I hope you guys don't mind me posting here, but I need help DESPERATELY from you veteran moms!!!!!! My name is Jennifer and I have bbg triplets that are almost 2 1/2.

I can not for the life of me keep clothes and diapers on my kids!
We've been spending the last 3 days upstairs in my kitchen and in
our dining room (that already has crappy carpeting that we were
going to replace this summer). I do not know what to do! I've
tried everything I can think of!!!

Blanket sleepers on backwards (didn't work), inside out (didn't
work), inside out and backwards (didn't work) with diaper pins
holding the zipper shut (didn't work).

Duct tape the diaper velcro strips to the diaper (didn't work)

Duct tape the shirts to the pants (didn't work).

Putting them in pull ups (didn't work)

Putting them in regular big kid underwear (didn't work).

Suspenders (didn't work)

Im at the point of duct taping the diapers to their SKIN!!!

Abby (dd) has the potty thing down now, after being upstairs for 3 days and me saying over and over again (until my throat is raw) "Let's use the potty.." Abby has finally gotten it! She hasn't made a poopy in the potty yet but she'll go to her potty chair and pee w/o being asked. Blaine (ds) will sit on the potty chair for all of 2 seconds and Wyatt (ds) won't go anywhere NEAR the potty chair!! He freaks out and starts screaming if I even bring him close to the
potty chair. So I don't feel my boys are really ready for potty training yet.

At naptime Im at my wits end! Today we duct taped the kids shirts
to their pants and also ran duct tape between their legs and over
their shoulders so they had permenant (sp?) suspenders (LOL), Wyatt
stayed in his clothes through naptime. Abby stayed in her clothes
through naptime, but Blaine (lol) took off his clothes and diaper
and fell asleep w/ nothing on. I didn't even wake him, I am sooo
exhausted from the last 3 days of trying to keep clothes on all
three of them that I just let him sleep and dealt with the wet sheet
after he woke up.

At night we usually put them to bed when they are soo exhausted so
blanket sleepers w/ pins to keep the zipper closed has been
working.

I can't even take my kids out of the house!!!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer,

Our parenting mantra is : Choose Your Battles! (and whatever you choose, make sure you WIN)
I discovered that clothing my children was not one of the must-win issues. Safety, basic hygiene and some form of civil obedience were my hot buttons. More than once I had to walk down the street retrieving clothes from our stripping children. (Our ped lived across the street and she encouraged us to let them have a bit of freedom, provided it was not too cold or wet outside. They won't do it forever.)
The good news is they stopped right around their 3rd birthday. It is just a stage. Know that your kiddos will go to school wearing clothes--and leaving them on--not wearing diapers, and have passed the thumb-sucking stage
The best stage (IMHO is very close!!!
Hang in there and let them toss their clothes. Just make them pick up their clothes! (that is the one thing I should have enforced)
Hugs, Tracey


Drill Sergeant Diva,
Academy of Toddler Mayhem
...hup, two, three,four
singing, playing, toys galore...

Tracey

Michael (11)
Francesca (10)
Matthew, Alexis & Gabrielle (8)
Torunn (Norwegian DD,20)
Johannes (German DS,17)

Thank you soo much Tracey!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Sorry I don't have any great advice. I didn't face this particular issue with my boys. But Tracey gave some really good info. Pick your battles. Perhaps it is more important for them to stay dressed while in a public place (of course it is - you don't want 3 naked kids at McDonald's Playland) but not make a big issue at home. The kids are old enough to understand consequences. You get undressed while we are out and we go home. No ______(fill in the blank of whatever item/event/experience) they were looking forward too.

Best wishes,

Sharon
7 year old b/b/b + 10 year old son

**The kids are old enough to understand consequences.**

Sharon Im glad yet suprised to read this. I try to compromise with my kids with many things like "You can watch TV after you eat". And they just don't seem to understand. Do you really think they are old enough to get the idea "that you give a little, I'll give a little"? These are my first kids (and the way this week is going the last lol) so Im real unknowledgabe on what I can expect of them and what I can't.

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer,

Hi, my boys turned 2 the end of Jan and they are definitely starting to figure out the "compromise" scenario - it is somewhat selective but I get pretty good response from them.

For example, when they want to go outside or have me put the slide in the family room I'll tell them, "we can't do that until you pick up your blocks, let's pick up the blocks." I was stunned the first time Colin walked right over and started putting the blocks away.

Don't get me wrong, they don't always like that they have to do something before they can do whatever it is they want at that moment and there are times they'll refuse and I don't have a good solution for that. I think that if you keep telling them these things they'll eventually respond.

