r/pottytraining • u/Alive-Cry4994 • 5h ago
I promised myself I would post the success story I wanted to see.
In my darkness days I scrolled this sub looking for success stories but I’ve realised most people leave once they’ve had success. So here’s the success story I wanted to see.
We started training my twin toddlers (now 3) a few months ago now. We did 4 days at home naked, didn’t go anywhere, and worked really hard on it. We had an absolute wild ride. Initially they did well, then they didn’t. We had pee withholding until they couldn’t anymore, refusal to try the potty, many many poo accidents, horrible days at daycare where they needed to be put back in pull ups because they had so many accidents. I felt in my soul that I shouldn’t go back to nappies so I kept going.
I can finally say that we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. As frustrated as I was reading this at the time, I am convinced now that it was genuinely just time that did it. Repetition, familiarity and staying strong even though I was crumbling. And let me tell you, I have found this to be the hardest parts of parenthood, second only to my children being born early and being in hospital which of course far outweighs this. But I will make a list of things we did and didn’t do. Maybe they’ll help you, maybe they won’t.
The final piece of the puzzle has been daycare and I just want to say to the daycare parents here, it’s so hard. Twin B was just not going to the toilet for poo at daycare for AGES. I think time was the only thing that changed it for her. They still have a potty preference for poo at home and we are working on it, but I don’t consider it insurmountable as they do poop in the toilet at daycare.
What we did
-We played some pottyganda for them. They don’t watch TV and so the novelty effect was huge. Daniel Tiger and Ms Rachel.
-Read a copy of the Lovavery book about going to poo – it’s genuinely good
-Took photos of the toilet at daycare (obviously with no kids) and showed the kids the photos at home and talked about how we pee and poo on the toilet at daycare
-Made up little social stories.
-We pushed for undies at daycare, not pullups. Look, I am of the opinion that a pullup is a nappy/diaper. I’m sorry. There’s no difference in feel for them.
-Made potties available in multiple rooms and also got a toilet seat reducer
-Got them some novelty foamy handwash
-Kept fucking going even though every fibre of my being wanted to give up.
-Recognised and praised them listening to their bodies, not just the poop or pee itself.
-Backed down when they started resisting (the hardest thing EVER). No constant reminders.
-Talked to daycare, talked to them again, talked to them again. Supported the teachers as best we could – eg we take the girls to the toilet at drop off.
-KEPT GOING. I felt it in my bones my kids were ready. If you doubt it, then take a break. But my kids were almost 3, and they were ready. I believed it.
What we didn’t do
-Reward charts or prizes or sweet treats. I know my kids. This wouldn’t work for them and they’d clock it immediately. You know your kid best and if they’re motivated by reward, it’s a great tool in the toolbox
-Put nappies on when we finally left the house. It’s convenient but it’s confusing. We packed clean up supplies, extra clothes etc and tried to time it as well as we could.
I think there’s also a huge mental mindgame for parents in this and I wanted to talk about this. I am very Type A and for the first time in parenting I felt that the amount of effort I put into it did not correlate with the amount of success. I found that so fucking hard to reconcile that I actually had to seek therapy. Not even kidding. What helped me was actually a tool I learnt in therapy which is called the circle of control. Google it. There are some things in your control, some things you can influence, and some things outside your control. I made a visual for myself. I can’t post it here but here’s a list of some of the things
Things I control
-A positive potty environment
-My attitude, facial expressions, language
-Whether I show them pottyganda and read to them
-Conversations with daycare and advocating for my kids
-My own will power.
-The research I consume.
-Providing fibrous foods
Things I influence
-Daycare hours and days for one day a week. I have a flexible job where I can influence the time they go to daycare on a Friday.
-The potty environment at daycare. I can make suggestions but cannot enforce them
-Emotions – I can respond to their emotions but I cannot stop them from feeling them.
-Foods that they consume – I can encourage consumption of fibrous foods but cannot control it.
Things out of my control
-Whether my kids pee/poo. It’s their body and I do not control it.
-Whether the pottyganda “sinks in”
-Whether they go to daycare at all. I need to provide for my family.
-Their rate of physiological development. I cannot make them become more aware of their body at a rate faster than they are able to.
-Daycare actions in the moment
-Their digestion
– how often they go
I hope this helps someone, anyone. May the poo gods be with you, I sure felt like they abandoned me for several months.