Parents Enlist Daughter’s Help to Name Her Twin Sisters and the Special Moment Turns Out to Be the ‘Best Idea’ 

A North Carolina couple is getting major love online after sharing what they say is the “best idea we’ve ever had”: letting their 2-year-old daughter help name her newborn twin sisters.

In a now-viral Instagram video, Devin Stearns, 37, captures the moment her toddler, Dylan, meets the babies — then gets a big assignment. Devin and her husband, Mike Stearns, 37, had already chosen two names: Charlee Rose and Abigail “Abby” Reese. Their daughter’s job was simply to decide which name belonged to which baby.

“I’m so thankful we let her choose,” Devin says, explaining that they wanted to avoid unintentionally favoring one twin over the other — and just as importantly, help Dylan feel included as she stepped into her new role as big sister.

One name carried deep meaning

Devin shares that Charlee Rose had been on their list for a long time. They’ve always loved the name Charlee, and the middle name Rose was especially important: it honors their first daughter, whom they lost during pregnancy at 18 weeks.

“Rose passed away at 18 weeks gestation after being diagnosed at 13 weeks with Trisomy 18,” Devin explains. She adds that getting pregnant the first time was difficult and required fertility medication.

After learning about the diagnosis, the couple chose the name Rose intentionally — a symbol of beauty and pain — and then, just a month after their loss, they became pregnant with Dylan.

A second loss — then a surprise blessing

Last year, as they prepared to grow their family again, Devin and Mike experienced another miscarriage. Once more, they became pregnant a month later — this time with spontaneous twins.

Devin says that experience strengthened her desire to include Rose in one of the babies’ names. “I knew the Lord was giving us back everything we had lost,” she says, adding that naming one child after Rose felt like a meaningful way to honor faith and healing.

Why Dylan made the final call

The second twin’s name — Abigail “Abby” Reese — was a simpler choice: a name both parents loved.

“One name had a lot of meaning, and the other one didn’t,” Devin says. “This is exactly why we let Dylan pick who gets what name.”

Life with three kids under 3

Now that the twins are a little over a month old, Devin says the transition to life with three children under 3 has been intense — “extremely challenging” — but they’re leaning on support.

“Having newborn twin girls with a 2-year-old is extremely challenging, but relying on our village, having such an amazing husband who is hands-on, and a whole lot of prayers really helps,” she says. She’s also sharing more of their experience in the hope it encourages other parents navigating the twin-newborn stage.

And as for Dylan? Devin says she’s doing beautifully.

“She’s such a special, kind, and loving 2-year-old,” she says. “She is thriving at being a big sister and loves to help.”