Potty Training: Preparing Ahead of Time

I've been thinking about it for months.  Potty training.  I've heard so many stories.  So many methods. What am I going to do when we get there? Are my twin girls going to be stuck in diapers forever? Should I buy one toilet training seat or two?  I know it's silly to worry about something that I'm not even dealing with yet, but I was am definitely worried.  Which is why I was so excited to see the packet our pediatrician gave me at the twins' 18 month checkup.

My favorite thing to learn was that there are things that we can be doing to prepare ahead of time. You probably wouldn't have to do every single one of these things, but there are some good ideas.

18 months
Begin teaching about pee, poop, and the body

-teach vocabulary (potty, pee, poop)
-explain that everyone makes pee and poop
-point out when animals are pooping or peeing
-point out if/when you notice body signals "Your body wants you to pee/poop"
-praise your child for pooping in his/her diaper
-make diaper changes as pleasant as possible
-change your child's diaper often so your child will (hopefully) prefer a dry diaper
-avoid referring to poop in a negative way (I'm totally guilty of doing this)
-teach your child to come to you when he/she is wet/dirty

21 months
Begin teaching about the potty/toilet

-teach that the toilet and training seat are where poop and pee go. (The handout recommends dumping poop from diapers into the toilet.)
-portray using the toilet/training seat as a privilege
-if possible, have your child watch a toilet-trained sibling use the toilet or training seat
-give your child a training seat
-take your child with you to buy the potty seat and/or allow him/her to decorate it
-encourage your child to sit on the training seat with clothes on for fun activities to develop a sense of ownership
-put the training seat in the bathroom and have your child sit on it while you sit on the toilet

2 years
Begin using teaching aids

-read books and watch videos about the potty
-help your child pretend to train a doll/stuffed animal
-introduce wearing underwear as a privilege. Buy special underwear and keep it in a place where your child can see it (I am personally a little skeptical of this idea).


Well, those are all the tips the pediatrician shared with us.  Of course, I recognize that you could do all these things and still feel like an utter failure once the actual training comes into play, but it can't hurt to try, right?  Let me know if you have any other ideas.

I'm still unsure about one seat or two.  Any tips from other moms of multiples??

Source: Contemporary Pediatrics Vol. 21 No. 3