This post is going to be short and sweet. (okay, so I lied)
How do you go about potty training twins?
Let them run around with their bottoms bare.
Wait for the girl twin to figure out the potty thing months before the boy twin.
THEN wait for the twin girl to tell the twin boy that he’s a baby since he still wears anything that remotely looks like diapers.
Give the twin girl her own set of size 2T panties.
Watch her dance around and show anyone who cares about her newfound object of clothing.
Take note of the twin boy quietly calculate how he’s going to get a new set of clothing.
Take the twin boy to the store to pick out “big boy undies” that he insists on calling panties anyway.
Let him run around naked from the waist down.
Watch him use the potty (the porcelain one, not the plastic one) and then turn THAT around on his twin sister.
Watch him not care about the big boy undies all that much because he just sees them as another form of a diaper.
Clean up various accidents because the twin boy is feeling a little freer and using your entire home as his toilet.
Wash, rinse, and repeat each day until they really do get the hang of it.
Realize that your twin boy is addicted to the Kindle and He-Man and remove that from his grasp until he goes to the bathroom.
Watch him master the potty in less than two days.
Wonder why the heck you listen to conventional suggestions like the ones that I’ve posted above.
Learn your OWN child, and then laugh and laugh, and laugh.
*just a note –
Basically, I’m saying that every single potty training story is going to be different. And potty training twins quite possibly throw a wrench in every single story you have EVER heard. Throw in any more children and you have your own crime drama. I’ve learned with four children that there really is no hard and fast rule for it. True you can say that girls are easier than boys. You can also say that they will do it in their own time. Which is also true, but who really wants to clean up poop of a four-year-old if there is no valid reason to?
If we take medical and developmental restrictions off of the table, then I can assure you that there are several parents who wonder when the entire ordeal will end. The truth of the matter is, kids are really good at stonewalling. REALLY GOOD. I have had some suggestions that I didn’t agree with, and that is what I had to deal with. I always imagined that Sir Twizzler got pep talks from other kids via Skype on how to keep from assimilating like all of the other toilet trained individuals in the house. What he didn’t count on was my quick(ish) thinking and his love for the Kindle Fire.
Yes, I took something away instead of rewarded him. No, it didn’t cause any psychological trauma to him. He’s happily reigning over it as I type this. His love for He-Man, She-Ra, Super Why!, and Curious George brought him to the negotiating table ready to strike a deal. He still sits for everything, but that’s something that I can deal with. Now, I am the proud mother of a baby boy who loves parading around in his big man underwear that are emblazoned with Lego Star Wars characters.
The cellist was potty trained at 2.5 years, the ladybug was fully potty trained at 2 years 2 months ( I got a little spastic at the thought of having to change THREE sets of diapers) Lil Miss was potty trained at 2.5 years, and Sir Twizzler JUST became toilet trained this month. Literally three weeks ago. It’s amazing that all of my children with such different personalities managed to buck the tradition well. So now, I have four children who I don’t have to worry about being in diapers – thank goodness!
What about your potty training stories? What worked for you? What was the piece of advice that EVERYONE seemed to give that NEVER worked for you? Share in the comments below!
Mona B. Weeks says
I am so surprised to read about so many toddlers not potty trained at 3. As a new grandma of a 21month girl, I am now updating my skills. 30 years ago I raised 2 children and, as was the norm then, started potty training at about 16months. It seemed a very natural process and both (a boy and a girl) were out of nappies by 20 months in the daytime and by 3 at night. This seemed to be the experience of most of my generation so what’s changed? Could it be that our terry towelling nappies became uncomfortable and heavy when wet whereas modern nappies remain dry to the touch?
Natasha Nicholes says
Well, to tell you the truth, I’m surprised to be the mom of a toddler that wasn’t potty trained until a month after he turned 3. It could also come from the fact that I just didn’t focus on it as much as I did with the other three children. The other three were day and night trained by the time they were two – no moving to three there, but it’s just one of those things that are always present to let you know that no matter how well versed you are in parenting, a lot of times, you still have to wait on the child.
Shelley Fields says
My son was not fully potty trained until almost 4. Talk about frustrating!! Was it me? Was I not hard enough on him? Or was it because I just wanted it so badly and I wasn’t getting instant results that set us both up for failure? I kept telling myself, ‘if he can hide under a table to poop in his diaper…he certainly can let me know when he has to potty’, right?
No, he wasn’t potty trained in a weekend once I figured it out, but I did get a lot of ideas from family, friends and good old google search on different alternative along the way.
Throughout my ordeal, “tryouts” came from old school (spanking) to new school (taking things away, timeouts and/or rewarding) Well, although I’m no stranger to spanking YES I SAD IT!!! that didn’t seem to work for my son (believe me I did try it). However, after just letting go and giving us both a break, I’ve learned that for my son taking things away that he liked worked best. That included watching his favorite television program or his hand me down iPad.
Perhaps he could have been potty trained sooner. Was he just ready once I figured out what worked? or did the light bulb finally go off for me to learn about my sons behavior and what triggers positive results? I think the latter worked in my favor had I just sat back and observed him much better. Again, every child is different and I feel I learned the hard way. Perhaps once you figure out WHO your child is (as in my case), it will probably make it a much easier and quicker transition from diapers to big girl or big boy underwear. Heck, I don’t know. I’m definitely no expert. I can just speak on what worked for me.