertility problems (she's been taking Metformin since she started trying to get pregnant), reduced high order multiples (7 down to 2), vanishing cervix (cerclaged at 17 weeks), has always had GI problems (motility/reflux/insoluable-fiber-evilness), has been on strict bed rest for 10 weeks now (exercise=going to pee), has had preterm labor for 7 weeks (monitoring at home and on a breathene turb pump), both twins are small and one of her twins might not make it due to growth restriction. She's a healthy eater, loves her organics and whole grains. Her idea of "pigging out" on bad food would be 3 freshly-baked chocolate cookies and a glass of whole milk. (we switched to whole-fat foods when she wasn't gaining any weight week after week. Yes, we're back to low-fat and skim foods now).

So, onto the main course: glocose fun-ness. She's already a healthy eater, and the suggestions we've found so far on the web are abysmal -- 5 ritz crackers, a string cheese and a tablespoon of peanut butter as a snack?? her snacks are usually cottage cheese with a bit of diced pineapple, or like 1/2 cup of plain yogurt with a tablespoon of whey powder. Her insurance isn't allowing her to get a nutritionist to talk to her, but she'll be testing her glucose 4xdaily starting monday. She's not really sure what she should be changing, and between reflux, sensitivity to insoluable fiber, and now gestational diabetes, it's all getting to be a bit much for us to figure out. Bust out the pivot tables and Crystal Reports, folks.

We don't know too many glucose numbers, but her 1 hour non-fasting level was 150. Her 3-hour fasting was normal on on the fasting and 3rd hour, but was consistatnly 10 points over on hour 1 and 2.

So, back to the original question.... Can you wonderful ladies (and awesome supporters of same) who have experienced gestational diabetes even though you already ate pretty well do me a big big favor? If you could post as many meals as you remember eating/liking/working for you, we would really really appreciate it. I'm turning out to be a pretty decent cook and i look after her 2-3 days a week. Mom looks after her 2 days a week, and would rather do take out from a restaruant than cook for her, and her husband just needs left-overs to reheat.

I'm so grateful to each and every one of you for any meal suggestions you might have. it's the putting-it-all-together part that's (the latest thing) really wearing us all out. And that's so not fun for the lady who has precious few things to enjoy right now.

Disney movie about telepathic twins?

alona — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 01:22:31 -0800

MovieFilter: When I was a kid (late 90's) there was a movie on the Disney Channel or Family Channel that I absolutely loved. Help me find out what it's called! Note: It may not be a Disney movie. I went through a list of Disney movies of the 1990s and couldn't find it.

I don't remember much about it. Part of the premise was that everyone in the world had a twin somewhere, and this girl found her boy twin and they became best friends. And there was something about how they lived at a rich old man's house and he bought them lots of toys, but it may only have been the girl who lived at the man's house, I'm not sure. Also, once any set of twins in the world had met they'd do something like join hands and then purple light would appear and they were beamed up to another planet where everyone lived with their twin. My friend also remembers this movie and he claims the twins had a telepathic connection but I'm not sure.
Any help with figuring out the name of the movie is appreciated!

Death by fat stunt falls minibike attempt

destro — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:54:06 -0800

What happened to the Mccrary twin (of the Guinness world's fattest twins who ride the bikes together) in the Niagara Falls mini-bike accident? He died there, but I'm unable to find anything about how, what or why. Was he trying to jump the falls in a minibike?

Why would siblings who don't know they're siblings be attracted to each other?

AmbroseChapel — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:30:08 -0800

Why would siblings who don't know they're siblings be attracted to each other? There's been a lot of publicity about the marriage of a twin brother and sister who were adopted and didn't know about each other. They met as adults and felt, according to the article, an "inevitable" attraction.

Drew thinks this particular story was made up by the way, to get a bill passed in the UK parliament.

So, what's going on in the human brain (and why did the CNN writer just put "inevitable" without feeling they have to explain)?

Being attracted to people like ourselves is good? But not if we're too alike? And something about being brought up together hits a kind of kill-switch on being attracted to brothers and sisters? We don't automatically recognise our own genes and rule that person out as a mate?

Help me dress the twins

Evangeline — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 17:07:48 -0800

I need help finding clothes for identical twins that aren't identical (the clothes, I mean). My boss and his partner are having twin girls in January.

Anyhoo, I want to get them a couple of pretty dresses - something more traditional, like sailor dresses or smocked dresses. Something pretty they can wear next summer, as opposed to all the onesies they'll be wearing for the next few months, so I'm looking for size 6 months. Something like this.

This is the problem. I don't want to get them matching dresses, but I do want coordinating dresses - maybe two different dresses with the same pattern by the same designer. I keep finding almost what I want, but I haven't found that perfect match yet.

Any ideas? Thanks all.

What don't I know about having twins?

EarBucket — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:13:56 -0800

What do you wish you'd known about having twins? My fiancee and I are having twin girls today--her third and fourth kids, but my first. I think I'm relatively well-prepared, as I came from a big family with lots of younger siblings, but I'm sure there are truckloads of stuff I don't know yet. What do you wish someone had told you, either about babies in general, or twins specifically?

Not even a baby elephant?

DecemberRaine — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:16:06 -0800

So it's NaNoWriMo and I didn't do my research beforehand! Help child psychology buffs! What kind of memory / memory loss is typically exhibited in adults who lost a sibling at preschool age (aprox 4 years). More details below. So the details run like this. Assume 4 year old twin girls from a *very* rural life with little home education and no schooling are abandoned, become separated, and are subsequently raised in different places with no contact or knowledge of each other.

