Friday, June 22, 2012

I Survived Potty Training Twins

I've had a child in diapers in my house for over 5 1/2 years.  The past two of which I have used cloth diapers exclusively at home (we used disposable for outings).  That's a lot of diaper changes.  I confess that I dreamed of the day I'd no longer be structuring my life around the world of diapers.  And while I'm so glad we chose to make the switch to cloth, which I truly loved, I am not sorry to see the amount of laundry in my week decrease significantly.  Because that's right folks.  The twins are POTTY TRAINED!!  (If you listen carefully, you may hear angels singing in the background.  Or is that only me hearing it?)

I confess I was nervous about potty training twins.  But it turned out that when the time came I had to reframe my thinking a bit.  Because really what happened was I was potty training two children.  My twins are fraternal, and they are very much their own individuals, so they ended up being ready at different times.

Cort showed readiness first.  At age 2, he started going into Pierce's room and putting underwear on over his diaper.  He starting asking to use the potty.  I really thought he was too young, so I delayed a bit.  But at 2 years 3 months I gave in and we potty trained.  He took to number #1 very quickly, but it took another 4 months before we had consistent success with #2 in the potty.  I've heard that is common with boys.

And then I waited patiently for Reid to show readiness.  I didn't see any signs until 2 years 10 months (which is exactly when Pierce showed signs).  Reid started saying he had to go pee, right after he had just peed, which meant he was starting to register the whole event. 

When I potty train, I just switch straight to underwear when they show signs of readiness.  We only do diapers at night.  So during the day, they wear underwear, and I remind them constantly not to pee in their underwear; to only pee in the potty.  Then I set a timer and take them every 20 minutes.  We use a potty seat on the regular toilet rather than one of those tiny fake pottys, simply because I don't want to be cleaning out a potty when they could use the toilet.  Reid took the longest to catch on of all 3 of my boys, but even with Reid he was staying dry by the 3rd day.  It's a method that worked well for us. 

As for me, I'm just a little sad to say goodbye to the diaper days, simply because it seems the last remnant of babyhood.  Flashbacks of the twins as babies in cloth Fuzzibunz diapers with cute striped leggings warm my heart.  But mostly, I'm glad to move beyond this phase, and while I took a moment to reflect, I'm ready to move on without looking back!

43 comments:

andy said...

Sounds like it worked great! !! Good job kiddos! !!

Unknown said...

Hooray! What great news!

I Am Woody said...

Hooray for less laundry!!

LOVE MELISSA:) said...

Yah!! I can't even imagine- I had so much trouble with one. Great job kiddos and mommy too!

Out on the prairie said...

A sigh of relief indeed. I modeled for my grandson.He would call me with his sucess.

trump said...

I think in the end you wont be missing those diapers, but I know what your talking about Lisa. Richard

Michelle said...

Kudos to you! I know you are relieved

Anonymous said...

Great news and quite an accomplishment. I can imagine that you will now have a lot less laundry. That's time to spend with these precious sons of yours. They are darling! Enjoy the weekend.

Barbara said...

Way to go!!

We used the same system on the oldest and it worked great for us too! We avoided the Pull-up route since essentially it is a diaper. That picture of them is too sweet. While it is great to have them out of diapers, it's bittersweet to have them grow up.

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

I don't envy the cloth diaper work, but I give you credit because it sure is easier on the environment. You did a great thing, and now that's it over you can celebrate :-) Congrats to the twins!

Sonya @ Under the Desert Sky said...

They're so cute in their diaper covers and leggings!

But better yet, they're potty trained! Yay!

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Yay! that is great news...potty trained! They are so cute

Jen said...

Oh my, good job!! And no more diapers! That is awesome :)

TexWisGirl said...

congratulations on a diaper-free zone!

Marie said...

Congrats! I know you won't miss the extra laundry! My son was two as well. He wouldn't use the small fake toilet, he just wanted to get on the big one so we just used the toddler seat on it. :)
Hope you have a fun weekend!

Angela said...

