Disciplining 16-month-old triplets

Recently, the mom of sixteen-month-old triplets asked for suggestions for disciplining her trio. I thought my advice might be helpful to other moms, hence this blog post. Please add any tips you have, too!

First off, this is a hard age. The children are mobile, but not too stable and do not understand any safety issues yet. Everything is new and they are eager to explore. This is when we need to set the rules, because they don’t know any rules. So this is where we set the foundation.

I used a bumbo at first as the “no-no chair.” They sat in it in the corner, turned away from everyone else, for one minute. Then when they were done I had them try to say sorry or sign sorry. I would help them sign sorry and also verbally say it for them, setting the rule that after they are punished they need to say “sorry” to me or whomever they were naughty to.

As they got a bit older and too big for the bumbo, I put them in the laundry room and put a gate in front, for one minute. (One minute per year of their age.) If they were in their high-chair or booster at the table, I would turn them around so they were facing away from the table and everyone else.

One thing that worked really well for me was I would demonstrate the bad behavior and say, “aaah aaah ahhh” then demonstrate the good behavior and say, “yeah”. I would repeat this 3-9x. Someone once told me repeating it 9x that made them understand. And they did. To this day I’ll still say “ahh ahh ahh” and they stop dead in their tracks, one even says “Sorry” right away.

One memory I have is a day when they were jumping on the couch and I would say, “No jumping on the couch, aaah aaah aaaah.” Then put them in the no-no area. This went on for at least 1 hour, rotating all them numerous times into the no-no area. It eventually stuck and the next day, I said, “No jumping on the couch, aaah aaah aaaah” before they got onto the couch and, viola!, no more jumping. I tasted a bit of victory, and that sticking to it paid off. I remember this every time I need to set a new rule: I just need to stick to it and be consistent.

Good luck!

-Jeanmarie
Mom to 3.5-year-old BBG triplets

For Pregnant Triplet Moms: Answers to Some FAQs

I just found this old e-mail with my answers to some "questions" from other pregnant triplet moms. Hope some of the info is helpful! :)
–Cheryl, mom of 5-year-old GGB triplets

1. What did you find that you really used three of?
3 bouncys, 3 boppys, 3 bumbos, 3 high chairs, 2 swings, 1 "tummy time mat," and 2 exersaucers. I just rotated the babies between the "stations" I had set up. It worked great.

2. Did you have just one crib? If you did have just one, how long were you able to keep them all in it?
I had a "mini crib" that was in our room that all 3 slept together in for the first month. I then transferred them into a full-size crib (still in our room) that all 3 shared until 4 months. By 4 months...they were sleeping through the night but also rolling all over each other and waking each other up...so we separated them and put them in their own cribs in their own room. My triplets shared a bedroom (all 3 cribs in 1 room) until they were 3 years old.

3. I know I need 3 carseats and will need 3 high chairs and bouncy seats, but what about swings?
Yes, obviously 3 carseats & high chairs (I didn't have room for 3 full-size high chairs and that's why I opted for the kind that attach to a "normal" chair). The swing thing, well, all babies are different. Some love swings and others hate 'em....so it could be a wasted investment. Test one before buying any. I ended up buying one and borrowing one.

4. And what kind of car do you have?
A mini van! :) The newer Toyota Sienna's have room for 8. You need a spacious mini-van. Most triplet moms with SUV's say it's a HUGE pain and most all have given into the mini-van lifesyle! :) (Ya gotta get the "Got Triplets?" bumper stickers! :)

5. Speaking of, what kind of strollers did you get?
I had the triplet Peg Perego. I bought it new (plus the carseats) and spent around $1000. SUCKS! I would TOTALLY get one used if possible. (Check craigslist.com?) I'd send an e-mail out to our moms in San Diego to see if anyone is selling one. I also got a double and single umbrella stroller for when I was out and about with my husband or parents. Plus I bought a triplet jogger for the park. Plus I got a giant wagon with a shade and trailer on it. Yikes. I went a little overboard. :) What I liked about the Peg Perego triplet is I could go anywhere by myself easily. The 3 carseats just clicked in and off I went. It was easy and convenient. Once they outgrew their carseats...it was a little more work assembling the Peg...but I still liked the look of it and the ability to be out and about by myself. The kids got too heavy to push in it by around 2 yrs.- 2 1/2 yrs. old. I have friends that LOVE the runabout -- but it's not the most attractive stroller :(

6. My other questions (for now) are body-related. When did you begin to show? Was it way earlier than people with just one baby?
I was in full-blown maternity clothes by 12 weeks. I grew pretty fast....and I was quite excited to show off my belly since I was "FINALLY" pregnant after 5 years of trying and treatments. :) You will show early and get used to people asking really personal and annoying questions.... "are they natural/real?" "will you breastfeed" "do triplets run in your family?" "I'm glad I'm not you." "You poor thing, you have your hands full."

UGH! That’s a quick rundown, but hopefully it’s a starting point for you. One last thing:

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Triplets! :)