Potty training can be overwhelming, at least for me and my girls I thought this growth stage was one of the most challenging for me to live through. I have heard other parents horror stories and now that I look back, it wasn’t so bad. Here are some tips to help you potty train your twins or singleton too.
It is important to make sure that your child is showing signs that he or she is ready to learn how to use the toilet. Watch out for these signs to see if your child is ready:
- Can your child communicate with you that he or she has to go to the potty? The child will need to be able to say verbally that he or she needs to go, provide gestures, or by using the same facial expressions each time. Either way there needs to be some visible clue to let you know that it’s time.
- When your child is no longer comfortable sitting in his or her own waste, they will let you know. He or she will be so irritable they may even take their diaper off on his own.
- Shows interest. Does your child watch you go to the bathroom and want to sit on the toilet too? If so, he or she may be ready for a potty of his own or an adjustable seat.
Toilet training tips:
- Be consistent. Once you start try to stick with it without being too pushy.
- Get help. If they are in daycare you will need to ask their provider to use the same methods you are using so they won’t get confused.
- Use training underwear. Don’t continue to put diapers on your children because they need to understand they are in transition. Diapers will mask the feeling of actually going. Therefore you will need to keep a change of clothes with you. This is a perfect time for cloth diapers or similar undies. You want them to feel the moistness but not to be soaked through their clothes.
- Make it fun. Children are young so amp up your enthusiasm. When we see our children taking their first steps we are usually thrilled. Show the same happiness during toilet training time. Make it a big deal. Let your child know you are proud of him or her.
- Remind them. For twins place them both on a potty about 30 minutes after they eat and drink. At the very least make sure they sit on the potty once every two hours.
- Reward them. I recommend using a reward system like stickers and provide a lot of positive encouragement and reinforcement when they go. Celebrate each time they use the potty with a lot of joy and excitement. I used a rewards chart (the one from the Elmo Potty time workbook and board book). I placed a sticker on the chart for each time they told me that they needed to go, as well as a sticker for when they actually used their potty.
- Have a party. Show them their own stages from the diaper to the toilet so they will be able to see this transition.
I say that these are simple tips, but potty training is by no means simple.The entire process can be upsetting and frustrating. There are some days when it may seem like you are cleaning up pee and poop, literally all day long, but hang in there and don’t give up. We learned, and your child/children will too.