Potty Training (One Year Later)

We started on our potty training adventure just over a year ago. You may remember we went with the 3 day method to try and potty train the girls quickly since there was two of them. I shared our experience (here) at the end of the 3 days. Now that it has been a year I wanted to recap our experience and really how the rest of the  year went. After the initial 3 days I felt very confident that the girls were well on their way to being "fully" potty trained. Though I still kept them in diapers at nap and bed times. The "true" 3 day method basically says you should get rid of all diapers in the house so there is no chance to go back.. this would include nap and bed times. I really didn't think the girls were ready to go without diapers during those times. Looking back I think we made the right decision in this area. As the days continued they seemed to get better and better with going in on the potty on their own and having minimal accidents. Around the 3 month mark (also right about their 2nd birthday) I had some moments wondering if we made the right decision to start potty training them so early. And I definity said more than once "maybe we should just go back to diapers"; but then they would have great days and I could once again see the light. We tried going with out diapers at nap time on several different occasions and each time there was some success but not enough to think they were ready yet. And remember that time we moved in with family? Yea, I thought there might be a regression at that point and again when we moved into our house, but both times they girls did great.

Potty training twins is no joke and these girls certainly needed to be treated as individuals when it came to progress. I think Olivia was always a little ahead of the game as it related to "milestones" associated with potty training. She had less accidents and was the first to sleep during nap time without having an accident or wearing pull-ups. Like I said each of these girls are different so it was no big deal that Charlotte needed a little more time to figure it out. But one of the things I love about twins is that while they are different they also motivate each other. When Olivia started to nap without a pull-up Charlotte was right there wanting to do the same. Even though I did't think she was quite ready we let her go without. It took her some time to wake without an accident but now she does and the pride on her face each day is priceless. As I've mentioned before (Toddler Talk: Eight) we have been taking the girls to the bathroom in the middle of the night for about a month now and I've been really look forward to the time when they can get up on their own to use the potty. The other night Olivia was having a hard time going to sleep, while I was in the room checking on her I noticed Charlotte was awake. I went to her and laid her back down telling her to go to sleep, she was fighting me a little so I told her again to lay back down and that is when she said "mommy I have to go potty"! It was music to my ears and I was so proud of her, she did it a second time that night as well.

While I do feel like the girls were able to grasp the concept of using the potty saying they were "potty trained" In 3 days may not be 100% accurate. They for sure used the potty more than they had accidents after the 3 days; but I really believe potty training is a marathon not a sprint. While I have heard many moms say the 3 day method worked perfectly for them I know that that's not always the case for everyone. If I had a chance to do it over would I choose the 3-day method again? I think I would and lucky for me I do have the chance to do it all over again! Only this time I think we will wait until Parker is a bit older than the twins were. I'm so proud of these girls and all of their accompaniments and potty training is definitely a big one... onto the next.