We have finally decided to take the plunge and potty train our 2 1/2 year-old-twins. We have boy/girl twins, so I knew it would be challenging to get them both on the same page, but I thought if we do it, we should do it together. One was showing major signs of being ready, so I knew it was time.
The approach to potty training twins is just like it is with a singleton. I carved out an entire weekend for my husband and me to focus on potty training. We even sent our five-year-old to Gramma’s because we knew it would take all of our attention. I bought the reward candy, we had started reading books about potty training and took them to the store to pick out their “big kid” underwear. We were ready.
After our weekend of potty training I have put together a few tips:
- Make sure you have two adults available to help potty train at all times. This is an absolute must. Recruit anyone willing to help. We chose one child each to be in charge of the entire weekend and made sure to keep up with their schedule and be aware of their signs.
- Keep the schedule the same. If at all possible try to take each child potty at the same time. It helps if you have two training potties because sometimes they will sit on the toilet for prolonged periods of time.
- Patience is a virtue. This is so hard for me because I am lacking in this area. I had to practice extreme patience in letting them sit for what seemed like an hour, or let them take their sweet time to pull their pants down, pull them up and to flush. They want to be independent and do this themselves, and I know I need to let them, but it can be hard when you are doing it for the 20th time in a day.
- Stock up on cleaning supplies and flushable wipes because it’s going to be double the mess…a point which led me to put together this poem in the style of Dr. Seuss:
“Oh, the things you’ll do!”
Oh, the things you’ll do
You’ll clean up poo.
In the loo
On the floor
On the door
You’ll clean up even more
Off the wall
In the hall
Even when you’re at the mall
You’ll give rewards
Like you never have before
A small little treat
Just to sit on the toilet seat
Please just let me know when you have to go.
My main conclusion is that potty training twins is really no different from potty training one child (I didn’t really think it would be), but it is very helpful to have two adults on duty. To keep your sanity, it’s necessary. After a solid week of potty training we had a 50% success rate and I’m happy with that. I know each child develops in their own time, so we will wait a couple of months and try again.
