The Messy Business of Potty Training!

My twin girls, Jessica and Sophia, are now two years old, and thus begins the messy adventure that comes with this age -- toilet training!

Now, there are many ways and many opinions on how to potty train your children. If you want to read up on them, you can browse through these articles from Smart Parenting -- here, here, and here.

But let me share how we're teaching the girls to use the potty. Mind you, this isn't my own "recipe." I give all the credit to my wonderful Yaya Susan.


We started our toilet training when we saw that the girls can do simple tasks when we tell them to (pack away, sit down, etc.) This was roughly when they were 18 months old.

First, we don't use the small potty seats. For me, it's just plain gross. Instead, we use the potty training seat that you plop on top of your toilet. We use this for three reasons:

1. At least we get to flush everything away. (Washing the small potty seats, again, is just gross).

2. It encourages the kids to be familiar with the big throne. Papa and Mama uses it, so the kids can use it too. 

3. It encourages the kids to vocalize what they're feeling, and to properly identify their urges when they feel it ("wee-wee," "poo-poo").

Next, we have them wear panties when they're in the house. Diapers are to be used during sleeping time (naps, nighttime) or when going out. This is great because we get to cut down on our diaper budget (yay!), and buy cute panties for the girls. We bought panties with their favorite characters in them -- Dora, Disney Princess, Carebears, etc. (For those with boys, there are pretty awesome brief designs too!) This encourages them to be excited when wearing their underwear. Sure, we get lots of messy accidents, but it comes with the training period.

For those times, we try to make light of it and have fun, not reprimanding the child for the mess she made. In fact, we give lots of encouragements if they are able to identify what they've done ("Mama, wee-wee," pointing to a puddle around her feet. "Good job! That is wee-wee!").

And here's the crucial part... we have them sit down on the toilet often -- before and after meals, before and after naps/sleep, almost every hour. It starts when we change their soiled diapers in the morning. We find that this technique teaches the kids to be aware of the muscles they're pulling when sitting in the toilet. A morning sitting also encourages good bowel movement for the all important "Number 2." We also call out the name of the deed when they're actually doing it. We sing songs in the bathroom, and talk them through the process.

Now, I'm sure each family has their own potty training routine that works perfectly for them, and this technique is what works for my family. Right now, the girls are very much familiar with their bathroom callings. They tell us when they need to go "wee-wee," and their nappies are dry after short naps. I'm proud of Sophia and Jessica for this milestone as they grow up to be "Big Girls!"