As for the picking your battles, I too am a big believer in this and often find that the hardest thing is for me to be smart about picking them. As Tracey said, if you pick it you've gotta win it! So, in your example you say, "you can watch TV after you eat". This would be a battle I couldn't win in my house bc there are meals that they flat out DON'T eat and there's no way that I can win it - but I can win the pick up toys battle - although I usually help them pick up - I just make sure I don't end up picking everything up.

On the "no clothes" front - no idea. My older dd has always loved clothes and was able to dress herself by 2 1/2. One of my sons has started taking off his PJ's and undershirt before I get them up in the am so it may just be a matter of time with him....we'll see.

Good luck.
Marie

Marie

I also had this problem with my son at naptime. I found that I had to stay in their room until he went to sleep and watch him. They didn't like that because they enjoy goofing around a bit before going to sleep. It took about 2 weeks and then he moved on to something else. Now he often times only wears undies in the house and I am ok with that. Like Tracy, I choose my battles and I let him be responsible for what he wears. Do you let them dress themselves? I am sorry that I don't have any great advice here, but I am sure they'll give up and make you want to pull your hair out over something else soon. In my opinion so much changes for the little guys in their second year and sometimes it can be overwhelming for them. Ahhh, the joys of muliples.....

Theresa
mom to Amelia-8yrs
Katherine- 6yrs
Sam, Jane, & Sarah- 5/26/01

Theresa
DD-9
DD-7
GBG- 3.5

Thanks Theresa for posting. No I haven't even considered letting them dress themselves. Someone in another group I belong to mentioned that too, but I honestly don't see how it would help. My kids just hate wearing clothes period and Im not sure if it'll work.

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

I am glad to hear that Tracey's kids are keeping their clothes on, but mine all still like to be in various stages of undress on most days.LOL Granted, her gang is a little older than mine--maybe there's still hope. One son likes to wear his jeans without a shirt. One daughter stays fully clothed, but the other prefers to run around in her underwear. (The one who stays clothed told me her sister laughed at her when she was naked and it made her embarrassed...I can't imagine why since both girls look exactly the same!LOL) My almost three yr old also like to wear just his diaper. I don't have a problem with it...they all know they have to wear clothes when they go out in public. Maybe your kids are too warm and they are trying to get comfortable...just an idea.

Keeping the diaper on is non-negotiable if they are not going to the potty. We would duct tape the diaper then duct tape the shirt to the pants around and around several times. After about a week of that, my son just "forgot" that he wanted to take off his diaper. Maybe they would keep on some "special" pj's (certain characters or given by a special relative)???

**Maybe your kids are too warm and they are trying to get comfortable...just an idea.**

I laughed soo hard when I saw this, because my mom said the same thing to me last night. So I dropped the T-stat to 58° in the house! Im freezing and they're running around naked. I think all the jumping, climbing, wrestling and cliff diving they do off of various things helps them stay warm! lol

**We would duct tape the diaper then duct tape the shirt to the pants around and around several times. **

I can't even tell you how many rolls of duct tape we've gone through this past week. Im sure only 1 roll but it feels like sooo much more!! GRR We've done everything w/ the duct tape except for duct taping the diaper directly to their skin. No matter how tight I make the diaper, and no matter how much duct tape I put on they just wiggle their hips right out of the diaper and pull the diaper down..still fastened!!! Im considering putting a piece of duct tape around their wrists and around the cuff of their sleeves and then putting them in one piece outfits so they can't get their arms out, so they can't slide the one piece outfit down and get to their diapers. Mother of the Year reward...here I come..

Thanks for posting and giving me some ideas!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer.. thank goodness we didn't go through this. I however, have let my kids strip down as long as the diaper or underwear stays on. I think if you enforce that the diaper stays on no matter what, they might like it. Also I do like the idea of them picking up their clothes and when in public staying dressed. My friend with g/g/g hers are 2.5 years and she is going through the same thing. Nothing has worked for her yet eitehr. Sorry! Hope it passes soon!

