Twins - really struggling to do this

[Abubu]

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering if someone can offer some advice?

My twin DDs have just turned 3. I have been trying very slowly to potty train for the last 6 months.

Normally they are looked after by our parents 4 days of the week while we are at work (2 days at each grandparents).
I am now on mat leave but keeping up this routine as baby is still very small.

So this week I decided to have them at home myself for the week as I dont think there has been any consistency. I always remove the nappy the minute they are at home, I know my inlaws try but them have sometimes made them sit on there for an hour at a time with no results (this has probably put them off as I expect they think they will be prisoners for an hour once they sit down) and my parents are at the other extreme, often forgtetting to even get the potties out at all (despite my pleas for help).

I have a 3 month old baby and we recently moved so I know the timing is probably bad but I am under pressure as they are signed up for a pre school in Sept that will only take them if they are toilet trained.

Anyway I've got the book of the woman who cant be named, it actually seems to make sense, apart from the 1 page on twins saying to get someone to look after one if they are not ready to be trained at the same time (ha ha).

Anyway, have followed it properly.
1st day they seemed keen to sit on and produced probably an equal number of wees and accidents.

2nd day they weren't so keen to sit on, one of them also seemed a bit under the weather so she went for a nap with a nappy on. (they rarely have scheduled naps nowadays) and I decided not to carry on with her training that day but continued with my other DD.

We are now on day 4 and they are now no longer interested in even sitting on it without a lot of persuasion. Tonight we have a poo on the floor about 5 minutes after one of them got off the potty and produced nothing.

I have tried the star chart, bribery with treats etc but nothing working.

Between them they have only produced 1 wee in the potty in the last 3 days.

One of my DDs has been sitting if I encourage her a lot but doesn't wee for hours (on 2 days it took her from getting up in the morning until 2pm to wee), her drink is there all the time so I am not restricting it and wondering if she has worked out that drink = wee and therefore not drinking a lot. I don't know if se is withholding going or not.

The other DD seems to switch between just weeing and telling me to change her "nappy" and weeing and seemingly not even caring, walking around with wet pants for ages. I'm using normal knickers, not potty training pants, so I know she must be able to feel it.

They meet all the criteria of being ready and as they are now 3 I would be surprised if they are not.

So why isn't it working?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

[Abubu]

No one?

[mummyd2010]

Hi my liitle girl showed all the signs at 2.5 years so we went cold turkey and put her straight in knickers everyday (no pull ups only at night) How stressful!!!! for 4 months I was lucky if we got 1 or 2 wees on the pot a day and very VERY rarely a poo.

We too tried sticker charts, bribery, potty books, choc buttons, smarties, songs, a potty dance even tried her on the big loo but nothing seemed to push her in the right direction.

Then last week OMG she decided without any prompting from me to start using it her self! and since then we have been having real success not completly accident free but substantial progress. The only thing I done differently with her is I left her knickers off and she got alittle bit more aware that something was comming (was this what cracked it who knows!?)

For 4 months I have been trying all the hints and tips stressing myself out thinking it was me? but I now believe she just was not ready, her mind wasn't set on doing it until now - I just hope we continue the progress

Have hope! one twin may just take you buy suprise one day like mine and the other twin will follow suit, I truly believe that its nothing us mums are doing right or wrong, there own minds are deciding now what they want to do and when they want to do it.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

[Abubu]

Hi,
Thanks for your response Mummyd2010.

I have decided to give up today. Yesterday one of the girls did a wee in her pants, I saw it coming out and actually got the potty to her in time but she screamed when I tried to get her on it.
The first day was actually the best day all week and its going downhill so I think that tells me all I need to know. They are clearly not ready for this.

I'm going to give up trying now for a month or 2 and start completely afresh I think.