Potty training twins

[clairefromsteps]

Sorry, this is a long one....

I'm currently trying to potty train my twin ds and dd. We left it late because they didn't seem that keen before, took no interest in the billion potties we left lying about etc, so they've just turned three in December, but we're having problems and I wanted to pick people's brains....

DS is dead keen - loves his Thomas the Tank Engine pants, will sit on the toilet to pee and is generally very obliging as long as you take him to the loo. However, he's been in pants for about six weeks and won't tell us if he needs to go to the loo, he just pees his pants! His bladder control is getting better in that he goes for longer between pees, but doesn't seem bothered that he keeps wetting himself. Is this normal, or should I be worried. We started off toilet training by 'going cold turkey', no pull-ups.

DS on the other hand, HATES 'big girl knickers', says she wants nappies for ever, will sit on the toilet sometimes, but only rarely will actually pee. If we even show her some knickers, she throws a major wobbly (she's pretty stroppy anyway) and says that her knickers 'bite' her (we've checked - they do fit!) and that she'll fall into the toilet. On the odd occasion we've managed to get her into knickers and she's wet herself, she seems pretty upset.

Any suggestions as to how we can (a) get DS a bit more bothered about the fact that he just keeps weeing his pants and (b) get DD a bit more interested in ditching the nappies?

If the answer is 'these things just sort themselves out in time', then that's fine, but I can't help thinking there's something more I should be doing....

Goodness you have a lot on your hands with twins.

It is important to remember that different children are ready at different ages. Since your children are non indentical twins then the chances of them being ready at the same age is low. It sounds like neither of them are that interested. It may well be that one child is ready before the other.

I think you have to work a bit on the concept of weeing in the potty. Get them some books and what worked for my son was a doll that weed. He had great fun teaching dolly how to wee in the potty.

I suggest that you go back to nappies and try again at Easter. It will be a lot warmer and you can dress your children in just a t shirt and pants. There is little point to fighting a potty resistant child. Ulimately its THEIR decision whether to wee on the potty/ toilet.

My son trained very quickly and easily at three years and three months. We bribed him with bits of chocolate easter egg. Each time he did anything in the potty he got a small bit of chocolate. We used a don't offer don't refuse approach to get him off the chocolate.

A friend of mine had DS and DD twins but trained them separately. I think her DD was maybe 2.6 when she started (she was very keen) but her DS only showed an interest closer to 3.

What I am basically saying is that you could do one but leave the other until ready.

Your DS will probably get there in the end but I found with mine that you have to remind a lot (it helps if you have fixed times for going to the loo, e.g. before a meal, before you go out, when you get back in) before they take themselves. Being at nursery and seeing other children doing it probably helped a lot with my DS.

I am trying to train twins too, both girls (2.4)one is going very well the other not so good, sits on potty but nothing happens and is clearly dancing around etc to hold everything in till bed time nappy goes on. She is too good at holding on and I am sure it can't be good for her so am going to put her back into nappies and try again in a couple of weeks. When I trained my sons I found they could feel better when they needed to wee if they went commando (dressed in trousers or shorts without pants). After a week or so like this they kenw what was going on.
Hope it helps. Any idea how to get a bursing girl who will sit on the potty for 30 mins to actually wee?