Danielle
Easton, Blake and Hunter
1-24-99

Danielle
Easton, Blake & Hunter
1-24-99

My girls stripped down from 16 months until they were about 3. I couldn't keep any regular clothes on them at nap time. Finally, I found a solution. I got some one piece outfits with long legs that had buttons at the back of the neck. (Snaps wouldn't work- they could pull them open.) I sewed the seams between the legs closed so that the snaps couldn't be opened. Then we slid the girls in feet first through the neck opening. The outfits also needed to be made from a woven fabric that wouldn't stretch. They could stretch the neck hole of a knit outfit until they could wriggle out. Land's End makes some cute capri rompers. We used a lot of those in the warm months. They button in the front, but the girls wore them backwards at naptime. My grandmother also made them some one piece outfits that didn't open between the legs at all. One more thing, they could get their diaper tabs open through the fabric of their clothes until I put panties on over their diapers. I had almost forgotten about the "Houdini" stage. Writing this has made me chuckle.
Amy
ggb 3-1-00, Hurray!! They're 4!!

Amy you described my problem to the T!!!!!!! You're kids went through EXACTLY what my kids are going through now!!! I hope one day I can look back and chuckle at what Im going through now like you are!

Thanks sooo much for letting me know what worked for you! Im going to have to do exactly what you did, because my carpet is suffering BADLY from my boys. My dd is getting to be a real pro w/ potty training but the boys have no clue and Im going crazy with the Resolve Carpet Cleaner.

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Danielle thanks for posting! I really feel for your friend! Tell her Im going through the same thing and I know exactly what she's going through. {{HUGS TO HER}}

I wish they would compromise and just leave their diapers on. I wouldn't mind at all if they'd run around w/ only a diaper on they are as determined as I am. I want the diaper on, they want it OFF.

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

hi jennifer, yes we also did the duct tape thing, and mine were usually in nothing more than a diaper anyway, never wanting clothes on, much to my mother's dismay with all the nice clothes she bought them...lol. I found it only worked if it was wrapped completely around the diaper a few times so it really had a chance to stick duct tape to duct tape a good bit, and still never given the opportunity for them to tag team and work at it to get it off, so yea at nap time, i would lay down with them til they all fell to sleep, which also kept the goofing off to a minimum and kept nap time on schedule anyway. And just a side note and something to think about, yea or nay, i tried the potty training thing at like 2.5 also, and gave up with them all at different stages of readiness it was killing me...after a dozen raw eggs broke on kitchen floor while i was upstairs with one of them i said the heck with it, and it was much more pleasant, (if thats even possible) at 3 yo...
Just some of the things we did round here, the thoughts of safety pins always scared me to death, as 1 of my ds was so smart with things like that, i just knew he'd get one with the least opportunity so i just never went that route, duct tape was my best friend...and to this day, when people want to know some of my triplet stories they all get the biggest laugh out of it...just last week at karate class matter of fact!! LOL
best of luck getting through this stage, i do remember it vividly and thought it was the worst til the elem. school battles started!!
It never gets easier, just gets different.
triozoo
bb/g 8-7-97

Jennifer,
My kids did this not to just be naked but to play in their poop or each others.They were also very creative in getting out of things.I wrapped the duct tape around the diaper several times with them standing up they tend to be slimmer this way.I had to remove the diaper with scissors each time.Don't let it get the best of you,it will pass.I think it took my kids almost 6 mo.....sorry!We bought duct tape by the case at the hardware store.
Just don't forget to pack scissors in the diaper bag.Good luck!!!!
Becky
SAHM~
Emma,Amber,Ian 8/18/99
Olivia 9/29/00

Becky
Realtor in Ohio and Indiana
Emma,Amber,Ian 8/18/99
Olivia 9/29/00

I didn't have this problem (thankfully), but what if instead of focusing on keeping the diaper on, you keep them from being able to use their hands? Can you put mittens without thumbs on and duct tape those? Maybe that won't keep them from being able to remove the clothes and diapers, but it's just a suggestion. I hope you find a solution.

Trip33
Jared 10/96
Emily, Allison & Nathan 3/00 at 37 wks

I actually found a solution, similar to what you said above. I put onesies on all of them, duct taped the pants to the onesie and then duct taped the cuffs of their shirts around the wrists. What they were doing was taking off their shirts (the duct tape around the wrists prevents this now) then they were getting out of their onesies, then sliding their pants and onesies down and viola..they were at the diapers.

I don't know why I didn't think of this solution earlier. It's working so far, they can still get out of their shirts, but can't get their hands out of their shirts, so they can't get the onesies off.

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions and sympathy! I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, as long as duct tape is always being produced, I'll be happy! LOL

Edited to add: Now on to another delima! lol

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!

Jennifer
Mommy to:
Wyatt, Blaine & Abigail 10/09/01 (36wks/2dys)

Ask me how to join the Fall (Sept-Nov) 2001 Triplets email group!!