Transcript: Keeping Clothes on Your Toddler Twins

View Episode

Twin Talks
Keeping Clothes on Your Toddler Twins

[00:00:00]

Please be advised, this transcription was performed from a company independent of New Mommy Media, LLC. As such, translation was required which may alter the accuracy of the transcription.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Are your toddlers little Houdini Escape Artist? Do you find that after getting them dressed for the day, they somehow managed to stripped down to their diapers or worst yet, they decide to go diaper free throughout the house. What can you do? Our twin parents are here to talk about keeping cloths on your toddler twins. This is Twin Talks.

[Theme Music/Intro]

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Welcome to Twin Talks Broadcasting from the Birth Education Center of San Diego. Twin Talks is your weekly online on the go support group for expecting a new parent to twins. I'm your host, Christine Stewart Fitzgerald. Have you heard about the Twin Talks Club? Our members get bonus content after each new show plus special giveaways and discounts. Subscribe to our monthly Twin Talks newsletter and learn about the latest episodes available. Another way for you to stay connected is by downloading our free Twin Talks app. It’s available in the Android, iTunes, and Windows marketplace. Before we get started, let’s introduce ourselves. Let’s see here, we’ve got Carrie on the phone with us today. Tell us a little bit about your family.

CARRIE: Hi, my name is Carrie. I live in Ocean City, Maryland with my husband and our fraternal seven year old girl and our identical two year old girls. I stay home with them and blog in my free time called New to duo.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: All right, okay, and in our studio, let’s see, Sunny, our producer.

SUNNY GAULT: Yeah, hi everybody. I am mommy to four kiddos. My oldest is five and he’s a boy named Sayer, Urban is my three year old son and then I have identical twin girls, Ainsley and Adison who are just over two. Yeah, everyone keeps me pretty busy and I will say, I’ve got a lot to talk about on this topic of keeping clothes on your twins because, my girls think they live in a nudist colony.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: And I'm your host, Christine Stewart Fitzgerald. I’ve got six year old identical girls and I have a singleton who thinks that she’s another twin, so we’ve kind of have to tell her, sorry, you are different age, and that’s okay, really? Now, I’ve been pretty fortunate. When they were little, they really didn’t strip down their diapers but I can say now, I don’t know. It’s like they wear uniformed to school and as soon as they get home, they just take their uniforms off and they run around their underwear.

SUNNY GAULT: Do you think it’s an underwear thing or you think they just know about the uniforms and do they ever put on other clothes or they just want to be in their underwear?

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: They like to be in their underwear at home.

SUNNY GAULT: Really?

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah, at six years old, so I don’t know if it’s just like regression…

SUNNY GAULT: Is it lie untie the men like they’re out of their uniforms and they’re free and they’re running around and like, no uniform for me mom.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: You know that might be, yes.

SUNNY GAULT: You’re sticking it to the man.

[Theme Music]

SUNNY GAULT: All right, so we have a fun segment on the show they called “Twin Oops” and it’s where we turn to you guys for your stories on things that’ve happen with your twin’s funny things, embarrassing stories, all that good stuff. And I posted some stuff to the Multiples of America Facebook page. I got a whole bunch of responses and a lot of them were super funny. This one from Stephanie, I thought was really cute.

Stephanie writes, when my boys where about three and a half years old, we were sitting in a restaurant, a quite busy one, I might add, and my smaller meaner twin belts really loud, and then, announced to the whole restaurant, I just farted in my mouth. The whole place erupted with laughter. So seriously? Like I'm not … My twins barely talk yet, right? So I have not had this but my singletons, I could totally picture one of my boys. My boy is doing this, so I don’t know. You guys have any … Have your twins ever really embarrassed you in public doing something like this? Something crazy Christine?

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Well, not yet but I mean, I can say, when we were potty training and would be in the public bathrooms and sometimes, you know, and we try to be anatomically correct in things, you know. So there in their potty training and then they’re talking, mommy, I have to do this and that, and then sometimes, you know, of course I bring them and stroll with me.

And so then when they start describing what I'm doing, I'm like, you know, that’s when I get a little be embarrass, yeah. Mommy, are you going popoo?

