Mom has hilarious way to tell identical baby triplets apart: 'So smart'

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 19, 2022. It has since been updated.

Every time I encounter identical twins or triplets, I'm curious about how their parents manage to distinguish them. While many believe parents can inherently tell their children apart, a TikTok user named Amy Jo shared a surprising confession. As the aunt of triplets, Amy Jo revealed her sister's clever method for telling her children apart—a technique that has fascinated many. In response to the question, "Aren't you afraid of mixing up the triplets?" she posted a video explaining her sister's strategy, sparking a flurry of shared experiences from others, reported Newsweek. 

Amy Jo applies nail polish to one toenail of each triplet, using a specific color assigned to each child to avoid confusion. She paints one of their toenails using a specific color that is assigned to each child. She showed the children "marked" with color on their big toe before explaining that Henrik was identified by blue nail polish, Thomas by red and James by green. She went on to explain that it wasn't just about identifying them but also recognizing allergies, medications, illnesses, food intake and weight gain among other things. This can be incredibly helpful when the babies are temporarily in the hands of a family member or a babysitter. It also helps so their names are specifically assigned to the right baby so that they learn to respond to their names. 

In 2020, the United States recorded 2,738 triplet births, yet the likelihood of them being identical is quite rare, ranging from one in 60,000 to one in 200 million. Amy Jo was entertaining questions when she touched on the most commonly asked question with regard to identical triplets. While Amy Jo did say the parents could tell the babies apart, she said it helps if they have the nail polish on. "When it's 3 am and you haven't slept in three months because you just had triplets," she wrote. "Thankfully, they've only worn off one at a time so we think we're in the clear."

Numerous users praised the life hack's ingenuity, sharing their own tips and experiences in the comments. "Yup. Pierced my girls' ears at 6 weeks with different earrings because I couldn’t see their tiny toes in the dark ha," confessed one person. "Good idea!" responded Amy Jo. "These guys basically have everything in their colors including sleep sacks and all so we can usually always tell." Another commented, "Awwww I love this. I’m a triplet and my mom marked our feet A, B, and C with a permanent marker" One user wrote, "I am a triplet and was never color-coded 😳 I know I must have been switched a few times 😅."

One user went in a completely different direction. "You can always do one bald, one Mohawk, and the other full hair 🤷‍♂️ just ideas," they wrote but to be fair to them, it doesn't wear off overnight and the "markers" don't need to be updated. One person asked, "What if you forget which color corresponds to which kid 😵😵😵." I guess at this point we just have to assume they all know or the mother has them listed on her arm. Another wrote, "It just occurred to me, can you imagine how many twins had their names swapped cuz mom thought one was the other 😳." Many others confessed to color-coding their kids as well. "That is the smartest thing I've ever seen," lauded one user. "So smart."