Three-Day Potty Training With Twins

The short version:

Friday: 25 changes of underwear (mostly Zo) and tears (again mostly Zo), refusal to go to bed (Luke and Zo), and utter exhaustion (me).

Saturday: 25 changes of underwear (mostly Luke) and tears (for Zo and for me). Refusal to go to bed (Luke and Zo). Utter exhaustion (me).

Sunday: 3 change of underwear (Luke), refusal to take a nap or go to bed (Luke and Zo), and utter exhaustion (me). I also miss my husband.

Bottom line: It's hell, but it works (knock on wood).

A guy at my husband's work potty trained his kids with the 3-day potty training method, shared the ebook with us, we picked at weekend (this past one), and gave it a try. Here's the blow-by-blow:

Friday

I took the day off work. Breakfast and then big-kid underwear all around. Luke for the most part got it right away. We were giving out M&Ms as rewards and he was all about M&Ms--to the tune of a trickle every 5 minutes. Sissy had lots and lots of accidents...didn't really get it at all, but that's OK, that's why you have three days. I had help with meals etc. and my husband set up the toddler beds. 

All and all, the day wasn't so bad until bedtime. (Honestly it was kind of nice to have all that kid time...and not have to do anything else.) Bedtime though was 2 1/2 hours of Luke going potty every 5 minutes, and Zoey, having not gone potty since before dinner, trying every 5 minutes and everyone getting incredibly frustrated. The night ended with her having a big accident and in hysterics.

Bed next door to the kids, fully expecting to be up most of the night.

Saturday

Luke woke me up at 5 AM, crying because he and his bed were soaking wet. Sis slept for another hour and woke up dry. (!)

Followed by breakfast and lots of juice and Luke having a bunch of accidents and Zo holding it, not peeing since the night before until about 10 AM and having an accident and again in hysterics...BUT she also peed a lot in the potty...and that seems to be the moment it clicked.

No more accidents from Zo, but lots from Luke (after almost none on Friday). I swear I'm not exaggerating when I say I went through 50 pairs of underwear Friday and Saturday.

Bedtime again, over and over every 5 minutes to the potty until I felt like I was going to lose my mind and my mother-in-law, bless her, agreed to take over so my husband and I could go out to dinner. She sat with them and sang them to sleep...apparently without me around there wasn't the constant running to the bathroom.

When we left for dinner I realized I had not been out of the house for 48 hours.

I cried at dinner for no reason.

Slept right next to the kids again. Luke fell out of bed twice during the night, the first time about 12:30 AM, put him on the potty and he went.

Sunday

The kids both woke up at 6:30 AM, both dry, both peed right away. There was a minor accident shortly after with Luke, and a couple in the afternoon as well. Kids went potty over and over, pee and poop. Grandma was more involved as I have to work Monday morning and the kids did great with her, too.

Naps were a nightmare, with it taking a couple hours for Luke to go down, both getting up to pee over and over and over. ("I don't know if they're working the system," I said to my husband, "or just really want to make sure they stay dry so any little thing they feel they feel like they have to go.") Zo never slept.

Started trying to put them to bed around 6:30 (their normal bedtime is 7:30), reading and stories and cuddles and somewhere in the middle threats and raised voices (mine). They finally went down about 8:30 or 9:00, after a talking to from Daddy.

(Note: Above photo is Sunday night, the 10,000th time Luke got out of bed to pee.)

Luke was up with me once in the night. Monday morning they both woke up dry.

I posted a comment on Facebook Friday night that essentially said, "Potty training. Good Lord." My husband's best friend said something to the effect that before you know it they'll be out of the house and cherish this time, which is so true...I'm so lucky to have these kids and know all too well how fast they will grow up...amd this is all going to make a good story someday and I'm sad I don't get to do this again. And I'm so proud of them...they did such an amazing job.

But still, in the middle of it? Not easy. Not easy at all.

XOXO