Potty Training Twins - New Kensington, PA

Hi A.

Here is a web site:

http://multiples.about.com/od/Pottytraining/Pottytraining...

Hope this helps. D.

I have twin 3 1/2 year olds and the same problem. They each have been potty trained at one point. One stopped when her daddy deployed and the next stoped on a road trip. they start preschool this year and their teachers said that using the potty is the only thing they have control over and once they see other kids doing it, they might not be stubborn and go--they both know how, just being stubborn.

Go for underware and don't use anything else, except diapers for nap and overnite. Going back and forth is very confusing!

Not matter how many accidents they have!!!!!!
They will get it, just takes time and alot of pattience:)

first off relax.

Next are there 2 potty chairs?

Give it a break for a few weeks and see if they show an interest. Easiest when they are ready and they will let you know.

My three year old boy is just starting to get it and I think that what I started last week is working like a charm. I require him to go potty to get what he wants and I make sure that it is about two hours apart. In the morning, he has to go potty in order to go downstairs. Then two hours later, he has to go in order to watch t.v. Then before lunch, he has to go in order to get his lunch. I do this all day and choose times when I KNOW what he wants. If he doesn't try to go, he doesn't get whatever it is. IT IS FINALLY WORKING!!!!! I don't know much about twins, but good luck to you. This easy technique might work for you. I am just so darn excited that it is working with my son! :)

The best advice I got was from an ebook at thepottytrainer.com
It says to put them in underwear no matter what, no matter how frustrated and mad you are because of accidents, no matter what. Yes, you will have more laundry and have to change sheets alot more but it confuses the child when you want them to potty train and continue using diapers/pull ups. You will just have to bite the bullet and put them in underwear all day. Another important thing is to not give them drink two hours before bedtime. This way, their bladders should be empty. My kids would cry and beg for water before bed but I would try my hardest not to give it to them because they will just wet the bed. After a few weeks of dry nights, I began giving a tiny sip before bed.

I am the mother of 4 children and 2 of them are 4 year old twin boys and what an adventure it has been. My advice to you is not to stress out about it. We had tried the charts and prizes and found out that was more of a problem than the potty training. My one son was potty trained before the other, and eventually the other one decided he needs to start going in the potty too. I think girls are easier to train so maybe you could start with her, and try wearing pull ups on them so you go through less underwear. I would keep working with the potty, but don't push them, and don't worry about other children being potty trained earlier. It may not seem like it now but they will go when they are ready, and then you'll think well that wasn't too bad:) Good luck!!!!!!

Hi A., Take a deep breath and relax!! More children than you know do not potty train at all until they are three. My Dr. told me not to worry over it and that as long as they are potty trained by the time they go to school it's okay. Not one of my girls potty trained until they were 3! I also did not do the "potty chair" we bought one of the little padded seats that you put on and take off of the toilet. Sure, we bought them a little step stool to get on/off the toilet with, that just added to the "cool" factor! If you have friends that have potty trained kids spend time with them...leading by example so to speak! Forget about 90% of the bribing as well. The only bribing I did once they started was picking a toy and if they went for 30 days (we marked the calander with stickers) without an accident they got the toy (in our case it was Star Casteles for each of them). We also did pull-ups at night until they asked to wear panties to bed. Not only did it save on beds, laundry and tears, it made the entire potty training thing much easier! Once they start down the "potty road" it is really a quick process so relax...it will happen!! Best wishes.

Hahahaha, I had to take a moment here to read the other responses and I am so grateful that I am not alone here. I myself is dealing with the same situation! Twin Girls, no less.ugh! But I have been patience, time will come. Not that they are totally trained, we are a work in progress!!!!
So let me tell you I've heard it all---"my kid was trained at 20 mo., at 2 years, 2.5 years. 3, you name it I heard it.
I have four altogether....my daughter was trained at 23 mo. then came along my son, and he was trained...around 4 (I was up to my eyeballs in frustration w/ him)so, now I have the twins...what a joy! hahaha. But I am learning that they do know the potty and they will go when they are ready with a little pushing, they will come around. With two it's difficult to deal so I concentrated on the one who seemed to have more eye hand cordination, motivation and understanding.Then felt that the other will soon eventually follow suit. SO- that is the best I can give you. Stubborness is there, the one who soon will follow prefers the "diaper" but then I call her the baby and her sister is the "BIG GIRL". It has some encouragement at time but others -not so much. Another thing is, that I would advise is that when they wake up---put them on the potty first thing until they have gone. Don't let them eat or watch T.V. before doing so.