SUNNY GAULT: What about you Carrie? Any funny stories?

CARRIE: I could go on and on but since we’re talking potty training and potty words, I have had the conversation with my girls since day one about stay dressed and we need to go to potty, you know, in the bathroom, and I can’t tell you how many times I have caught the girls outside, front yard, pulling each other's pants down and pee in the front yard, and in the neighbor whom everybody’s out. You know, fine when they were like two and in potty training. I was like, you guys are six now. You really need to stop like, so yeah, they think the rules don’t apply when it comes to public and they should say…

SUNNY GAULT: So funny. Well, you know, it’s because they’re twins. They’re doing it together. I guess there’s, I don’t know that. I can do anything with my twin right there with me kind of attitude, right?

CARRIE: Yeah.

SUNNY GAULT: This is funny. Okay, well, Stephanie, thank you so much for sending this into us and writing on the Facebook page. We really appreciate it. If you guys have funny “Twin Oops” stories, you want to share with us, you can email us through our website at www.newmommymedia.com and also through our website. You can actually send us a voicemail straight to the website. Don’t ever have to pick up your phone. It just uses the microphone from your computer and it’s kind of just email straight to us, so again, all that’s on our website.

[Theme Music]

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Well, we’re here today with our expert parents, talking about how to deal with toddler twins who’d like to strip off their clothes and diapers.

SUNNY GAULT: The last part is really the really scary part, it’s the diaper part.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah.

SUNNY GAULT: I mean, the cloth thing is annoying. The diaper part is really what makes it like waist slam city.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yes.

SUNNY GAULT: Yeah.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: So I don’t know. How about your guys? Okay, so Carrie, for you, when did it start? I mean, when where they capable of stripping down?

CARRIE: Well, I'm going to say by well, before year and it’s more so if they can get to each other and strip each other down before they were able to strip themselves down, if that makes sense but they…

SUNNY GAULT: That’s true.

CARRIE: Pulling each other’s diaper or pulling their clothes and just get each other zippering their jammies. As long as I can remember, those shots have been doing this.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: And it’s still going on?

CARRIE: It’s still going on. It’s never going to end.

SUNNY GAULT: Wow, so it’s still going on with both of your sets of twins Carrie?

CARRIE: Well, the older girls definitely love being … I know they’re seven now. They, you know, we’re going to beach, I'm like, you need to wear your shirt or bikini top or dress guard or something, they’re like, why? And I'm like, well, you’re girls you and you’re getting to that age, you know, there’s boys around and you guys are starting you know, they see each other’s differences. Yeah, all my girls like to be free.

SUNNY GAULT: Free as bird. I was going to say, your older twins, they just pee in the front yard. That’s all, dropped down.

CARRIE: They just turned in seven in December, so yeah, last holiday. I spoke to them right in the front yard, peeing in the front yard. Well, they don’t want to come inside? I'm like, oh my God. Can’t you see the people out there? You got to be careful.

SUNNY GAULT: It’s funny.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: I mean, I’ve heard that you let the boys pee but you know, that’s the first tip for girls.

SUNNY GAULT: Yeah, because it’s harder for us to do this.

CARRIE: Yeah.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yes. Now, how about you Sunny? Your girls, do they start early?

SUNNY GAULT: No, my story is a little bit different. First of all, I did not have this happen before. I did not know. It was possible to just constantly like it throughout your day just try to keep close on your kids. I didn’t know this was a problem parent’s had until I had my girls and yeah, don’t really know what it was but I mean, I would say how old are they now, there’s little over two. Right about it, I mean, I’ve only been going through this for three or four months but I will say that it is time consuming. I feel like all my day is either picking up cloths that they will try to put on and take off, you know or just trying to keep something on that. I mean, it really is time consuming, really.

CARRIE: Yeah.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: And then now, do they strip down to their diaper or they take the diaper off?

SUNNY GAULT: We kind of have an understanding that I kind of negotiate with them a little bit and I told them that they can … They love to change their clothes. This is a big thing for them.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Little fashionista?

