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  1. #1
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    Default Please tell me it's possible to potty train twins...

    Or do they all secretly go to college wearing Depends? Because it's 2pm on day one of potty training boot camp, and I am ready to throw in the towel. They are happy to sit on the potty, but whether they go is anyone's guess. My favorite was D was still munching on her M&M reward she got for peeing, when she peed in her bed. They just don't care if they pee in the potty or not. They like M&Ms and rarely get to eat them, so it's a real treat. I also have stickers. And new underpants (although we've moved on to diaper covers that came with dresses because all of the underwear is wet now).

    The only reason I'm even trying this, is they kept wanting to pee on the potty. Now they have their chance and are completely indifferent. I know if I said, ok, you're not ready, I'd have a revolt on my hands...but then they would do the exact same lackadaisical potty training they're doing now.

    I know the multiples board doesn't get a lot of traffic, but I really need support from moms of multiples. Just the sheer volume trips to the potty is overwhelming.
    Mommy to my wonderful, HEALTHY twin girls
    6/08 - Preemies no more!

  2. #2
    veronica is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Oh my.....my multiples are still untero but reading this has added to my many fears.

    For your sanity.....can you get extra potties to place near your normal place of activity? we have one main bathroom but it's far from the kitchen and playroom , so we had a potty in the playroom. it may ease you in the frequent trips.

    As far as readiness.....DD was trained at 2.5 and DS at 3.5 (just recently), so I have no sure fire techniques. It helped that DD loved TV, so sitting her on the potty , while watching a Dora, always had her pee and completely empty her bladder.

    Quote Originally Posted by TwinFoxes View Post
    Or do they all secretly go to college wearing Depends? Because it's 2pm on day one of potty training boot camp, and I am ready to throw in the towel. They are happy to sit on the potty, but whether they go is anyone's guess. My favorite was D was still munching on her M&M reward she got for peeing, when she peed in her bed. They just don't care if they pee in the potty or not. They like M&Ms and rarely get to eat them, so it's a real treat. I also have stickers. And new underpants (although we've moved on to diaper covers that came with dresses because all of the underwear is wet now).

    The only reason I'm even trying this, is they kept wanting to pee on the potty. Now they have their chance and are completely indifferent. I know if I said, ok, you're not ready, I'd have a revolt on my hands...but then they would do the exact same lackadaisical potty training they're doing now.

    I know the multiples board doesn't get a lot of traffic, but I really need support from moms of multiples. Just the sheer volume trips to the potty is overwhelming.
    DD 12/05
    DS 07/07
    Twin DS's 5.18.2011

  3. #3
    twowhat? is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    If they don't care, I'd guess they aren't quite ready? With twins I just decided I wasn't putting any energy into potty training until they were begging me to wear underwear. We've just now hit that point and they are begging me to wear underwear. Now I'm waiting for a weekend when we don't have anywhere to go to officially PT them but they're essentially PT already - they'll even ask to go at restaurants and their diapers stay dry most of the time.

    My girls are in daycare FT where they encourage the kids to get comfortable on the potty and they all go at regular times throughout the day. That's what I think got mine interested. So - maybe just have them practice sitting on the potty several times a day for now? Once ours were clearly comfortable with just sitting on the potty, then I made a small effort to put them on the potty whenever they were pooping, as long as no one protested (if there was crying or protesting, I'd leave it alone). This is how they started pooping on the potty consistently and now they ask when they need to poop and I help them on the potty. I also gave out stickers for pooping on the potty but otherwise made no big deal out of it.

    At this point the girls get to wear underwear in the evenings when we're at home. They do have to pee before they get to put on underwear but at this point it was no big deal - they go, they sit, they pee, they wear underwear and keep them dry until bathtime, then I have them pee before they get in the bath.

    So I was kind of "lazy" about it and just waited until they were (really really) ready on their own.

    eta: I totally get your pain about the constant sitting on the potty! Our girls did that too - constantly asked to sit on the potty because they knew I'd sit and read books with them for a LONG time. And they use a potty insert so I often have 1 on each of our 2 toilets at home, and run back and forth "checking" on them until they are done. But for us this was a phase - now when they need to potty, they sit, do their business, yell for me that they're done, I help with wiping (if it's poop), we wash hands, and done. I think that at first it's such a novelty for them to sit on the toilet, and that novelty eventually wears off.
    Last edited by twowhat?; 02-28-2011 at 04:15 PM.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by veronica View Post
    Oh my.....my multiples are still untero but reading this has added to my many fears.
    Don't be afraid! Twins are great. Or course I don't know anything else, but really, I love being a twin mom. But times like these are certainly challenging!
    Mommy to my wonderful, HEALTHY twin girls
    6/08 - Preemies no more!

  5. #5
    fivi2 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    We waited. Mine went through a phase where they said they were ready, we bought the little potty and then they ignored it. Fine by me - trust me when I tell you life is SOOOOOOOO much better in diapers.

    They officially stopped diapers on their third birthday. They had been diaper free at home for a while (naked usually) but not in public until they turned 3. It was completely painless at that point. Except they hated public potties and refused to go in them...

  6. #6
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    Ok, well, update. They are suddenly PT champs. S had zero accidents today, D had one. Fivi2, I know I'll be looking back fondly on diapers. This whole two kids in the bathroom thing is a PITB. It's too late now though.

    TwoWhat, we must have posted at the same time, because I didn't see you post until now. Unfortunately, my girls didn't know kids wear underpants. To them, underpants were for mommy. I think now, just two days in, they would be really angry about going back to diapers. but believe me, I was not convinced they were ready until today. S said "I like potty".

    Thanks for your support ladies! I'll take any and all advice!
    Mommy to my wonderful, HEALTHY twin girls
    6/08 - Preemies no more!

  7. #7
    twowhat? is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    If there were ever a valid excuse to use the handicapped stall at public bathrooms, having 2 toddler twins who need to "go" is it!! That's the easiest way I've found (for public bathrooms). They take turns, there's enough room to move around. Then for hand-washing I put a dab of soap of both sets of hands and have them scrub while standing on their own, then I turn on the water and pick one up to help her rinse, hand her a paper towel, then pick up the other and rinse (water still running), and hand her a paper towel.

    All the while begging and imploring for them to NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. It's a riot.

    Though I haven't yet encountered bathrooms with automatic toilets and the automatic faucets yet. That just seems like an even bigger challenge - it's impossible to rinse hands quickly with those stupid automatic faucets that barely dribble water out for half a second at a time!!

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by twowhat? View Post
    If there were ever a valid excuse to use the handicapped stall at public bathrooms, having 2 toddler twins who need to "go" is it!! That's the easiest way I've found (for public bathrooms). They take turns, there's enough room to move around. Then for hand-washing I put a dab of soap of both sets of hands and have them scrub while standing on their own, then I turn on the water and pick one up to help her rinse, hand her a paper towel, then pick up the other and rinse (water still running), and hand her a paper towel.

    All the while begging and imploring for them to NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. It's a riot.
    Ooh, I wish I had read this before my trip to Target today. We had been on excursions since the PT started, but this was the first time where we were in a multi-stall bathroom. Handwashing was a PITB. And for the love of Pete. STOP TOUCHING THE SANITARY NAPKIN DISPOSAL CONTAINER! Why, why, why is everything worthy of touching?
    Mommy to my wonderful, HEALTHY twin girls
    6/08 - Preemies no more!

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