I hope this helps a bit, but sooner or later they will be doing it and you'll forget the whole madness of potty training. Just think- they'll be other wonderful worries! JK!!!--oops I gotta run, someone wants to try the potty here. Here we go again! ;-).

Mom of 4

Each child is different...and yours are still relatively young...too young to worry. I had 1 trained before 3 and 1 after. The one trained after 3 is now 12 and has a mensa level iq...so it doesn't have ANYTHING to do about how smart they are. It's a control issue. When my son was 3 and I tried to train him, he would say "I don't need underwear...I wear diapers." They have to want it. A few months later, when HE wanted to...he was trained. I would back off until they are truly interested.

Hi A.,
We're going through the exact same thing here w/ our identical twin girls. Our older one was 3 1/2 as well before she would go. We were at a family function one day and she saw my cousin, who is 15 mo older than my daughter, go and that was it. She was a big girl from that moment forward. However, with the twins it hasn't been so easy. I would allow them to come in to the bathroom with me when I would go and thought that may help--nope. Tried rewards--nope. Tried time-outs for messes--nope. Tried real undies--nope. Tried no undies--with that one I got nothing other than huge messes on the floor due to lack of anything to catch things. The only thing that has done any good for me at all is to give them a "hi-5", tell them they did a great job, and then let them flush. It's been about 6 weeks now and the younger of the 2 will actually just run in and go potty on her own. The other one--she's a different story...she pees in the potty but that's about it :( However, I outright refuse to go back to the pullups. It's the constant monitoring of the older one that's really starting to get to me. I wish you the best of luck, and who knows? Maybe I'll see you in the store buying a wig right along side me?

Don't stress. If they know what the potty is for (and it sounds like they do) just let them know that they can choose when they use the potty like big kids. Let them choose each day if they want to wear diapers or undies (pull ups were a good in between for us). If they choose diapers talk to them about how big kids use the potty and they will too when they are ready. If they choose undies and have an accident tell them that poos and wees go in the potty, and let them help clean up if you can. If you can let them go nudie bum while the weather is still warm enough put the potty where they can see it and let them know that they can use it if they want. Basically let them decide what they want. My boy was nearly potty trained at 20 months, then he realised that if he used the potty he had to stop playing. He refused to use the potty then until he was 3 - a few weeks after his 3rd birthday he told me he was a big boy and he didn't need diapers anymore. So, no diapes day or night and very few accidents - Hooray!

My two suggestions is 1)Put both your children in a long t-shirt with nothing on the bottom and focus on potty training for a couple of days, maybe a 3 day weekend. 2)Don't use diapers, underwear or worst of all pullups for those 3 days! Use multiple potties. Without the security of something under them they might choose to use the potty. My son did an unbelievable job potty training this way. It really worked well! Unfortunately, when I was trying to teach him to potty train during the night, I introduced him to pullups. Big Mistake! Pullups are AKA diapers to toddlers. They have no incentive not to pea in them. They also, can't pull them down very easily and have accidents.

Take a deep breath. My first, now 5, was not interested at all in the process. He even said "why should I use the potty when you are here to change me". Almost four months after his 3rd birhtday, he told me he was ready. We put the undies on him and never looked back. To this day, he has never had an accident and has no issues about peeing or pooping in public facilities - like many of his friends who were "potty trained" much earlier. You are doing an excellent job and it will right itself in due time.
Good luck.
ER

I cannot imagine your trial!!!! Don't feel like a failure. I think 3 is definitely the norm these days, but I know how you feel when you're trying hard to get something done and it isn't working. My daughter is bright, obedient, etc--and she is trained (sort of -still plenty of accidents) at 2 and 1/2 but it was REALLY HARD-I gave up a few times- and there is only ONE of her! You are doing great! None of the tricks and methods I read or learned really helped her to "get it." I tried them all. She just came around to it at her own pace in the end. And like I said, she still needs a diaper if we go out or LOOK OUT! The "going in her underwear" stage was the worst-but luckily it didn't last too long before she didn't want to go in her panties. Stick with it, try not to go back to diapers unless you're going out, or to bed etc or when you just can't take it!
Just be glad there is no social pressure on you today-my grandma gave me an earful, because in her day kids were trained before two, and people would let you know if you were slacking! But they had cloth diapers and stayed home and were stricter etc....we ladies of today..I don't know...train later.
GOOD LUCK GETTING THROUGH THIS, the only reward is how good you feel when they finally get it. You'll get there!

