I think potty training my twins might be the thing that finally breaks me

[TwinItToWinIt]

On day four, one of them is getting the hang of it, the other was doing well but has developed a sudden aversion to sitting on the toilet, keeps asking for a nappy, but then, when I caved it and produced one, wailed like a banshee about having to put it on. The amount of piss two small people can produce is unbelievable; like a magic porridge pot of piss. I even got wee’d on earlier today whilst one of them was (theoretically) aiming it into the toilet (whilst sitting down), which I guess counts as success but really! Meanwhile it’s pouring with rain and my five year old is going out of her mind and keeps asking me for help with painting / dressing up / something else, and I feel like I just having got enough arms or eyes or mop and buckets.

I’m sorely tempted to go back to nappies, but they’re 3.5, and I really do think they’re ready. I’m trying very hard to keep a sense of humour about the whole thing, but blow me down, I thought potty training my singleton daughter was hard, this is a whole extra level!

In all seriousness tho, if anyone has any words of wisdom on the toilet-refusing twin, I’m all ears. I felt like we were making good progress til today!

Bribery? Chocolate buttons and all day paw patrol was the only thing that worked for my eldest.

Bribery
Chocolate buttons
Magazine kept in the bathroom
Reward at the end of the first week - sticker chart

Don’t do them both at the same time. That way, madness lies. Just focus on one for now. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt!

We did one at a time. DD asked to stop using nappies and cracked it within a few days. DS asked for pants too when he saw what she was doing, but after an afternoon of accidents he went back into nappies. He's still in them now actually, we'll try him again soon. They are 3yrs in a couple of weeks.

Interesting. It has never really occurred to me to do them separately - they’re identical, and have had basically identical development so far, but one does seem more willing than the other thus far, so it might be worth a shot.

It’s difficult because I work nearly full time in a school, so come September they’ll be back in nursery, and I’d really like it cracked before then. (Nursery will do what they can on the toilet training front, but I can’t expect them to do it from scratch). We’re away in October half term, so the next opportunity is Christmas, when they’ll be nearly 4, which seems ridiculously late.

Gah! This is a stage I will definitely not miss!

Totally empathise and I haven't got an older child too! In the midst of potty training both my identical twin girls. One of them has nailed it. The other less so. So I have finally just accepted one goes back in nappies when we go out and I'll give it another go in a few weeks. It was probably madness trying to do both at once but like everything else it never occurs to me to do it separately 🤦‍♀️

If you do one and make a massive fuss of them, the other might become jealous and more motivated to do it too.