I’ve gotten lots of questions about potty training since you’ve all spotted potties and undies in my pics and the truth is…almost 2 months later we are still working on it! and thanks to lots (and lots) of talks with my mama friends I’ve learned that that’s okay. For the most part these two are doing awesome and while potty training two children at once was no joke -i mean maybe one of the greatest victories (in progress) of mine- that will call for a good bottle of wine when this baby pops out – It was also so neat to see Slater and Zoe do it together, support one another and just have fun with it! Twin hood is the best hood and I will say their potty chats (we have 5 mini potties so they usually can find a seat next to one another) though long, dragged out and usually used to postpone bedtime or naps, are the cutest thing!
Like I said it’s not over, as I’m still covered in pee and poop most days and on my hands and knees scrubbing floors and behinds but here’s how we did it:
The weekend before we started, I followed this list of brilliant activity ideas to do at home from Busy Toddler since I knew we wouldn’t be leaving the house for a few days. I also put together a little bin of “Potty Perks” with new toys/puzzles/activities to do throughout the week! Lastly, I put together a little gift for Slater and Zoe to open the morning of the first day of PT! Each got a potty book (we had a Daniel Potty Book from a friend and some others!) and new undies. I also included a “Potty Pal” which was a Peppa the Pig stuffed animal, to get them excited about the week ahead and to use to keep them company throughout the process:)
We started in t-shirts and underwear. A lot of people do t-shirts and naked bottom which I fully support but we went straight to undies as I was hoping to avoid the naked bottom to underwear transition that I heard can be tough. The disadvantage was that I think it took the twins longer to understand when they had to go potty and thus a lot of accidents, but the advantage was once we started wearing clothes, there wasn’t really a regression because they were already used to wearing underwear and layers and understood the sensation.
I literally sat with them for every move like a helicopter parent x 100. I never asked them if they had to go potty as I was advised not to overwhelm them, but I did check in every 20 minutes or so and say “let me know when you need to go potty” etc. The first day I did on my own which I do not suggest to anyone. Whether you have twins or one tot, you need eyes! By the time I would get one kid to the potty, wiped, washed hands, rewarded etc the other one would have an accident. I felt like I was failing them by not being as attentive as I had wanted as they both needed help at the same time, and also wanted my attention/affirmation. One time I was helping Zoe go, wipe, flush, wash etc while Slater kept yelling in the other room on the toilet “Mommy come here! I need you!” And then “Mommy I pooped come see!!” It broke my heart I couldnt be there to both help and comfort them at the same time when they needed me! Anyway it was a constant cycle that quickly led me to call in reinforcements aka help!
Before the quarantine (we started PT end of January!) we stayed home all day the first 3 days and by day 4 we would go on walks with the little potty in tow! This way if one had to use it we could just pull over (try to hide ourselves as best as possible) and go without finding and/or running to the nearest restroom. A mobile potty is key for two tots esp because the times I didn’t (and don’t) have the potty with us, its tricky to get them both in the stall, not touching everything while the other is using the toilet! I still take little potties everywhere when I remember and keep one in our car for emergencies. We are obviously not out and about like that right now, but just sharing in case you want to keep in mind for future :)
Day five I felt okay but I’d say by day 7 I felt a little discouraged. Again the feeling of, “am I not attentive enough to each of them” but quickly realized you do what you can! I talked to many friends who started PT months ago and admit it’s still a process! Over the last month or two that is SO true! I’m less hard on myself and them. And accidents happen!
POTTY TOOLS
Toddler Potties: we had two little potties for one area of the house, two Thomas the Train potties for the twins bathroom, and we also got an adaptable potty to go on the regular toilet. There’s more :) We got Slater this froggy urinal, and we have a Potette for travel. We’ve got two little buns and let me tell you while it sounds like we have too many potties, I feel like it’s not enough lol.
Flushable Wipes: stock up on these Kandoo Wipes as they’re just like baby wipes but flushable! We still keep them in the bathrooms to wipe behinds and they’re available on Amazon and many pharmacies.
Pull-Ups: we got Thomas the Train pull-ups (obvi) but called them “special pants” or “thomas pants.” We never referred to them as diapers as we wanted the twins to understand they were only for sleeping and long car rides (over 45min). We haven’t potty trained the kids for naps or bedtime yet (and don’t plan to for a little bit of time), so these have come in handy since they still allow the kids to go use the potty if they want! At the beginning both Slater and Zoe would wake up with full pull-ups in the morning and after naps, but they are getting dryer by the day. Although I’d say “special pants” are still one of the favored places to poop:)
Undies: I got a couple packs but learned quickly that I needed way more! We had lots of accidents the first few days which meant lots of undies and laundry. You can find some cute cheap ones on Amazon and at Target!
T-Shirts: you don’t necessarily need more, just make sure you have a lot on hand as likely your tot will be running around with no bottoms and wearing lots of tees that likely get messy.
Wet Pads: friends suggested these to us to use if the kids were sitting on a couch etc. to protect it. We only have used these a couple times but hey good back up!
Clorox Wipes: because lots of messes. I would suggest having your favorite floor/upholstery and cleaning supplies on hand.
Sticker Chart: Slater and Zoe each had their own “Potty Chart.” They’d get one sticker for pee and two for poop. I’m happy to send the chart I created to you, it’s simple! Just email me (carly@carlykenihan.com).
Stickers: we stocked up on lots of Thomas The Train,Daniel Tiger and Peppa The Pig stickers!
Gummy Bears: we put these in a little container and every time they peed they’d get to chose one candy!
M&Ms: One M&M was another candy option :)
Popsicles: Popsicles were the pooping reward, and they worked!
Potty Perks:
I decorated a little bin and put a bunch of new toys for them to play with! I knew we were going to be stuck at home to nail the PT thing down, so every day they got to pick out something “new” to play with. We did this for the first few days and the bin just became a spot to find special activities!
Shop Potty Tools:
I will say that the rewards only worked for about 1-2 weeks which was perfect because eventually the going potty thing just became second nature and they would forget about the stickers or the treats. Sometimes they still ask though, so I give what I have available! I had a goal in mind (1week, then quickly extended to 2 weeks haa) but like I said above it is still a process and I am totally okay with that! I think it all goes along with the theme of motherhood that we all need to remember, patience with our kids and grace with ourselves.
Potty Training twins was one of the harder things I have done in my few years of motherhood but I really enjoyed my undivided time at home with my kiddos. It’s so easy to live the day to day of cleaning, cooking, emails etc so when you are forced to sit with your child for 12 hours of the day doing puzzles and reading them books while they sit on the potty (for what sometimes feels like hours) it really brings out lots of challenge but so much bonding time that I will cherish! Also, if it weren’t for potty training, I wouldn’t have found so many great at home activity ideas for the kids (I’m more a let’s get out for a walk and be on the go go go with them type mom).
Anyhoo, I’m no expert but thats what worked for us! I’d love to know what worked (or didn’t work) for you mamas out there to share with other parents who are about to take the plunge! And I don’t have many (shareable) pics of our experience but I just love this one of Slater giving Zoe a little pep talk under a tree:)
Thanks for reading, friends!
