[cmsmasters_row][cmsmasters_column data_width=”1/1″][cmsmasters_text]
Quarantine and COVID-19 has finally forced us to fully dedicate all our attention to potty training our twins and with that came a few more Amazon boxes. Today I’m sharing a little bit about our potty training journey as well as must-have items every parent needs.
Our Experience with Twins
When Shilo and Soel were two years old they started taking their pampers off so I thought it was THE sign. I followed all the potty training protocols and it was a total fail. All they cared about was playing and making a mess EVERYWHERE. I had to deep clean my couch, wash my walls (yes, it was that crazy) and spend the entire time mopping the house. By the end of the second day, I had given up on the idea of potty training and didn’t try again until they were closer to three years old.
How did we start? Since we were home all day, every day, we decided it was best to leave them without anything on. Usually, parents accomplish this task in a week or two but we weren’t very consistent with the process and kept putting pampers back on. A big no-no! Anyway here are bullet points on how it went down from the moment we started until the end;
- Boys were naked all day and had no clue what was going on with their bodies when they were peeing anywhere but in the toilet. Major mess!
- They started exploring themselves all day. Gross, JUST STOP! Yes, I know it’s a natural process but still…
- Initially peed on their hands but then eventually got the hang of it.
- Scared of the noise of the toilet flushing.
- Peed in their miniature toilet sitting down and had a blast dumping the pee down the real toilet.
- Freaked out about poop coming out of their butt.
- Tried to play with their poop and successfully wiped it all over the walls. I became a wine mom.
- Only pooped in their nap time pulls-ups every time.
- Successfully pooped in the miniature toilet and had fun dumping it.
- Started wearing underwear and peeing right through them like we never did any of the above.
- Confused at the difference between underwear and pulls up (most likely our fault). Frequent messes and shitty underwear.
- Read books, watch potty training tv shows and the light bulb turned on.
- Learned how to hold it until they were in the bathroom.
- Started using the regular toilet with a potty training seat.
- Unrolled countless toilet paper rolls for no reason.
- Learned how to pee standing up (thanks dad) without completely taking their underwear off.
- Got rid of pull-ups and learned how to ask to use the bathroom
- Peeing in their sleep is still a process (one day they do and other days they don’t)
Here’s a list of my top recommended items that made this journey much easier. ~Links posted on here will redirect you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Nevertheless, I only share products that I genuinely recommend and know are worth having.~
Must haves!
I bought them a plastic miniature toilet that they shared. At first, they wanted to play with it and take it everywhere around the house. I kept taking it back to the bathroom and telling them it was not a toy. After that, they started sitting on it and treating it like a real toilet.Two toilets would have made it a bit easier for twins but I didn’t have space for them and it taught them how to wait their turn.
After they mastered the little potty, I bought them a seat cover for the regular toilet and a stepping stool. Oh, they loved the stepping stool. Now they could climb and touch everything in the bathroom (yay for me -__-). The cover didn’t last long because we’d forget to put it on after using the restroom and they learned how to hold themselves up and go without it.
Then I bought them a seat cover for the regular toilet and a stepping stool. Oh, they loved the stepping stool. Now they could climb and touch everything in the bathroom (yay for me -__-). The cover didn’t last long because we’d forget to put it on after using the restroom and they learned how to hold themselves up and go without it.
After successfully using the bathroom with no clothes on, we introduced the underwear. It was a major setback because they kept confusing it with pulls up and not going to the bathroom. After a few days and a couple of messes later, we were back on track.Many potty training forums say to use a rewards program. Every time the child has successfully used the bathroom, reward them with something they like. I never really tried this method so I can’t say much about it. My kids tend to be very dramatic and whiny so I just assumed they wouldn’t get it. Instead, we celebrante their achievement by clapping, cheering, and doing a silly dance. Their faces would lit up with joy and they loved the reaction. In the end, I like the way we did it because it tied in more with our values which is, things don’t equal joy but experiences do.
Underwear
My twins drink A LOT of water throughout the day but once it’s late, I try to limit their intake. Before they go to bed and immediately after they wake up, I tell them to use the bathroom. This method has limited the times they have peed in their sleep. Nonetheless, I bought this fabulous waterproof cover that goes under regular sheets and it protects their mattress from any fluids. I 10000% recommend it for potty training. After deep cleaning my couch, I would use these same sheets to lay on the sofa and it always protected it. They aren’t loud and are very comfortable to use under sheets.
Potty Training outside of the house
The first days out of the house were nerve-racking for me. I have three kids so the thought of having to deal with dirty undies/clothes outside of my home is taunting. Anyway, we decided to visit family and do short errands. The entire time, we reminded them they had underwear on and upon arriving or leaving a location, we took them to the restroom.
Training Visuals
These are the books on potty training that I read to them on a daily basis and that they absolutely loved.
Shows
Word Party amd the show Cocomelon n Netflix also has a potty training episode that the kids loved so feel free to check those out.
Although our twins look alike, they have completely opposite personalities and strengths. Shilo learned how to go to the potty a lot faster than Soel but Soel was able to communicate his necessities better. During the whole process, they fed off each other’s wins or losses. For example; If one made a mess, the other would go use the potty to avoid making one and etc. Hopefully, this brought some light to the messy dark tunnel of potty training. If you have any questions or concerns, shoot a message on here or IG and I’ll be glad to help :). Xox
[/cmsmasters_text][/cmsmasters_column][/cmsmasters_row]