26 years
What are the best and effective steps for potty training? My twins (boy and girl) are 30 months old.
May 15, 2014
-DON’T feel you have to potty train your twins at the same time. Some twins, especially boy/girl sets, learn to use the toilet as much as a year apart — and that’s okay. All kids are different (even if yours look a lot alike). Still, lots of parents decide to tandem toilet train as soon as one seems ready so as not to prolong the process. And if things go well, the less eager twin will show more interest when she sees her sibling using a potty.
DO some potty prep. About a week before the day the potties appear, start talking about what’s going to happen. Try potty-training activities, like reading books about potty training, and make a big deal out of heading to the store to pick out big-boy or big-girl underwear. (like Spiderman or Dora on the seat of a pair of undies can be.)
DO let the kids go naked (or bottomless). Two kids wetting their pants all day make for a lot of laundry. Cut yourself a break and let your potty training twins go bare sometimes, though do be prepped and ready for pop-up puddles (and avoid prolonged playtimes on carpeted areas).
DO get the twins in sync. When one sib feels the urge to pee, bring her twin to the bathroom and encourage him to pee, too. When potty training twins, some parents set a timer to go off every 20 minutes or so, at which point they put both kids on the potties. This way, you’re not spending all your time rushing one twin and then the other to the toilet.
DO use rewards. Make a big deal (“You did it!”) whenever one of your kids poops or pees — even a drop — in the toilet. What’s the best type of reward when you potty train twins? A silly, celebratory dance or song — that way, even the child who didn’t use the potty can participate.
DON’T use sticker charts when you potty train twins. Charts show an obvious comparison between your pint-sized pair. One or two stickers are a great reward — with any luck, both kids will be getting their share — but putting them on a chart can be a constant visual reminder to one twin that she’s “behind” the other.
DON’T use one twin’s potty success to encourage the other. The twin who’s taking his time with potty training will be able to figure out the progress of his sibling without you pointing it out. Instead of being motivating, comparisons might intensify feelings of jealousy or competition.
Of course, no toilet-training guide is complete without mentioning the biggest rule of all, whether you’re potty training twins, triplets, or a singleton: Don’t punish or scold when your tots have those inevitable potty accidents. Simply say something like, “Oh you had an accident. Next time, let’s try to get the pee in the potty.
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