SUNNY GAULT: They are and they’ve got some great clothes, so I really can’t blame them but I leave their bedroom open, obviously they share bedroom, whatever and because in their bedroom, they’ve got this toy box that has all their toys in it. I leave the bedroom open. I know a lot of twin parents refused to like leave any bedrooms open where they can get into close. I’ve just resolved myself to the fact that you know, it’s going to pick your poison. You know, do I want my girls to take off all their clothes and be naked or can I work with them a little bit?

We basically have this understanding and for the most part, they do follow this. The exception is nap time and bed time but during the day, I tell them they can pretty much have that their clothes as long as they keep their diapers on. And then, I'll just do with the pickup afterwards like it doesn’t matter if I'm picking up toys or picking clothes like it’s kind of the same thing.

CARRIE: Right.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: So you’re mostly concern like the mat, they just leave on master changing their clothes and they leave them on the floor, not in the house…

SUNNY GAULT: Well, and that’s been a new development like by bigger concern overall was taking off the diaper but I will say within the last like … This is recent, very recent, like the last 10 days to week. I’ve been able to talk to them a little bit more about okay, if you’re going to do this, at least keep your diaper on.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah.

SUNNY GAULT: So I mean, it really do talk…

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: We do not want to have pee and poop in the house, yeah.

SUNNY GAULT: It’s gross, it’s gross.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: No, I'm with you. So Carrie, how about … I mean, do they get down the diaper or no diaper? What’s their deal?

CARRIE: They hate clothes. They’ll get dress. They dress but it’s more that they just hate clothes. Their diaper, they go to places where they take them off. Sometimes, if they even pee a tiny bit that they kick it off and like Sunny, I have tons of conversation where, are we going to go potty on the potty or you’re going to showcase diaper off, to the very last drop that it can hold their . . .

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah.

CARRIE: Yeah. They don’t want to change their clothes. They just don’t want to be in their clothes at all.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Is it mostly in the daytime when they just take their clothes off or do they do it at night?

CARRIE: Yeah.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Pajamas or mostly daytime?

CARRIE: Mostly daytime, mostly during the day. Once they get down to their jammies, they’re usually tired and they’re ready for bed but it’s usually like a daytime thing. It doesn’t matter for in or out, they’ll just start stripping down, grocery store, at the birthday party and sad to say, I have to not attend it but I'm not taking the [inaudible] today.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: So literally, when they’re out and about in public at parks and birthday parties and everything else. They’re just stripping down.

CARRIE: Just strip down, yes. They will strip down.

SUNNY GAULT: Oh, my goodness. Carrie, I feel for you so bad because at least, my girls are kind of modest about it. It’s like something is getting true to them like they know they’re not supposed to do it because they really don’t try on public at all even if we’re at the play day, they don’t really try. It’s when we’re home, and then suddenly, all butts are off, and all clothes are off.

CARRIE: Yeah.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Okay, I'm trying to imagine this. Okay, so this sounds like it just happened at the birthday party. They’re at the birthday party. They’re playing and then what happens? Where they even get the idea?

SUNNY GAULT: The strip means that comes on them.

CARRIE: Yeah, that’s why I'm sure, following their mom’s foots step. Now, I don’t know what triggers it. It usually like they got dirty or they dripped water on it from washing their hands or whatever. And I also have noticed they’re helping each other take the shirt off or take their pants off, so I stick to a lot of like overalls or rompers or something like that that’s a lot more difficult for them to stripped down but yes, they’ll just start taking that shirt off and if they can’t get off, they start screaming.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Oh, my gosh. So if they get something wet, they feel like, oh I got my clothes dirty or I got it wet and it’s like, I'm just uncomfortable. I'm like, okay, it’s going to go.

CARRIE: Right. Yup, and then they get … Yup. Partly, probably my fault because when they were little, I’ve never thought that I was like, you know what, you’re what, just take it off, I'm not washing more clothes to just say, you just have to stay naked for it to dry and you need to put it back on, so I probably freed these monsters.

