Identical twin jokes abound. Just how do you tell them apart when they are babies? One dad's struggle to differentiate his infants is no laughing matter, given one boy needs frequent medical attention.
As user Thrwydad explained on Reddit, 12-month-old identical twins Aaron and Adam were born prematurely, and no one - not even their parents - can tell them apart.
The couple had taken to marking Adam's arm with permanent marker, but that method wasn't full proof. The marker washed off, and only irritated the infant's skin.
After one boy was mistakenly given medication needed by the other, leaving both infants hospitalized, their parents decided something had to be done.
“This is a serious extreme situation and I don't want to take this risk again," wrote the anonymous dad. "We have had other mix ups with the boys but it has never wound up this bad ... I really hate to say it but we are here.”
Nothing else - nail polish, bracelets, different clothing and even shaving one of the boys’ heads - has worked. The popular colour-code dressing is clearly not a foolproof option for these twins, particularly when it's a life and death situation.
The boys' parents are now considering having a dot tattooed on the boy's foot or having his ears pierced to help set him apart.
Body modification on a baby is a highly controversial decision. After all, most permanent solutions involve inflicting some element of pain on a baby.
I sympathize with the father's dilemma. There is no easy answer. I remember the day my newborn's heel was pricked for the vitamin K shot. As a mom, it was horrible for me to witness, even though I knew he'd have absolutely no recollection of it.
If a tattoo prevents situations in which both infants could feasibly die, then perhaps a tattoo is a small price to pay to keep both boys healthy and safe.
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