To dress alike or not? That is a good question. Obviously both sides to the argument can make some compelling points. Some of the disadvantages sited in books point out that if the general public sees twins, triplets, etc. dressed alike they will start to believe that all multiples are alike. Others argue that multiples themselves lose a sense of identity when dressed alike over time.
Most commonly the advantages discussed touch on how “cute” they look dressed the same and that really is the only reason to dress multiples the same.
There are other advantages to similar clothing. When playing in a group of children (open gym, play center, etc.) similar clothing makes them easy to find. In the physically demanding early months/years of life with multiples, similar clothing simplifies life. Sometimes it is hard to even think straight let alone pick out 2 or 3 non-clashing outfits during the morning rush.
I do have a few matching outfits and a few similar outfits (same clothing just different colors/patterns, etc.). Most of the time they are not dressed alike. When we do go to open gyms, etc., I dress everyone (including Ben) in the same color or pattern(stripes, etc.) so that I can locate everyone with a glance. I see this practice being phased out over the next 6 months or so, as they develop their own clothing preferences and styles. I don’t believe dressing them alike during the first couple years of their life has affected their individuality. They are as different as different can be. People do not look at them or treat them the same. Even when they are dressed completely differently, people still ask if they are triplets (not because they look anything alike - just because it pretty obvious how similar they are in age).
It’s clearly a personal preference.
June 4th, 2007 at 1:44 pm Great blog so far. I enjoyed reading all about the kids. Lots of good info for mothers & expectang mothers (althouhg I am not one!)