It has been awhile since I have updated you about our potty endeavors, so I am happy to announce the kids are potty trained and wearing underpants..and the occasional spanx. Emma transitioned into underpants a week before Thanksgiving; Andrew started his underpants a week after Thanksgiving.
We promised the kids that when they filled up their potty chart with stickers, we would have a potty party at Chuck E Cheese. I figured that was an appropriate place since their pizza tastes like crap. Both kids had a great time and we spent enough money to win an entire bucket full of tickets which we redeemed to get a super ball and a dead roach. No wait. Just a super ball. The roach was on the pizza.
Although the kids wear underpants most of the day, I still put them into pull-ups when they go out and when they go to bed. Emma has been really good about going to the potty, and for the past two months, I could count on one hand the number of accidents she has had. As for Andrew, I'd say his success rate is about 85% right now. And unfortunately for me, the other 15% consists of the number of times he has pooped in his underpants.
For those of you with twins, this is what I learned while potty training the kids:
1) Immediate gratification works. I started out with a potty chart that showed them if they received enough stickers, they would get a prize. Although they would talk about the prizes, it didn't make them any more motivated to use the potty than before. But once I started giving them treats right after they went to the potty, then that made all the difference in the world. The only regret is that I probably should not have started to award them with whole cheesecakes.
2) Copy cats. Twins like to copy each other, and this can be a big pain with potty training. As soon as one kid sat on the potty, the other kid had to go too. More often than not, you're able to make the other child wait their turn, but occasionally you have to rush to the other toilet. But the copying also works in your favor because I noticed Andrew took more of an interest in the potty once Emma started to master it.
3) The bathroom will be your new best friend. With all of the waiting and pooping and false alarms, I felt like I was spending more time in the bathroom than any other room in the house. You just need to make sure you have all of your essential supplies ready in your bathroom: extra toilet paper, plenty of soap, paper towels, sanitary wipes, books, and a little compost pile.
We never rushed or pressured the kids to be potty trained, but once they turned three, we decided it was time. Emma probably took a month to be trained, and Andrew a little more. I know Crazy Grandma kept on telling me that I was potty trained before I was two, but she also said I was reading the San Francisco Chronicle before I was three. Every kid is different as is every parent. Do what you think is best, and when you're ready, get ready to touch your child's poop in ways you've never done before.
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