You are bound to come up against many roadblocks. On the upside, you will have the advantage of peer pressure. Siblings can have a huge influence on each other – especially when it comes to toilet habits, so you’re already one step ahead!

However, it won’t be all sunshine and roses. You still will have some significant hurdles when potty training. Much advice is the same as with the individual child, but some applies specifically to multiples. Here are a few tips.

One potty chair won’t be enough. Training is stressful enough as it is without asking your multiples to share the potty. When a child has to go, it’s nearly impossible in the early stages to ask them to wait their turn. You could be taking steps back instead of forward.

Let each child have his or her own potty chair. Potty training is about the individual child, so have the chair represent them and give them a sense of ownership when they have their own piece of furniture that no one else can use.

Because establishing a routine is the best way to potty train your child, you may want to make it a fun game for your multiples. This will make it easier on you and make it a pleasant experience for them.

When you are trying to train multiples, don’t let them go diaper-less unless you have someone else there to watch them. You will likely find yourself doing little more than cleaning up accidents if you go it alone.

There is bound to be a bit of chaos in your house with toddler multiples, so it’s probably going to be a bit difficult for you to get them to notice their body’s signals that it’s time to use the potty. Let them bring toys or books into the bathroom with them when they need to sit on the potty and focus.

What if you have one child who is interested in potty training and another one who isn’t? This is where you need to be a little less enthusiastic about the process. When one child goes on the potty, DO give him or her praise, but dole it out and then move on.

Absolutely DO NOT make the other child feel inferior because his or her sibling is successfully using the potty. There is a certain amount of competition that naturally exists with multiples anyway. Don’t intensify that competitive spirit. They’ll go eventually, just be patient.

You may also want to stay away from treats for using the potty in this situation. Toddlers have a difficult time understanding the sharing process, so when one child gets something that the other one doesn’t, you may be faced with some pretty big temper tantrums and resistance.

You may also be faced with some regression issues with one of your children. Don’t push in this situation. Your child may be having some real emotional issues with the idea of separation from their diapers and each other. Until both are ready, step back and let your children lead the way.

Structure is very important – especially with multiples. We’re not just talking about potty time but all the time. Make potty time a daily ritual that is fun!

You may want to separate the kids as much as you can during training. Lessening the intensity that exists naturally between them will help all of you. Give them some one-on-one time and let them listen and focus better with your undivided attention.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you get too involved in the process, you may find your children resisting. When someone else is around to buffer the situation, you’re much more likely to have a slightly easier time.

Try not to get frustrated and angry at resistant kids. All you can do when one or the other resists is to back off. If you push them too much, their natural urge will be to resist and you will have more problems than if you just let it go for awhile. They’ll get it eventually.

Ultimately, to achieve peace, yours and your children’s, let them take the lead. If they want to go on the potty, fine. If they want to wear diapers, that is okay too. They have to work out their ambivalence and all a mom can do (and this is the hard part) is wait patiently until they do.

Girls are generally a bit easier to train than boys, but the funny part is that when you are training boys, there are many more tricks to getting them to successfully use the potty.

If you need to leave home for an extended period of time for any reason, know that traveling makes potty training much more challenging. While you shouldn’t schedule any long vacations during your expected training period, sometimes things come up and you must travel.

Perhaps your toddler is taking a long time getting used to the idea of using the potty all the time and they aren’t completely trained when you need to travel. That’s where this section would apply as well.

Have your child leave home empty. That means to go potty before leaving and no liquids on the road – well, minimal liquids. Resist the urge to put them in a pull up. He or she is a big kid now. Putting a diaper on him or her now can only confuse.

Take along the potty chair or adapter seat. Little bladders can require frequent pit stops and you want to be prepared. Anywhere you go, look for the bathrooms first. Make note of rest areas along the way where you may be able to stop for a potty break.

Carry extra tissues and sanitizing gel for strange bathrooms. You don’t want to be caught short. I always liked to have an extra roll of toilet paper in my purse along with a huge bottle of Germ-X. You never can be too sure what type of situation you’ll be getting into.

Always choose the handicap or family bathroom. You’ll have extra room if you use the stall for people with disabilities, but the seat may be elevated and your child will need more help.

Shopping malls and many other places are now building unisex family bathrooms specifically designed for parents. These bathrooms are as large as handicap bathrooms, private, and can be stocked with needed toiletries like Kleenex and wipes.

Teach children to line public toilets with strips of toilet paper as an added barrier of protection if toilet seat liners are not available.

