*don't read if you don't have potty training toddlers*
I decided to document the process/method we followed to potty train, since I have been asked by a couple of people. That being said, we are not perfect pottiers. Still have accidents periodically, but I can leave the house without fear, though we'll definitely get the chance to take a few unnecessary visits to the public bathroom.
I took the method from an online program that normally one would pay for - o.k. it was pirated, don't tell.
Here's how we did it:
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Three day dedication. I picked three days where we wouldn't really have to go anywhere. If you have twins, its better to have two people on this, but we didn't really have that luxury.
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Big girl panties. Before your three days talk about how big girls go in the potty and wear panties and not diapers. Tell them that one day we will give all their diapers to babies that need them (or throw them away) and they will wear panties. This method is anti pull ups or training pants as a crutch. I had been using training pants occasionally before our boot camp.
* The girls were ready when we did this. They already went in the potty periodically and could tell when they were going to go, and told me right after they went. The readiness will make your life less painful.
During the three days:
*We threw out the diapers and let them do their panty draft. Basically they picked their panties. I got the cheesiest ones available - princess, yo gabba gabba, wonder pets, dora. Then they ran around the house in their panties and a t-shirt. I gave them lots of juice and popsicles to get them to go frequently.
*Don't tell them when to go but remind them constantly that they need to tell you when they have to go.
*Do a "dry panty check" frequently and cheer if they have dry panties.
*Keep an eagle eye on your child/s. Guaranteed the time you decide to unload the dishes is when they will have an accident.
*Look for signs of when they are about to go and say hey, it looks like you need to go and usher them into the potty. For us, asking for a diaper was a sure sign they needed to poop.
*We also bought special big girl wipes (flushable wipes) that I let them use. Now, sinc they are pricey, we only use them for #2.
Rewards:
I didn't use rewards for pee, except for praise of course. Poopy was a little harder to come by so I started giving them m&ms when they put it in the potty.
Accidents:
Really hard for me not to get frustrated and exasperated. It would seem I would remind them to tell me and not 2 minutes later there would be a puddle on the floor. They need to have the accidents to realize how important it is to go to the bathroom. So I keep telling myself. We still have them. Mostly at home when they get really involved in what they are playing.
Leaving the house:
We take a couple changes of clothes and hope for the best. Honestly, we haven't had too many out of the house accidents because a new potty is exciting. My kids don't have fear of going in a public toilet, but I have be drilling the "don't touch anything but yourself or mommy" into their heads.
Nighttime:
Harper was waking up dry with diapers and has been able to make it in panties. Lucy would at first wet in the night. Per the recommendation of this method I would go get her before I went to bed and have her go. She barely woke up, but it worked most of the time. Also try to limit what they drink after dinner.
I have heard that holding pee in the night is a developmental thing that can't really be controlled, so this might be more challenging for some.
Its was frustrating at first, and I'm still looking forward to them being able to go "all" by themselves, but at least we are done with the diapers.
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