My oldest was "ready" to potty train by 2 years old. He didn't become potty trained until he was 3 1/2. He was an early talker and we were amazed at his grasp of the concept but he refused to do it. Until he was ready. We tried full force at 3 years old and it was hell for about a week around our house. Hubby and I decided that we would rather deal with diapers than a miserable family. I felt secure in the knowledge that he would not go to kindergarten in diapers. We backed off and he started to do it by himself at 3 1/2 and not a moment too soon. As soon as he was trained he went to preschool about 2 weeks later.

I want to encourage you to do nothing and just keep bringing it up that this is what you expect them to do when they are ready to do it. Potty is one of the very few things that they can control and it is better to just let them take the reigns than to push them into what "fits" for other kids.

I know that it seems like everyone else's kids are doing things you wish your kids would but believe me, those parents feel the same way about you and the awesome things your kids can do.

Keep the faith that it will happen someday and try to relax in the meantime.

Good luck!
Cia

A.,

My own thought, the way to go is nothing on the bottom. Take them to the potty every 30 minutes for 2 days or so. Then, increase it to 45 min, then 1 hour. And praise them when they go, it works better than toys (though I did the toys too). I told my son "I'm so proud of you" then would ask "Are you proud of you" and we'd high 5 and hug. We also watched "once upon the potty" and read the book. I put a potty in the living room so he could watch the dvd while trying to poop. also, i promised a BIG prize which he picked (my son - ride on jeep, my nephew - a puppy) when he stopped going in his pants.
personally, i don't think that you are being too pushy and you are not a failure. just keep trying and be consistent. it'll work. i started with my son at 16 months and we were finally successful at exactly 2 1/2 years old. best of luck!

I have 5 year old twin boys and I did the same, had the potty out, encouraged, offered, they would go once in a while. Finally when they were about 3 years 3 months old, one of them came to me and said, I want to wear underwear. We put them on and that was it. There were a few accidents, but they were just ready. I put them both in underwear at the same time and the other had quite a few accidents, but then caught on to pooping a lot faster - that took even more time in our house, beyond 4 for one of my kids. Just take it easy and don't stress. There are plenty of kids who aren't potty trained by 3.

I "trained" my son at 3 and my twin daughters were "trained" by 2 1/2. I had the step back and let them decide approach with a little pushing. By that I mean that I told them that they would be "big" kids when they went to the potty and kept themselves dry and wore underware. My son didn't take me up on the suggestion so when he turned 3 (literaly that week) we started. Pooping was a small issue for him but he knew that he didn't have a choice and he wasn't wearing anything but underware. One week later and only a few accidents later he was done. My girls (though telling them they would be "big girls" when they wore underware EVERY time I changed their diapers) decided on thier own one morning that they were going to wear underware and I had to take them up on it. They took at least 6 months of "training" They had a lot more accidents...I think girls cannot hold it as long...gravity and genetics! But they were minor accidents and the never had trouble with the pooping.

I say mark a day on the calendar and tell them that they will be big kids starting on that day and prep them every day....or more often that the day is approaching. Use only underware, confine yourself to your house if you need to (although my kids were always better in public either because they were facinated with other bathrooms and therefore went more consistently or they just got to playing at home and we both forgot) but stick with it, reward them constantly, make them help with cleanup (within reason) and remember you have 2 so someone will be having an accident! It is nice to have someone to talk to who is going through it at the same time so find another mom who is potty training so you can call her and tell her how out of your mind you are and that someone is always peeing on your floor!

Good Luck...and remember they won't go to school in a diaper so sooner or later it will click!

love, MO