This is a sponsored post.
Despite what the books and the parenting seminars tell you, there is no method to the madness of toilet training twins.
Smug parents (you know the ones) who would gloat about how their not even three yet toddler transitioned to nappy free in a few short days just made me more frustrated about our situation. Then, I wanted to punch them in the face.
“Just because there’s two of them, your situation shouldn’t be any harder, right?”
Another imaginary punch. This time in the throat.
There is no such thing as toilet training twins. Why? Because you toilet train individuals.
What works for one, does not work for the other.
We were keen to try out all the tips that books tell you about encouraging the process.
We jived our way through the “Look who did a poo-poo in the potty!!!” dance, slapped high five slaps all around and offered rewards when those colourful stickers filled the charts.
Yet, amongst all the commotion and excitement around the toilet bowl, there was one twin who would sadly be left in dismay and confusion.
Being toilet trained is a huge milestone, as every parent knows. It is a time to celebrate another step of independence for a little person. Most importantly, it’s an extremely personal milestone.
The logistics of where to put the potty and methods of encouragement may not differ from training each child but the emotional dynamics can vary significantly. The danger of comparison is never far away.
When we worked out that what the books told us wasn’t working, we took a step back and took a little break for our boy.
While one was now happily going to the toilet without any problem, we kept our excitement at a minimum and he didn’t seem to mind that one bit.
As the weeks past, we really had to make a conscious effort to stop worrying and more importantly comparing our toilet adverse twin.
Instead, we focused on reassuring him that there was no hurry. Whenever he was ready, we would be too.
Of course, the moment that mindset kicks in, everything falls into place and within days, our little boy joined his twin brother.
Dettol is a well-known and trusted brand in Australian homes and undoubtedly an integral part for many a toilet training triumph…as well as disaster.
Now that the days of training are far behind us but with two constant grubby boys, hand hygiene is a big affair in our house. Using Dettol’s Revitalise Antibacterial Hand Wash with Raspberry and Pomegranate keeps the germs at bay but also leaves behind a refreshing fragrant on your hands. It’s one thing to maintain a high level of cleanliness – it’s another to smell like a hospital.
We’re also very lucky that our daycare also enforces the importance of using hand sanitiser after doing their little business.
The journey of toilet training is just as big of a learning curve for parents as what it is for the child. In the race to try and get them nappy free and independent, it’s important to stop. Take things slow and focus on their self-confidence and emotional awareness.
For one lucky reader, I have some great Dettol products to giveaway!
- Dettol Revitalise Antibacterial Hand Wash with Raspberry and Pomegranate
- Dettol Power and Pure Triggers
- Dettol Power and Pure Wipes
All you have to do is:
Subscribe to With Some Grace by Email
Leave a comment on the post telling me:
“What toilet training memory/story do you look back on and laugh?”
Terms and Conditions:
- This giveaway is only open to Australian residents
- Closing date for entries is 10pm AEST Thursday, 25th of September.
- The winner will be contact via email on the following Friday.
- If the winner does not reply to my email within 24 hours, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries will be judged on merit and decision of the winner will be final.
Oh god, this whole concept is hanging over me like a black cloud at the moment. Toilet training is on my to-do list for this summer. You are so right about kids being individuals though. My middle girl practically trained herself at exactly 2 years old where as my baby (who is 2.5) is not even remotely interested at them moment!! xx
P.S. Love the new look of the blog xx
I dread toilet training. I remember when my sister went wee wee wee all the way to the toilet and left a trail of wee from the lounge to the loo.
One to go for me!!! I can’t wait til he’s out of nappies. But I’m in no hurry, when he’s ready I’ll do it, hate all those smug mums!
When I was trying my oldest I went to the shops and bought bouncy balls, she was a BIG fan of those and each time she did a wee in the potty she got one. It was crazy because at the end of the day I was chasing balls and she was trying to wee every few minutes to get another ball!!
Travelling while my niece was training we’d carry a potty in the boot of the car for the unpredictable (and often inconvenient) times when she had to go. Many times I remember pulling over when she was ‘busting’ only to sit for 10 mins without even a tear drop in the potty. Needless to say eventually she was successfully toilet trained without too much drama.
I had the opposite problem: my eldest decided he was ready for the toilet a few weeks before I was due to give birth by cesarean. I told him ‘ Nooooooo, you have to wear a nappy!’ I just couldn’t face toilet training while heavily pregnant and/or recovering from major surgery with a newborn! And yes, we have a nice big bottle of dettol in our laundry. I love the sound of the raspberry and pomegranate wash though.
Oh dude! I couldn’t even imagine toilet-training two little ones in a similar time frame!
PS Loving the blog re-design! Very schmick x
Oh my gosh I can’t even imagine! I didn’t have a problem with toilet training, but the move to a toddler bed is EATING MY LUNCH! I always wanted twins, ever since I was a little girl, and my last baby started as a twin (the other one miscarried/never got or found a heartbeat), but I can NOT even imagine how I could have possibly survived twins. I’m just not built of that strong of stuff. At any rate, good luck with it. LOVE the diaper/undies photo and look forward to any tips you might have on the toddler bed transition!
Hi Grace, just me again..,found your blog today somehow & love it, but for some reason I can’t get your side bar buttons to click me anywhere in order to follow you. I don’t know if it’s me (been having a few little computer issues) or the buttons, but wanted to let you know in case you wanted to check them out. Jill
Thanks for letting me know, Jill! I think I need to update my buttons! Cheers,Grace x
I’ve got to say, I’m not sad all of this in behind me. In fact, I can see the light at end of the tunnel – I reckon in six months I won’t have to wipe a bottom other than my own until ever again!