Congratulations Lisa! I remember when I was potty training my daughter I thought how much easier it has to be to train a boy because they could pee outside standing up. lol Boy was I wrong! It is easier to potty train a girl. When a girl starts going they do both right away but with boys they get #1 down and it takes awhile longer before they do both so I know what you are saying there.

Valerie Boersma said...

That is exciting Lisa!! Goodbye diapers!! Great job Cort and Reid, from me too!

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

I think I DID hear angels singing Hallelujah!

Sounds like your method worked great. Congrats on the milestone!

Eat To Live said...

Hallelujah!! Good job to you MOM!! I was so happy when I potty trained my Daughter, but they say girls are easier than boys.

Now, wat are you going to do with your new found time?

Betsy Banks Adams said...

You did great... Great system... Quite different from my friend's twin grandsons. They are about 3 1/2 now --and still not potty-trained. (Of course, nobody is working with them like you did your twins.)

It's amazing how different kids are when they are raised right --with some structure. You do a fabulous job, Lisa.
Hugs,
Betsy

Tracie said...

Me too! But we have had diapers for 6 1/2 years.....Taylie is all done during the day but still in diapers at night. Yay!

Ginny Hartzler said...

YEAH!!!! Congratulations!!! You are very smart by waiting till they are ready instead of trying to make them when they are not ready. I have heard horror stories about moms trying to force their kids and it is not pretty. I actually like changing diapers and miss the babyhood when it is gone. Of course I never used cloth like you!

Chatty Crone said...

YOU DESERVE A MEDAL! sandie

Chicken Wrangler said...

Never thought anyone would be sad to say goodbye to diapers - but yep, I can understand after you 'splained' it!

Nancy said...

I think I hear those angels singing hallelujah too! Great job, Lisa!

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Oh wonderful! Good job and the twins must feel so proud of themselves!
love
tweedles

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Love the sweet picture. What a great plan for toilet training.
I will have to remember that if I'm blessed with grandchildren.

jennohara said...

Ah ha! GREAT news!! What a huge milestone that is for you! Good job!!
I must say that Gracie was my easiest so far being fully trained at 14 months!! They're all so different!

BlueShell said...

That is good!!!
Love
BShell

Renegades said...

Those striped leggings are adorable.

Karen Whittal said...

I hope that you get some kind of reward..... no wait the children are reward enough.... enjoy your new found freedom... washing nappy time now becomes your time.

Liz Mays said...

I have to say that I am impressed by how you go right to underwear when it's time, but setting the timer is a great idea!

Grandma Bonnie said...

Congratulations. I think that is awesome. Your method is very simular to my potty training method. Hope you have a great weekend.

Jenn Jilks said...

My daughter loved leggings. They hadn't been invented when SHE was a kid. She turns 33 this summer.
I agree about the diapers.
It is a stage.
next it will be them asking for the car keys!!! :-)

My crepuscular clouds!! !

Marie said...

I'm back! Stop by my blog, I left something for you. :)

La sonrisa de Hiperion said...

Siempre estupendas las cosas que nos dejas. Un placer volver por tu casa.

Saludos y feliz domingo.

Vision By Mila said...

congratulations! ;)

Marianne (Mare) Baker Ball said...

Just finding your blog through another one, and it's so interesting!
You boys are precious, I used to run (hurt my back and SO miss it) and always wanted to live in a log home! I'm following so I can check back now and then. Life in the country is very different from my life in the city. Nice to find you!

Lin said...

Hooray! There are just some "baby" things that I could do without and diapers/potty training was one of them. Just think of all that time you will have now that you don't have to wash all those diapers. And the water bill! WOWIE!

Anonymous said...

What a blessing to have EVERYBODY trained now!

Sandy said...

Congrats to be past that!

Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too said...

Awesome! Way to go, boys!

Connie in Hartwood said...

This reminds me so much of potty training our grandson (he lived with us when he was a toddler.) After raising three daughters, PT with a boy was a bit different. It took him a while to get the hang of the actual potty ... but he would pee on a tree on command. It was a cinch to translate this skill to indoors.