I started potty training my twins at three weeks old, I’d hold them over the sink and hope for the best
TOILET training can be a tricky challenge to conquer, but one mum embraced it and started training her twins at just three weeks old.
Caitlyn Quill, 29, from Queensland, Australia, read about Elimination Communication, which involves listening and watching for cues that your child needs to go to the toilet.
When Caitlyn and her husband Jeffrey found out they were having twins, Atticus and Oakley, they turned to Facebook groups to help them prepare for their new arrivals.
She told Kidspot that they value communicating with their twins and that they can tend to their needs just by listening to them.
The mum said that she was amazed to learn that even from a young age, her twins were aware of their bodily functions.
Caitlyn says that by focusing on her babies’ toilet needs through the Elimination Communication method, it allowed her to feel in control when everything was a little hectic.
She said: “It gave me something to focus on and tune into our new babies and we didn’t have any furniture to get wee on, so it was fine.”
The mum joked that after a few weeks the twins were needing the toilet constantly.
Caitlyn said that she did a lot of skin-to-skin contact with her twins and this allowed her to pick up on their toilet ‘cues’.
She said: “They would squirm and fuss and as soon as I put them on a potty they would pee straight away and then back to cuddling and happy.
“But if we missed it and they got wet they would cry.”
The mum revealed the babies would wee consistently after waking up and every half an hour she would hold them over the sink to give them a chance to wee.
She revealed that by the time they were eight months old, the twins were using the potty every morning.
Caitlyn joked that the only poo explosion they’ve faced was when Jeffrey bent down to pick up a nappy, which meant he couldn’t hold the baby over the sink in time – which resulted in a massive explosion all over the bathroom.
Since the twins are older, Caitlyn and Jeffrey now use a timing method for taking them for a wee, but rely on sounds and signals to know when they need a poo.
She said: “We do a grunting sound when they poo and a ‘pss’ sound for a wee to cue them.”
The parents know that the technique might not be for everyone, but it’s certainly worked for them.
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