The older girls would be exact same way. They hated being in their clothes, hated it.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Wow, I don’t know but it’s like a sensory kind of thing? I mean, we know we’re not a psychology but I know like some kids, you know, they get like overly stimulated with toucher, you know, things like rubbing on their skin or something. I don’t know.

SUNNY GAULT: Carrie, do you have any ideas what’s causing it with your kids?

CARRIE: I don’t. They’ve never complained about materials and like I can ask my older girls but my one daughter Harper, she’s always hot. She’s always been hot. She just doesn’t like clothes like the weather, we’re at 60 today and she was in t-shirt and shorts and that’s how she’s comfortable. I think they just don’t want anything wrapped around them, confining them, maybe when they’re playing. I don’t know what it is. I’ve never really thought about. I going back my days until my husband, when the girls were older also like four of them were on the beach, so can you please start putting shirt on them? And I'm like, oh yeah, that’s probably bad. Just having them little bikini…

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Wow.

CARRIE: Nobody ever said anything or mention this. They just move at the boys and girls would be half naked.

SUNNY GAULT: Yeah.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah, because they used to it, yeah.

SUNNY GAULT: Right.

CARRIE: Yes.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: No, I mean, you said they’re both taking their clothes off. Is there one of them is sort of instigating it? That they start stripping down and then the other one follows or they just kind of do it together?

CARRIE: With the older girls, I can’t really remember if there was one necessarily leader between the two of them but the younger ones now, I don’t think there’s one … If one struggle and the other will definitely help get that shirt off or whatever or like I put their jammies on backward to the zippers in the back and they will run over to their sister and say, you know, unzipper me unzipper per me and they’ll turn around and unzipper them and unbutton their pants. If I put them backwards, they try to keep them dress longer, so it’s a no win.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Oh, my gosh, now, Sunny, for you, I mean, is it both of them or just one are just want an instigator?

SUNNY GAULT: One is definitely the instigator. Baby B, my Adison was baby B and she’s just more adventurous overall like she’s going to be my trouble maker and I know we’re not supposed to say that but I know, she’s going to be my trouble maker because her sister is just the exact opposite. I mean, she’s just like sweetest, most demure little thing and just you know, I can tell actually who’s instigating it because like, you know, when we’re talking about sleeping at night, I mean, yeah, they’re taking off clothes and putting … Like during the day, it’s more about trying on clothes.

I think it’s more of an activity thing, just wanting to put different clothes on it and you know, to do something on their own, to successfully be able to put on pants even though they’re inside out or whatever. But then, when I put them down for their naps, one twin pretty much always wakes up naked and like I know that that twin, you know, it’s really obvious to tell who’s doing it and the other one will be fully clothes and I'm like, well, this isn’t hard to figure out you know.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: The instigator.

SUNNY GAULT: Yes, there is an instigator.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Okay, well, we’re going to take a break. When we come back, we’re going to talk about some strategies for keeping those clothes on.

[Theme Music]

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Well, welcome back. Today, we’re talking with our expert parents about keeping clothes on your toddler twins. I think Carrie, you’ve mentioned putting clothes on backwards and putting zippers. What are some of the other different strategies that you’ve used to keep them during the day and naps?

CARRIE: Well, definitely, the jammies on backward, so the pants on backward, so they can’t quite get do the bodies of the zippers, and wrappers and like those rolls, those really help because they couldn’t less really pull to hold, dress off or get the snaps undone all the way to get undone. Also, we put underwear over their diapers. Some people will use like the bloomers but I think with the little ones, they like underwear because they were like their big sisters or like mom. And that, for some reason would detour them from ripping off their diapers and we’ve got to the extent of using duct tape.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: You have.

SUNNY GAULT: I’ve done that. Actually, I did the Gorilla tape which I thing is like stronger than duct tape.

CARRIE: Yeah, because you do, you’re just sort of like, enough is enough.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Oh, my gosh.

SUNNY GAULT: Didn’t you see it? I put it on Facebook. I totally taped up my twin.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Okay.

SUNNY GAULT: Actually, kind of like a stylish, like a leader belt near with their…

CARRIE: Yes.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Just so we know, how do you get it off?