Loving the new look blog Grace – Pretty Darn Cute Designs do good work, don’t they?
P.S. I’m hopeful that comment didn’t seem smug – I’m a big believer in they’ll do it when they’re ready. The Little Sister still sleeps in nappies during night – her little body just doesn’t wake itself up yet.
My daughter had a doll at the time that she was toilet training, and she would take it everywhere with her. The problem we had was that the doll’s name was “Ree Ree’, but my daughter pronounced it “Wee Wee” so when she said “I want Wee Wee”, or ” Wee Wee is coming”, I didn’t know if she meant she wanted the toilet or the doll!! It was very confusing at times, that’s for sure!!
I’m currently in the trenches of toilet training our big boy, and sadly I can’t yet look back and laugh on our experiences! In particular watching him do number 2’s into his hand the other night instead of using the toilet still makes me cringe – and dry retch!
Dyllan was a late toilet trainer and we actually took him out of the daycare that it was in at around 3 because of the pressure they were putting on him to toilet train when he just wasn’t ready. I’m so glad that we waited because he took to it like a duck to water when we did tackle it. We read a book about going to the toilet for a week leading up to it, and he was fulling trained, day and night really quickly.
I’d just toilet trained my youngest when we had an appointment in the city which was a 4 hour drive away. Missy refused to use a potty and went straight for the toilet which was fantastic at home….but when you’re on the road it’s a different story. So 45 mins into the journey she needs to wee. So no toilets around, we’re on the side of the road but she refuses to go because she wants to sit on a toilet. I’m saying “c’mon lets do a rock wee. Pick a rock and do a wee on it!” trying to turn it into a game with no success. So then I make a circle with my arms and get her to sit down over them like I’m the toilet seat. Success, she finally goes….but somehow manages to wee over my hands! Thank goodness for hand sanitiser is all I can say!
I’m in the middle of it and have decided to wait until summer even though he will be close to 3 by then. I’m tired of everyone asking me if he’s toilet trained yet! The rare times he has sat on the toilet it goes like this.
“Mum! Wees stuck in Doodle!”
“*gasp!* Wees come!”
“ohh…no…not working.No wees”
Replace the word wees with poos and pretty much sums up our toilet training so far 😉
On morning I woke up to find my 22 month old sitting on the toilet herself. It took her a lot of work for her to get up there LOL!! She had worked out what the toilet was for and how to wee and poo. I never had to do anything – she was toilet trained from that day. I didn’t have to do anything, she’d worked it all out herself before I even thought it was even a possibility to think about toilet training.
I can laugh about it now, but back when we were toilet training our daughter, we went to my in-laws’ for dinner and our daughter was sitting on my lap without a nappy and suddenly I felt something warm and wet on my lap… it was a MAJORLY WET NO.2, running all over my lap and down my legs. Soooo embarrassing – I cleaned us up in the bathroom and had to spend the rest of the evening in a wet skirt. 🙁
I can laugh about it now, but back when we were toilet training our daughter, we went to my in-laws’ for dinner and our daughter was sitting on my lap without a nappy and suddenly I felt something warm and wet on my lap… it was a MAJORLY WET NO.2, running all over my lap and down my legs. Soooo embarrassing – I cleaned us up in the bathroom and had to spend the rest of the evening in a wet skirt. 🙁 Now we’re toilet training our toddler who is almost 3 and I find it not the most funnest of times!
I was out shopping with little Miss 3-Yr-Old on the first day of no nappies in public, and a friend of ours bumped into us in the shops and asked my daughter if she wanted some of her strawberry milkshake. Very earnestly, my daughter said, ‘No I am absolutely not allowed to drink until we get back home because we don’t have spare undies with us!’ My friend pissed herself (ha) laughing.
My younger cousin, Mum was babysitting him & doing the right thing helping with his toilet training. She left the room for not even a minute, returned to find him face and arm in the toilet bowl poking things around. Turns out he was playing sailboats with his business, like he did with the little toy boats he had for bath time. I was so grossed out at the time, but now it’s really funny, especially that the story embarrasses him so much now he’s a ‘man’ lol
Nappies are just too darn comfortable for toddlers these days. Mine would’ve love staying in them longer if it didn’t mean his play could be interrupted.
Remembering my sons toilet training I look back and laugh!! He was tiny for his age and when ready we had to get the yellow pages for him to stand on to reach the bowl. I remember answering the phone and coming back in to check him. He had ripped the pages out and stuffed them into the toilet. I asked him what he was doing and he said he didnt want to fall in !!!
Picking up an olive off the floor I was just about to eat it when I thought I’d better check..it wasn’t an olive, it was a poop doddle that had escaped the nappy!
When explaining why it was so important to do poos in the potty, my son says “that’s why I did one in your bed because you said how proud you were when I did one, and I wanted to show you”. Oh my goodness, I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. So funny, looking back.
Toilet training is way behind us….
But gee do I remember those days as if they were yesterday.
And its so very true – each child is very different
We had one who played with his poo for six weeks straight
on walls, floors and curtains too!
Gosh I am glad it was only one of our five boys.
The others all trained in there own time
Our last baby boy took the longest to get the hang of it
and still now has “Ops I didn’t make it in time” accidents
but I guess by the time they are 22 if they are trained by then
they never will be!