Life with triplets is no joke. Life with toddlers is no joke. Life with toddler-aged triplets is mind-blowing. All the ‘joys’ of toddlerhood times a million.
The least I can do for you is to share some of the very few things I’ve learned as a mom to three wild two-year-olds. I’ve learned a lot while raising children, and I hope some of these tips can help guide you through toddlerhood. Some of these ideas are geared towards families with multiples, but a lot of it can also be applied to singletons or different-aged siblings!
- I know you’ve read it in all the books and all the blogs and all the things, but schedule, schedule, SCHEDULE. You will not survive without it. You will not survive if you start it and don’t stick with it. You’ve got to be diligent about every aspect of your schedule.
- Assign colors… for EVERYTHING. Before our girls could even distinguish colors, I had already engrained into their little brains that Abby was everything pink, Ellie was everything green, and Pressley was everything purple. It started when I found a set of cups that were pink, green, and purple. I assigned one cup to each girl, put a name sticker on it (for nursery workers or family members that helped us), and that cup stuck with that girl for life. The colors carried over into forks/spoons, toothbrushes, lunch boxes, hats, and really anything else that needed to be distinguished. This avoided SO MANY FIGHTS because if I saw Ellie with a pink cup, I automatically knew it was Abby’s rather than me having to think back to which girl got which cup that day. They fully embraced it and (so far) have never questioned why they have to have that cup.
- On that note, I got these super cute name stickers as a gift from a dear friend. They helped when I sent cups or anything else to nursery, but also for me at home. I even placed these stickers on the inside heel of their tennis shoes so that I didn’t have to check the sizes of each shoe every time. The girls have always been about a half size apart, so anytime we have matching sets of shoes, these stickers are lifesaving.
- When packing snacks for an outing, always pack three of everything, and distribute at the same time. I learned that if I gave Pressley crackers while Ellie had raisins, they inevitably want the other sister’s snack instead of their own. But if they both have crackers or raisins, there’s no fighting. ((Theoretically…. ;))
- I am not above bribery. Judge me all you want to, but let me ask you this question…. would you have a job if you didn’t get paid for your work? We all work for a reward or payment, and I don’t expect my toddlers to be any different. Now, I don’t think they deserve a reward for EVERYTHING, but if it avoids a total epic meltdown, you better believe I’m gonna do it. Yes, I know, I know, I know that there are certain things they should just do because Mommy said so. Trust me, we have plenty of those discussions. But, if I can get her to eat that last bite of broccoli by proposing a dessert, or if she reluctantly wears the stupid pink boots because mom promised she could pick out the movie for movie night, yep I’m all in.
- What one gets, they all want. If you pick one up out of the wagon or out of the high chair, you better be prepared to pick them all up. If you let one sit on your lap during dinner, you will need more than one lap. (AKA just don’t). Similar to the snacks argument in #4, if you give one child something, they will all expect that something. On the contrary, I do think there are certain items they should be able to claim as their own that they do not have to share with anyone (loveys for sleeping, maybe certain toys, etc.)
- Swim diapers do not hold pee. They are designed to keep in solids (poop), but any liquid will run right through them. I personally kinda think they are a waste of money because they do nothing more than normal underwear. Even if the poop is slightly runny/soft, the water running through the diaper will pull particles of poop with it, which basically means nothing is held in. It’s nasty, yes, and therefore I do not see the value of swim diapers. But if you choose to use them, I suggest waiting until you are actually ready to put baby into the water unless you want pee in the carseat.
- If you do not have multiples, I suggest avoiding the small toddler potty. Instead, purchase the seat that sits on top of your normal toilet. I found it necessary to have the small potties because I have a million kids using them at the same time, but I do not like them at all. They have to be cleaned every time, and if your toddler chooses to transfer their droppings into the big potty by themselves, you are asking for spillage on the floor. However, when potty training, if you are going to be leaving the house, the small potties are crucial to keep in the trunk of your car. It’s inevitable that when you’re walking out of Target with your cart full of stuff that your toddler will then decide she needs to potty. Instead of going back into the store, voila! Pull out that potty and plop her on it. Also handy when you’re at a park with no bathroom. I also suggest keeping either coffee filters or plastic grocery bags to line the inside of the potty. When poopoo happens, this lining makes cleanup much easier.
- When getting them out of the car by myself, I tell the first child to stand next to me and “touch Mommy’s leg” while I’m getting the next child out. Once I get the second child, I hold both girls’ hands and walk to the other side of the car. They will both touch mommy’s leg while I’m getting the third out. I used to have them touch the side of the car, but I realized I had to constantly keep looking back to see if they were still there. If they’re touching my leg, then I can feel and know that they are still right next to me, and I’m not as stressed while getting the next child out.
- Yogurt tubes! My girls love yogurt, but it’s always such a mess when they use their spoons. Solution: freeze it! When they were really little, I would scoop the yogurt into a plastic sandwich bag, cut a hole in the corner, and squeeze it out to create yogurt drops on wax paper. Stick the pan in the freezer, then transfer them all to a smaller container and pull them out when needed! I then discovered that I could just buy the yogurt already in tubes, freeze it, peel off the wrapper, and chop the yogurt stick into appropriately sized bites. Now that they are older and more independent, I still freeze the tube, but I can now just cut it across the middle and hand each girl one half of the stick. They love the independence of being able to hold it themselves and push it up from the bottom. This method also works great with those freeze pops that come in the clear plastic tubes! Most kids can’t eat the entire tube fast enough before it starts to melt and make a mess. This way, you can still eventually give them the other half without it melting!
Feel free to share your favorite toddler tips in the comments–especially for multiples!
For a compilation of my favorite products to use with babies through toddlers, see my previous posts!