Always, always accompany your child into public restrooms. Safety is nothing to take for granted – even while potty training. Never, ever let your child go into a public restroom alone. Don’t even let them go with an older sibling. Have them accompanied by a trusted adult – at all times!

Pack a waterproof sheet, small plastic tablecloth, or heavy plastic bag to cover mattresses, or a rubber-backed bathroom rug that rolls ups easily for travel. Hotel staff will be just as appreciative as relatives and friends.

Don’t be surprised or upset if your child starts to have accidents. Revert to training pants for now; relax and enjoy your trip. Don’t make your trip a battleground. Worry about training or retraining when you get back home.

Watch your child’s diet while on the road. A change in diet during family vacations is likely to bring about a change in bowel habits, either constipation or diarrhea, and a corresponding slump in training progress.
I know this from experience. While potty training my dear daughter, she showed interest in the potty just prior to a trip to Florida with my in-laws. She was doing quite well – and then the road trip began.

The whole entire trip, she was unable to make it to the bathroom in time because she had diarrhea nearly the whole time we were gone. She was completely frustrated and mad at herself for not being able to continue what she had started at home.

Of course, once we got home, it was only a day before she was back in the old routine and completely using the potty consistently. I still wonder if, at that time in her life, she wonders why she couldn’t be a big girl in Florida!

NOTE: If you will be potty training on the road, be sure to read our review of the Potette Portable Potty Seat.

What about that child who just won’t go no matter what you try?

First, when it comes to the potty chair and the removable bowl, you may want to show your child the correct way to clean it out and have them do it themselves.

Change your child’s underwear or training pants as soon as possible after soiling so s/he doesn’t become comfortable with or even enjoy, being soiled.
Soiled underwear falls into one of two categories: save or trash. When it is just urine, a run in the washing machine will make it smell like new. When it is a bowel movement, it depends. Most likely, if the BM is wet or mushy, pitch the underwear in the trash. But there may be occasions when few or no traces of BM are apparent and the underwear can be saved.

Encourage your child to wipe the seat when he or she is done. Since germs can be sprayed from the toilet flushing process and settle on the seat, teach children to wipe the toilet seat with toilet paper. Germs can be present whether the seat is wet or dry.

Teach your child how to wipe properly. Girls should wipe thoroughly from front to back to prevent bringing germs from the rectum to the vagina or bladder. Teach your little girl to go “pat, pat, pat” instead of wiping hard. This will help eliminate irritation or possible rashes.

Buy products that are gentle on children’s extra sensitive skin but also are strong and absorbent. For example, pre-moistened wipes are ideal for young users because they gently and effectively clean children’s delicate skin while providing the strength and absorbency to accomplish the task.

There are now tons and tons of these products on the market, so finding one shouldn’t be too difficult!

Show your child how to wash their hands. Hand washing and other hygiene practices actually do reduce the spread of disease. Use antibacterial soap and warm water. Scrub hands for about 15 seconds.

Some say that reciting the ABC song fully while washing your hands will get them clean enough. You can also teach your child to count to ten or say a rhyme while washing hands to help them gauge the right amount of time.
They should dry their hands on a towel (which should be laundered at least on a weekly basis). Hand washing should be routinely done, even if your child didn’t actually “go” in the potty. And don’t forget to wash YOUR hands, too.
Children need repeated reminders to close the toilet lid before flushing to avoid contact with germs that might spray up.

For easy potty chair clean up, place cling-wrap or a coffee-filter in the bowl before your child sits down. When they’re done, there’s minimal mess – just lift the wrap or filter out and throw it in the trash. Don’t flush the wrap and filter because it’s not biodegradable like toilet paper.

Clean the potty periodically with a bleach/water solution after each potty training session. To avoid cleaning carpets, place the potty on an easily cleaned floor or invest in a mat that can be cleaned to avoid any spillage on the carpets. One mom puts down painter’s plastic which is cheap to buy and easy to discard.

Your child may be curious and try to play with the feces. You can prevent this without making him or her feel upset by simply saying, “No. This is not something to be played with.”

While potty training, it’s a great time to teach your child (especially if a boy) to lower both the seat and the lid when they are finished as a necessary part of the ritual. Their future wives will you!

Washing hands can be difficult for your little one. They probably won’t be able to reach the bathroom sink, so that’s where the stool we talked about before can come in handy!

After your child has mastered daytime potty habits, it’s time to work on staying dry throughout the night!

