Author: Belinda Smith
I remember thinking early on in our multiple birth journey that there would be two milestones the babies were going to achieve that would be the most taxing on us as their parents – that being toilet training and learning to drive. Now my trio have only just turned 7 so stay tuned for the learning to drive blog. However, true to form, toilet training triplets did not disappoint.
I will preface this blog by saying that my boys are my first (and last!) children so I had absolutely no experience in teaching another human being how to listen to their body and use a toilet. Let alone toilet training triplets! Also, I am sure that you have seen the advertisements for apps or stories on Facebook that claim “Potty train your child in 3 days!” That might be all well and good if you are talking about training a singleton. I hate to break it to you, but for twins, triplets or more that is not going to be your reality.
Toilet Training Triplets: Starting the journey
My very first morning of toilet training the boys will give you some idea of how tricky this process can be. Having decided that they were somewhat ready, I decided to throw caution to the wind and went nappy less for the first time. At some point in the morning I decided to try Baby A on the toilet. At that same time that Baby A was sitting proudly on the toilet (doing nothing!), Baby C had wet his pants and there was wee all over the floor! I then decided to try Baby A again later in the day and the same thing happened – nothing in the toilet from Baby A but this time Baby B had tinkled in their bedroom.
Toilet Training Triplets: One by one or all at the same time?
The first choice you will need to make is if you are going to do both (or all) of your babies at once or separately. I would imagine this would be particularly tricky if you have boy/girl twins as I have heard that girls are generally ready earlier and easier to toilet train. I only have boys so I can’t vouch for this. Only you as their parent can determine when each child is ready. Usually, they will give you some signs like pointing to their nappy or being really interested in the bathroom and toilet area.
When it comes to toilet training triplets, ultimately there is no right time or age to begin this process. Each child will become dry in their own time. We started and stopped and started this process several times. We first tried when the boys were around two and a half but ultimately it took until they were closer to four and a half before they were day trained. They were in and out of nappies during this time (particularly in the winter months). So don’t feel like once you take the nappies away that you can never go back. Some people may disagree with this but as always with multiples it is about survival and making your life easier.
My final words of advice
Finally the key things to remember are:-
- Don’t stress about how long it takes;
- Be prepared – for accidents and when you go out;
- Night time dryness will take much longer;
- Have plenty of cleaning supplies, potties and fresh undies at the ready;
- Don’t stress about how long it takes.
Good luck!
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