potty training (twins!)
When my twin girls were 22 months old I finally decided to say goodbye to diapers. They had both been showing signs of readiness, but with a newborn on the way I continually pushed the thought. I blocked out our calendar for three full days of nothing to chase after peeing toddlers. And at the end of everyday I told myself no more, I can’t do another day of this, I give up. Three days went by and they were still peeing (and pooping) in the kitchen, or on the rug, or in a closet. Three days and now my husband is back to work and I am supposed to watch two toddlers every move so not to miss an opportunity, all the while feed and engage with my infant son. I sat on the couch watched twin A sit on the potty in her pants that I couldn’t help her get off because baby was in my arms, and then I found a puddle of pee next to me, that my husband looked at and left there, I cried. And then I took everyone to Chilk-Fil-A, without diapers. A familiar space, with relatively clean bathrooms and they miraculously had no accidents. I got fresh air and saw sun light again and we pressed on. A week later, our girls have a solid grasp of the potty. I wasn’t naive to the process, I had even potty trained two other toddlers around the same age. What I was not did prepared for (or maybe I didn’t read the whole book) was the HUGE power struggles e-v-e-r-y day, all the time. Tantrum after tantrum (mind you its twins so everything is multiplied) over nothing, they had to pee but wouldn’t go, which left them super agitated and the fix seemed so simple, just go pee and you’ll feel better, but you can’t reason with a toddler. Day 2 I took a different approach, I never asked them if they had to pee, or to sit on the potty, I just waited for their cues and tried to get them to the potty when they peed. Less meltdowns, still a lot of pee on the floor. Day 3 Mini M&Ms. I caved and decided to reward a potty success with a chocolate treat, which most would advise against, and they are probably right, but it worked. Especially for my twin B, she responded so well to a reward. 2 months in and we rarely have accidents. If we are out they never demand a treat, and at home I only give a treat if they ask, which is maybe once or twice a day, and we will soon phase out the treat completely.
We followed the book “Oh Crap Potty Training” for the steps to potty training (naked, pants, pants with underwear) it seemed to be an easy way to rip off the bandaid and avoid pull-ups or another in between stage. The first couple days they are bound to have tons of accidents, so quick easy clean up with paper towels is a must. Many toddlers tend to hold their poops in when learning the potty, so having prunes and coconut water helped loosen the stool so they didn’t get constipated. The first few days I tried giving them extra water to give them, and me more chances to catch them and get them to the potty, so a new cup got them excited to drink water.
In the future I will prepare for a solid week at home while getting them familiar with the potty. Potty training is not for the faint of heart, but now I feel the girls have a new sense of confidence and independence.
Things you’ll need:
Oh Crap Potty Training Book
Paper Towels
Prune Pouch
Coconut Water
A fun New Cup
More Paper Towels