SUNNY GAULT: No, it was just it. I did it once because I am at that point where I will duct tape and so, it started out kind of almost as a dear to myself like, okay, how far do I have to push myself? Okay, I'm there. Then, I tried it and then, I was like, this is even harder than like picking up a diaper and putting on a new diaper. I don’t know if I can keep. I needed to find another solution but I did it at least once and I took pictures.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: And now, how do they react to it? Did they try to go hey, mommy, serious.

SUNNY GAULT: No, that it was great. You should’ve seen them like playing with it, you know, grabbing necklaces and put them, and they thought they you know, and get some high heels out. They would fashion.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: With fashion accessories.

SUNNY GAULT: Yeah.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Oh, my gosh.

SUNNY GAULT: It didn’t work as far as getting the point across to them of what I wanted.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah.

CARRIE: Yeah.

SUNNY GAULT: At least just more me, retaliating.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: But you can say you’ve done it.

SUNNY GAULT: I have done it.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yes. Now, I just want to tell you, so backwards, within backward clothes, sometimes safety pins…

SUNNY GAULT: Okay, so safety pins. I know that sounds horrible but I was like at my wits end. What I did, my biggest problem again is not that they’re doing this during the day because I can usually reason with them but it was more so at night and I'm not even sure what point because I don’t have camera in the room or whatever, so I'm really wasn’t sure about point at night or during that time that they were doing this but any kind of sleepers would not work whatsoever and that’s what I usually giving them or if it was just a nap during the day, didn’t matter what I had on them during the day, that would be off, both babies off, just off diapers, off everything off.

I tried to do onesie stuff. I don’t know. They were able to take of onesies without even unsnapping. Don’t even ask me how they, you know, little Houdinis like you said before. That’s what happened there. I tried to do more … I tried to look online for like some sort of only thing I can acquitted too. It’s like almost like those old school like body suit things that were really kind of tighter because I was looking for something to put under close so that if they tried to take off their clothes during the day, they would still have this undergarment on and therefore not be able to take off their diapers but yeah, I mean, I’d literally tried anything.

So back to the safety pin thing. When nothing like that would work, I was really kind of go and back in forth and I was like wow, I don’t like the idea of safety pins for obvious reasons, right? If they’d get it off, it could hurt them. But honestly, I got to a point where I did try safety pins and they still took it off.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: My God, wow.

SUNNY GAULT: They still took it off. No one got hurt, but then, I was like, okay, so I'm stressed out because I'm using safety pins and they still take it off, so obviously this is not a good solution either for my problem. And I thought about like those old school like diaper pin thing. I was trying to think what would be the most safe way to use a safety pin kind of item?

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Right.

SUNNY GAULT: I never ended up getting those but when the safety pins didn’t work, I was just like, oh, this just isn’t working. For some reason that wearing the jammies backward because you’re kind of have to twist the feet.

CARRIE: Yeah.

SUNNY GAULT: If it has feet in it. So I guess some of them don’t. But if it has feet in it, you must have to twist it. And that never worked for us. I mean, I can’t really say that I tried it for a long time or it was just really awkward to me like I was like I wouldn’t want to wear something like that. I had this really girly awkward, I don’t know. It’s tough for me to kind of do that.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah, yeah.

CARRIE: Yeah.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: How about Carrie, did you do anything special? What was your strategy?

CARRIE: No, I am zero place that I'm still fighting with it but unlike Sunny, I didn’t have that big of an issue at nap for night time. Mine is more during the day. I haven’t been successful in negotiating with them or convincing them to keep it on at this point yet but someone is right there on the corner but I give them yes, a better idea or a better solution. I would definitely welcome on it.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah. Now, I’ve heard there is like some specialty clothing.

SUNNY GAULT: There are different companies online that do this but one in particular is a company and they’re called Little Keeper Sleeper and basically, they create this kind of what we’re talking about Carrie with the background jammies but these don’t have feet in them. I don’t know if you’re already familiar with them but they don’t have feet in them. It’s a thicker jammie. You can get it without sleeps, so it can be sleeveless for summer time stuff or it can be long sleeve but they still don’t have feet in them. They’re supposed to fit really snug.

