potty-training twins tomorrow - any last chance great tips?

[Britomart]

What the title says. :) They're sooooo ready. And we're all set with a little potty for each, and a dolly for each that has its own potty (they're gonna teach their dollies how to go potty, and then, a few hours later, it's their turn) and potty treats and lots of clean, cute underwear and a carpet that is so stained it's unstainable (if you know what I mean). And our schedule is clear for the next three days, though I'm hoping to get the basics down in one. And we've got lots of potty-themed books and DVDs to pass the time. And I've got myself in the headspace where I will cheer any success and cheerfully clean up any mess. Am I missing anything?

 

It's just that there are two of them, and this is my least favorite mothering task so far (barring anything and everything connected with injury and hospitilization). Anybody have anything splendid that they just wish every potty-training mom knew? I've done this twice already, but I still don't feel like an expert. (I don't think I'd want to do this enough to become an expert, either. :tongue_smilie: )

[olan719]

I just did this about three years ago, and sadly I can't remember much! :lol: I think "twin mama" brain is in a category all its own. ;)

 

I do recall that we had an established potty break every 30 minutes or so - I think I set a timer. My girls were ready. I purposely waited until they were nearly three and it was summer time. I wanted to get it done quickly. It worked - we were fully potty trained (daytime) within a couple of weeks. Very smart of you to keep your schedule light and focus on the task at hand. Good luck to you! :D

[JVA]

How great that you can train them at the same time! My twins are B/G and were ready at different times. Waaayyyyyy different times! :)

 

Get lots of sleep tonight but otherwise you sound good to go! Hope it all goes well.

[Starr]

You should have some funny stories before it's all over. :D

[coffeegal]

I don't guantee the results, but this is what I did with ds 7 and he trained in 2 hours. :w00t: I had M&M's, lots of soda, and chips, and cleared the house of everyone else. While giving ds lots and lots of soda to drink, I introduced him to his new underwear (he was not amused, but no diapers in the house) and we practiced getting on and off the toilet. Anytime he made an improvement or what I wanted, he got a M&M. Rather like clicker training for dogs. ;) 2 hours later, I was sitting him downstairs to watch a movie and we were done with that part. I told the older children, when they came home, that everyone would get an M&M everytime he went to the bathroom correctly. They watched him like a hawk. :lol: We only had a few accidents and he was even dry at night. :001_huh: I'm still stunned. I thought toilet training would take a week or so.

[Marylou]

I told the older children, when they came home, that everyone would get an M&M everytime he went to the bathroom correctly. They watched him like a hawk. :lol: QUOTE]

 

This just made my day.

 

My twins were very ready and almost 3. The best thing I did was move the little chair into the kitchen.

[dansamy]

Rent a Rug Doctor in 3 days? :lol:

[ChrisB]

We have B/G twins and I started training them the same day. I started with DD in the morning and worked an intense few hours with just her. She's only had a few accidents since. I worked with just DS in the afternoon. DS eventually trained over the next week. He wasn't as quick to caught on... I did the whole juice, salty snack and M&Ms. The M&Ms were the reward for going poo in the potty until the bag was done (a few days or so)--with a little snitching from mom and dad;).

[Lara in Colo]

I did all mine this way:

 

no underware, long shirts

lots of koolaid

put the potty chair in the middle of the TV room with towels to protect the floor.

Set timer every 10 min and put on potty until 1st pee, then start back at 40min, trying every 10 min

if you have AC make the rm cool

I put their feet in a bowl of warm water at each "try" time

 

Watch movies all day and try to pee. Yea!!

 

We did this for 2 days, by the third day we could stop the timer and just have the chair in easy reach.

 

Good luck, keep your sense of humor and remember to have fun!

 

Lara

[Melissa in Australia]

I remember my mum toilet training my twin brothers. she had them going outside. I remember coming home from high school, and seeing them out there having a competition who could shoot the furthest.

[kitten18]

I potty-trained my DD when she was 2.5. I used the toilet training in less than a day method and it took about 1.5 days for her to catch on. So, my advice would be to give it 2-3 days.

 

With DS, he was about 2 years 8 months and I just started letting him go around without any pants on when we were at home. It was a much more gradual process but he was pretty much day-trained by the time he was 3.

 

 

Good Luck.

[Britomart]

Oh ladies, thank you so much for the encouragement and the tips! I especially like the peer pressure/help one - their older sibs would be so into getting in on the potty treats! And four and six year old enthusiasm is so much more enthusiastic than mom enthusiasm sometimes!

[scrappyhappymama]

My best potty training advice is to use treats to reward them for going in the potties for the first few hours BUT as soon as you see that they get it switch to giving them treats for "dry pants" instead of for going on the potty. )from the Potty Training in a Day book) This worked wonders for my little ones!

 

They have an incentive to keep their pants dry, and an incentive to proactively take themselves to the potty, saving me from having to ask them every five minutes if they have to go. Of course, in the beginning, I end up asking them every five minutes if they have dry pants instead. :D It's a subtle difference, but to me trained is only really trained when they will take themselves to the potty without having to be prompted and will stay dry most of the time. As long as I have to remember to ask them if they need to go, then I am the one who is trained, not them. :lol:

 

As a bonus, with both my boys I have tried this method with, and since they were so intent on keeping their pants dry, both of them also night trained themselves only a week or so after we started potty training. They came to hate the sensation of wet diapers, and insisted on wearing their big boy underwear to bed. Both times I was shocked to find that they'd stay dry night as well. I know my sample size is only two, but it was hugely different than my experience with my first son who took another six months to night train once he finally was staying dry consistently in the daytime. I didn't use the PTiaD method with him, and he was even much older when we started training as well.

 

Good luck tomorrow! Even though I've had it easier the last two times, Potty Training is definitely one of my very least favorite parenting tasks too!

[Britomart]

Well, I think we can call it a qualified success. :) Definitely more hits than misses, so they're continuing in undies today. I'm hoping to transition into the recommended method of giving potty treats when they're dry, rather than when they make it in the potty (great idea, thank you!).

 

I know it's going to be awhile before we're accident free, but I can already taste how glorious it's going to be to have NO ONE in diapers! Goodness, what will I do with myself?