What, if anything, might these adults be able to remember of their sibling? Is it possible that they might not remember them at all? Links to information on this type of situation greatly appreciated.

How do I account for twins in statistical analysis?

teem — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:48:30 -0800

How do I account for twins in statistical analysis? By 'twins' I mean two people born at the same time, rather than any unknown-to-me technical meaning for the word 'twins' in statistics. I have two groups of children, split into two groups along the lines of those who were given a certain medication, and those who weren't. We want to look at differences between the two groups. This would normally be all fine and dandy, however in the cohort there are twins which would suggest that each twin is not 100% independent, but of course nor are they 100% the same. When the children were randomised to the two groups they were all treated as independent, so there would be some twins who are both in one group only, and some twins with one sibling in each group.

How do I account for this in my analysis? I'm using SPSS 15 so information specific to that would be great, but any general information about what tests to use and relevant topics would also be really helpful. I've tried a google search, but I seem to just get a lot of journal articles about twins and statistics tutorials with lines such as, "of course we would also account for twins, but that is too complex a topic to cover here".

Recommend a birthday gift for 2-year-old twins, ships internationally and costs under $50... uh, please?

Chorus — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:13:55 -0800

Recommend a birthday gift for 2-year-old twins, ships internationally and costs under $50... uh, please? The twins are a boy and a girl, really REALLY into Elmo and cats. I'm in UK, they're in the States. I've not met them in person, but I talk with them and their mom like everyday phone-wise due to work and now mutual friendship. Never fear, I'm also getting a gift for their mother too, cause hey, these are 2-year-old twins we're talking about.

The problem is what to get the little ones? I haven't been around kids in years, so I feel really clueless. I can knit and crochet but it's too hot where they are [ML] to send like a crocheted afghan/knitted jumpers that are the mainstay of what I usually make for kids. A [free] plush animal knit/crochet pattern that doesnt wreck my head is hard to come by.

Handmade or bought, I don't care - I just have to be able to ship it internationally, so nothing too bulky either. Please help me find a decent gift! Or do social norms require a gift for each twin?

Can't find any cute Castor and Pollux stuff

oflinkey — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:14:55 -0800

What silly gift to give an expectant mother who will be having identical twins? My friend just found out she is having identical twins. As of yet, they do not know if they are boys or girls, but that really does not matter for my purposes. I will be lavishing her with multiple sets of onesies and outfits and two-of-everything everythings when the time comes. For right now I want to get her a little gift that is silly and possibly kitschy and congratulatory. I would prefer it be something for her and not necessarily for the children.

This is her first pregnancy, by the way.

Books for Young Twins Wherein They Can See Themselves

anastasiav — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 08:11:17 -0800

Can you recommend any good books for toddlers/young readers in which the protagonists are twins? Bonus points for stories where the protagonists are non-identical twins

giant stomach

growabrain — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 19:14:56 -0800

Seeing this picture, I was wondering about China's One-Child policy: What did they do with twins, triplets & births of multiples?

Twins of different race?

brevator — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 07:20:42 -0800

I am looking for a picture and scholarly reference to twins with different fathers where one father is white and one father is black. The phenomenon of twins with different parents is called heteropaternal superfecundation, and is well cited, but this picture, while often referenced, is elusive...

hello hello! twins in art & lit

ibeji — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 17:34:44 -0800

Twins of the world! This is a question for you: what media (books, movies, documentaries, poems, photographs, paintings etc), fiction or non, do you feel best expresses your own experience as a twin? All lengthy anecdotes welcome :-) [Here's your opportunity to deny or confirm the suspicion that all twins love the Polish Brothers.]

Where can I find a Tshirt that says "I heart heart twins"?

bonheur — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:52:34 -0800

Where can I find a shirt that says "I ♥ ♥ Twins" on it? I saw it on TV and must have it. Googling for "I heart heart twins" yields three results and one photo, but no purchasing info. Please help!

Gay twin studies?

painquale — Sun, 20 Feb 2005 18:11:17 -0800

Patty's coming out on tonight's episode of The Simpsons made me wonder how often it happens that one sibling in a pair of identical twins is gay and the other straight. Does anyone know of any twin studies about homosexuality?

Are the Olsen twins identical or fraternal?

yevge — Wed, 30 Jun 2004 00:03:54 -0800

A friend of mine unyieldingly claims that Mary Kate and Ashley are in fact not identical but fraternal twins. I googled and found a lot of 13 year old girls with websites agree. A Wikipedia article says they are fraternal, an Encarta column is inconclusive. Any ideas?

Twintalk

Shane — Tue, 13 Apr 2004 18:14:53 -0800

Idioglossia, cryptophasia, the (in the best cases) autonomous language of twins: Twintalk. Does anyone know of any recorded twin languages with translation? A case-study with a, well... Twintalk-to-English Dictionary is what I guess I'm looking for. I can't find anything on the Internet, so I'll probably have to resort to (*gasp*) the library. So far my best hope is this:

Spaka: A privative language.
Diehl, Randy L. & Kolodzey, Katherine F. 1981.

...which describes sisters Katherine and Sarah Kolodzey and the language they call Spaka, "which incorporates a surprisingly large set of non-English syntactic and phonological rules."*

Any other good bets?

Umbilical Cords and Multiples

adrober — Sun, 08 Feb 2004 20:09:16 -0800

How do umbilical cords work with twins? Triplets? Quadruplets? Do they come out like a string of pearls? What about puppies and kittens: do they come out with umbilical cords? The whole litter?