They have some cute little designs but the zipper, so the zipper starts down by the ankle and goes all the way up to the back and there is like a few different snaps at the top, so you zip it up in the back so they’re not supposed to be able to reach, right? And then, there are like a little flop that goes over and snaps and then a couple more snaps. And the snaps are pretty difficult to undo and it goes up pretty high up on their neck. It’s not like a turtle neck but it goes up pretty high up on their neck.

This has been the best thing that I have found and I know other parents have tried other products that are similar but this one in particular seems to work really, really well and actually, I reach out to the company because I know we’re doing this episode and I know that it was actually triplet mom who started the company for the various same reasons that we’re talking about today like I mean, kind of enough is enough. And so, she’s got an interesting story of her own.

So I’ve reached out to her and she is actually going to give all of the Twin Talks listeners a 10% discount. So if you guys are listening to this or just special promo code that you need to enter if you go to the website but I'll include the link on our website as well as the discount code and in that way, if this is something that you know, you guys are just at you’re like boiling point where you’re like I have got to do something and that’s totally where I was with my twins. This may be a good option for you.

With the very least, you could check it out and there’s obviously pictures and stuff on the website but that has been the only piece of clothing that has worked and honestly, it worked so well for us that a lot of the times, there’s just one of those days that I don’t want to pick up a bunch of clothes off the floor all the time that my twins will stay in like 24 hours and I just like hey, you know, just give myself a little break for the day. I brought a few different pairs so I just kind of rotate them out.

I can’t even tell you how much like time and energy I’ve spent and money for their cribs because they were peeing through everything at night and taking off all their clothes in a nap time. I was buying so many … Well, first of all, kind of destroyed their crib mattresses, right? And so I had to get like the special protective covering to cover the crib mattresses so, I needed something I can just wipe off liquid as opposed to you know, any other mattress cover was not working, not working whatsoever. And so, I had to get that on.

And then, I had to get all of these different crib sheets that I was literally washing like four pairs of crib sheets a day just with nap time in night time. So, to give all of that up, you know, was like a blessing. Yeah, you just get to a point where you are just like, I will take anything that works. So, if you’re at that point, visit our website because this is definitely work.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah.

CARRIE: Yeah, very cool.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Now, I'm just thinking, we talked about the age and we’re talking about toddler twins and their stripping down, so this might be like a natural transition for potty training. I mean, have you guys use it as an opportunity like, okay, hey, if you’re naked and you’re taking your diaper off, why don’t you go sit on the potty? I don’t know. Have you done any of that or thought about it?

CARRIE: You know what, that’s a really good point that you brought up because the baby just turn … I'm just calling them, no I was building so they’re in college but they turn two at the end of December and they has an strongly show and finds of using the potty and I have not been ready. I'm like, god if I could just get my act together like we just move and like started to teaching some more classes at a local college. I said, I can’t add potty training because I don’t know how you guys were but the first time around, I was like, it’s almost that the parent or the adult needs to be mentally ready to deal with that challenge.

SUNNY GAULT: Yeah.

CARRIE: And I'm just there yet, but they have try to go on the potty themselves so I probably need to just say, you know, say that you know, hundred bucks a month with diapers and just get on the potty. It’s a good point, yeah.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: It’s like, okay, you’re naked over there.

CARRIE: Yeah, just go ahead.

SUNNY GAULT: Yeah, I mean, I definitely thought that they have you know, their own little potty shares in the bathroom but honestly, they’ve been there for like six more than six months probably. I’ve taken them in there and they’ve sat on there a little bit but originally, when I started doing this that was my thought. I was like, how could I make the most of us. And making the most of it really means Potty training them, so you don’t have to worry about this anymore and then, you know, isn’t that as big of a deal, but it’s just so hard like I'm with Carrie on that.

You have to be so mentally prepared for that and I'm still struggling with my three and a half year old to get him to do everything to do potty wise that I mean, if I was free and clear of the three and a half year old, almost four now being able to do it, then I might be more open to thinking about twins. If I'll be training twins, but like now, I'm just kind of in this like I feel like I'm dog paddling and I'm just like trying to keep my head above the water. I mean, it’s a great idea and theory depending on your personal situation.