Dole out the praise as often as you can – not just during potty training. But this book IS about potty training, so here are a few things to remember when giving positive reinforcement with your words.

Some people feel you shouldn’t make a HUGE deal out of using the potty, but when you’re trying to reinforce a positive behavior, it has to be up to you. We made a REALLY big deal every time Conner went on the potty. It worked for him.

Give physical reinforcement in the form of hugs while you’re giving out that praise. Clap and say words like “Good for you”, “What a big boy/girl”, “You went on the potty – YAY!” and such.

Don’t just congratulate your child for going on the potty; praise them when they stay dry too. Check his/her pants every hour or so and let him/her know how great it is that s/he’s stayed dry.

Some parents have created elaborate song and dance routines to let their child know how pleased they are. Kids love to be silly, and many adults like to be silly too. Use this time to explore your own inner child when potty training is occurring.

Praise for jobs well done should be second nature. It’s just too easy to see the “bad stuff” children do when in reality they’re doing a lot more “good stuff” then we give credit for. When it’s time to introduce the potty to your toddler, give it a sunny spin. Make it sound wonderful to be old enough to sit on the potty chair.

Accidents are going to happen. If your child has an accident, don’t make a big deal about it and don’t get angry. If you do this, it will chip away at their morale and could start making them feel like they really can’t do the job they’re expected to do.

If your child has an accident, just help them get cleaned up and forget about it. You may want to say something encouraging like, “It’s alright, and you’ll make it to the potty next time.”

Praise your child even if he or she just goes and sits on the potty but doesn’t go. This will likely occur early in the process, and is a positive behavior that should be acknowledged.

Another important part of potty training is teaching your child about good hygiene.

At some point your child will no longer have bowel movements during the night. They become a daytime process for most children. The more regular your child is, the easier it will be to start bowel-control training. Children often stop playing when they are having a BM. Some even hide in a favorite spot. Others just grunt or get red in the face. Saying, “I see you’re having a BM” helps a child identify what is occurring and associate those sensations with the process.

Constipation, if part of your child’s history, may actually delay toilet training for your child. This is not anything to be worried about, but just one more variable you can be sensitive to.

Explain to your child that you will be taking him or her to the toilet or the potty chair and that you expect the bowel movement to go there rather than in diapers. “This is what Mommy and Daddy do, what grown-ups do and now what you should do because you’re getting so big and grown up” is the kind of language to use.

Give advance notice as to when this procedure will start. Children need to hear what you expect in pleasant tones and words. They can’t read your mind. Your attitude, your anticipation, your relaxed tones will also convey much of the message.

If your child has a regular time for a bowel movement, choose that time to go to the bathroom. If they have no regular time, try within 30 minutes after a meal. When the stomach is full, the colon is often stimulated to empty.

As we’ve said before, be prepared to sit with your child to keep him or her company. Don’t insist your child sit for more than a few minutes but only as long as he or she is comfortable.

At the same time, know that some children need to be alone to have a bowel movement. Bright bathroom lights and too much conversation may inhibit them from relaxing their sphincter muscles.

Praise your child for every bowel movement made in the potty or toilet. Also praise a child for even sitting and trying to go.

If your child will still be wearing disposable diapers at this point, you will be involved in getting them on and off. Keep masking tape on hand to refasten clean ones. In general, we don’t advocate keeping diapers on children who are learning to use the toilet. This just sends a mixed message, but in the event that is the route you chose, there you go!

It is not uncommon for boys to achieve bladder control before — sometimes long before — bowel control. Parents sometimes feel that a child with belated bowel control is unwilling, uncooperative, or just plain stubborn but that’s rarely the case. Again, patience is called for.

A reluctant-relaxer may require different approaches until you find one that works. Consider breaking the task into small, slow steps. Encourage a child to sit on and use the potty (or toilet) with clothes and a disposable diaper on to begin with. After a child is comfortable with this procedure, progress to going with only a disposable diaper sides ripped open.

Then you can move from sitting with a disposable diaper across the seat to just using toilet paper across it. Other children may be able to relax and void (just remove feces quickly with little fuss) while in a warm bath before making the transition to the potty chair or toilet. Or insist, that even using a diaper, a child stay in the bathroom when having a BM and then empty diaper into the toilet and flush.

This, however, isn’t written in stone, and many people go about this process in different ways. Having a potty chair readily available is a great tool when teaching your child about toilet habits. It’s something that is all their and no one else’s which gives them ownership in their young life.

Believe it or not, there are all sorts of different options when choosing a potty chair. And getting the right one can make all the difference in success during potty training.