CARRIE: Yeah.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah. You know, and I think and like, speaking of like other siblings too, okay so now, I know Carrie like both of your sons are like the little Houdini, the escape artist but I mean, now, Sunny, how about your singleton? Your older boys? I mean, do they strip down?

SUNNY GAULT: Not at all, it’s like came out of I don’t even know, I feel craziness but I will say, so this has have an impact on my other kids especially my three and a half year old, four year old, somewhere in between there, he loves his little sisters. In fact I think he likes to play with his little sisters more than his older brother. And so, what happens is the babies will strip down and then he will think that it’s okay to strip down. It’s like he’s regressing.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Right.

SUNNY GAULT: But, he’s not necessarily taking his underwear off, but before I know, and then, even the other day then my five year old, I was like, well, everyone is taking their clothes off, I'll take my clothes off and I'm just like people, we are like just an underwear society in this house, like I don’t understand. So I have seen that it’s had what I consider the negative impact.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Wow, who would think the little kids would have such an influence on the big ones.

SUNNY GAULT: So much power in this house.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah.

SUNNY GAULT: But I mean, it’s all cute and kind of fun but at the same time, you know.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Well, how about you Carrie, I mean, in either case to the older set of you know, influence the younger or vice versa?

CARRIE: You know, as Sunny would say that I was trying to think of my own situation and they definitely don’t influence the bigger girls. I think if anything, the bigger girls try to encourage them to dress like them and put on some dress or something at least put, no, they’re all such with kid little nudist that I'm just giving up. I'm just giving up.

SUNNY GAULT: Take pictures Carrie and when they get older and they start dating, that’s when you get retribution.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Yeah, hilarious.

CARRIE: That is right.

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: All right, well thanks so much for expert parents for joining us today and be sure to visit our episode page on our website for more information about toddle clothing strategies as well as links to additional resources. This conversation continues for members of our Twin Talks Club. After the show, we’ll talk about those embarrassing moment when toddler decide to strip down. For more information about the Twin Talks Club, visit our website, www.newmommymedia.com .

[Theme Music]

SUNNY GAULT: Okay, so we have question for one of our experts and Ella wrote this in and it’s regarding her fraternal twin. She says, I am currently 32 weeks pregnant with fraternal twins, and she says, I'm wondering if it’s normal to feel movement mostly on one side, could that be the both babies are laying in a position that they could all be kicking on my left side, and by the way, they’re doing lots of kicking or what could be the problem. So let’s check in and see what our experts have to say.

RICHMOND: Hi Ella. I'm Dr. Richmond, one of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialists from the San Diego Perinatal Center. That’s a great question and the answer is yes. Babies can absolutely be in the position where you feel all the movement on one side. Sometimes, they’re both laying sideways and so hand and feet or both on your left side and then all the spines are on the right for example or maybe it’s just kind of the angle that they’re laying it. As long as you’re feeling both babies move and you’re feeling a lot of good movement, then I wouldn’t worry too much.

If you’re having trouble distinguishing if one of them is moving of not, that’s something you may want to give your doctor’s office a call.

[Theme Music]

CHRISTINE STEWART FITZGERALD: Well, that’s wraps up our show for today. We appreciate you listening to Twin Talks

Don’t forget to check out our sister show:
• Preggie Pals for expecting parents
• Boob Group for moms who breastfeed
• Parent Savers for parents with infants and toddlers and
• Newbies for newly postpartum moms
This is Preggie Pals, your pregnancy your way.

[Disclaimer]
This has been a New Mommy Media production. The information and material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. While such information and materials are believed to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional, medical advice or care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating health care problem or disease or prescribing any medications. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified health care provider.

SUNNY GAULT: New Mommy Media is expanding our line-up of shows for new and expecting parents. If you have an idea for a new series, or if you’re a business, or organization interested in joining our network of shows through a co-branded podcast, visit www.NewMommyMedia.com.

[00:33:21]
[End of Audio]

View Episode