Proponents of the potty chair say it allows a child to be more independent, since a parent doesn’t need to lift the child to the toilet. It also allows a child to place his or her feet squarely on the floor when bearing down while pooping, and the child can also use the support of the chair’s arms.
As we’ve said, because a potty chair is obviously the child’s own, he or she will take pride in possessing it. Choosing the right potty chair should begin as soon as your child shows an interest in using the potty. Involve him or her in the process of picking out their own chair.

If you have a potty in the bathroom, you and your child can go to the toilet at the same time. For some adults, this is a frightening thought as their privacy means the world to them, but it can make all the difference during the training process.

One disadvantage is that a boy will not be able to pee standing up -it will be too difficult, and there will be too much splashing. Another consideration is that it needs to be cleaned out by you or the child. In the beginning, cleaning out the pot will be fun. With experience, it loses its appeal for a child — and probably for you, too.

If the thought of using a potty chair appeals to you, you should get one before you start training, so it becomes a familiar piece of equipment for your child. In fact, you may even let your child shop for the chair with you. You can narrow the choice down to two or three styles, and let you child choose from among those. This can make the child all the more anxious to try it.

Personalizing a potty chair will also make it more unique and interesting. You can do this by adding a few stickers or decal of your child’s choosing. Or, you could also use press-type letters and spell out your child’s name.

Let your child know that it’s okay — for now — to sit on the potty with clothes on to get used to it, but when he or she is ready, it will be used like “Mommy and Daddy use the toilet.” Avoid using the seat at other times so as not to confuse the issue.

If you opt for a potty chair, you will probably choose a miniature version of an adult toilet, a molded one-piece style chair a child straddles, or a plastic molded stool-type chair. Many potty chairs today convert to adult toilet seat adapters as well.

Before purchasing a potty chair, check to see how the pot is removed. If the pot is hard to get out or has to be tipped, don’t buy it.

If you want a urine deflector, look for a removable one to be made of flexible plastic. Potties with deflectors seem to be easier to find than those without them, but if your child is hurt by one when trying to seat himself, he may refuse to use the seat.

Buy a floor model that won’t slide around and is stable.

Consider buying more than one potty chair, especially if you have more than one bathroom or a two-story house. The extra one can always be used for car travel or left at Grandma’s.

Be aware that if you get a potty chair with a tray, lifting it up will be one more step your child will have to master.

Look into the possibility of buying an adult camping portable potty for a child who’s larger than other toddlers.

Believe it or not, there are some amazing “special” potty chairs that can make going to the bathroom a fun and interesting experience for your child. A friend of mine bought a race car potty for her grandson that made racing noises when he peed or pooped in it.

There are potty chairs that play music, too, when the child goes. Some potties have shapes in the bottom of the pot that change colors when the child pees. One product on the market right now comes complete with a handle for flushing and makes the sound that the big toilet makes when it is flushed.

When considering this type of potty chair, keep in mind that eventually, all of the bells and whistles can tend to get old quickly. This is especially evident when you find your child thinks it’s fun to pour water in it just so they can hear the fun sounds.

Expect to spend anywhere from $12 to $100 on a potty seat. The cheapest ones you will find are plain, white types that don’t have any optional features, but they do get the job done. The high priced potty chair is usually made of wood, and can even look like a replica from the Victorian age!

Whatever type of potty chair you choose, make sure your child likes it. I think one of the reasons Conner disliked sitting on his potty chair was because it didn’t hold any interest for him. It was just a generic style chair with a lift able lid and removable bowl. I wonder how much easier our experience with him would have been if we would have invested in an Elmo potty chair!

When you buy a potty chair, you should really have one for every bathroom in your home. Some people even go so far as to have a chair in every room of the house. While we think this is a bit of overkill, if you’re having trouble, this could actually be a great tool.

We definitely advocate having your child with you when you are picking out a potty chair. Once you get it home, introduce it in a casual way. It’s alright if your child wants to play with it a little bit. Show your child how it works and talk to him or her about how they are supposed to use it.

Make a big deal about the fact that your child has something of their own that they can use and should use! You may want to try putting the potty in a room where they play often – even in the kitchen where you can supervise.

Encourage use of the potty chair by putting a chart up on the refrigerator. Explain to your child that each time they use the potty chair, they will get a sticker. This will be an incentive for using the chair. Kids love earning rewards, but we’ll get to that in a later chapter!

Potty chairs aren’t your only option during potty training.