Wish me luck!

Sometime last November, we started on the potty training journey. Bad idea. Not the training, but when we started. We were just about to begin a major construction project in the house and were about to go on vacation for Christmas. I was hoping they'd be trained by the vacation, but with the construction going on, I had no time to focus on training them. So they got to the point where pull-ups were no different than diapers. I'd have put them back in diapers full time, but if I did that, they'd stop using the toilets at school. They were getting close to being trained at school, so I didn't want to make it any worse. So, now they are moving up to the next class. That class requires them to be potty trained. Sure accidents happen, but they want them in undies with few accidents. If they do make a lot of accidents as kids do regress sometimes, they'll work with them, so it's not like they'll just push them back a grade just because of a few accidents. Moving on... I have until June 15 to get them using the potty full time. They so far as good at home only when I'm about to give them a bath. Otherwise, once in a blue moon I might hear Cameron request to use the potty and actually use it.

So, today is their first day in undies. I'm diving in. Pull-ups was a fail and now I'm no longer taking any planned vacations until next year, so it's time to get them in those undies. They will have swimming lessons by the beginning of July, so hopefully by then, they also will be trained so I don't have to buy those swimmers. I just can't believe it's come to this. I was hoping they'd let me know when they were ready before the school said they had to be trained. I got one hint in November last year and I missed it. It'll be so nice to no longer have to deal with those diapers and pull-ups anymore! That day is now in view and I can't look forward to it!

Wish me luck that this training will go smoothly!!!! I'm all ready with those paper towels and extra towels to cover the furniture. I just really hope they don't make too many messes. Messes drive my husband crazy and in return, he drives me crazy when he acts up. That's the only part I'm NOT looking forward to.

 

I hope it goes well for you. Keep us posted! We start 3 day PTing next weekend.

 

Good Luck! We are starting our 3-day PTing this Saturday! My husband and I are taking Friday off and the girls will be with a sitter to prepare us for the 3-day lock down!

 

So far ok. Cameron did very well at school only wetting his pants once. He's wet his pants once at home and peed once in the toilet. Kiefer peed once in the toilet at school but wet his pants a few times there and wet his pants twice at home and no pee in the toilet. He's even lied to us already that he didn't go in his undies while he's walking around funny. I know he's not really ready for this. I just hope he starts to pick up on Cameron's lead and the other kids in his class soon.

 

Good luck Eliza! I am glad that Cameron had a good first day and I do believe that once Kiefer sees Cameron & the other kids consistently using the potty, he will too! Keep us posted!

 

Well, today has been trying. I"m in a really cruddy mood. I don't know what it is. I can't find any setting on my bed to make me comfortable. I'm so unrested. I thought I had a decent sleep last night, but I woke up so tired. Cameron has made two accidents. He's told me he had to go once, but didn't make it. Kiefer still thinks if he pees enough in his undies, I'll give him his pull-ups or diapers. Unfortunately for me, he'll have to have them on during naptime. I say unfortunately cause he'll likely get the idea if he holds it, eventually he'll get the diapers. He just simply refuses to use the toilet. He'll squirm when I put him in front of it. He'll only use it when it's time for a bath. Cameron is less fussy, but he doesn't want to use it either during the day. He'll cry and cry if he doesn't want to use the toilet at that time. I don't want to make this a bad experience, but I'm feeling stress from the time limit from the school and I just feel plain cruddy. It's only day two. I have no choice but to deal with it, but WHY WHY WHY can't I get a good night's sleep? WHY WHY WHY! :grr: :gah: :headbang:

 

I highly recommend the 3 day program mentioned on here by Lora evans? anyway, she's got a great theory and perfect phrases for you to ask the kids... catching them in the act and rushing to the potty and praise is so important! I hope it goes well!!

she also recommends NOT doing pullups at all or diapers for naps either... I think for the reasons you mentioned... that they will just hold and wait for that time...

you can do this!

 

What is the three day potty training exactly? This might be a good weekend to try that cause they don't have school on Monday. And you are probably right about the pull-ups/diapers during nap and bedtime, however at school, they do that and I'm not sure how flexible they are with it. I suppose I could ask.

 

Oh wait, is that when you let them run around without anything on? I'm not sure I can do that with twins. My husband certainly wouldn't accept this at this time unless we get desperate, so I'd be on my own chasing after very active twin boys looking for moments of when they think they are going to go. Though I suppose leaving some potties out and about the house wouldn't hurt. They do like to play with the potties though and I'm afraid if they do manage to pee or otherwise in them, they'd just pick it up thinking they could clean the potties then spill everything on themselves and the floor (they do this all the time when we are about to take a bath. They prefer the toilet, but they know to use the potty seats if the toilet is being used. They like to be independent so they think they can clean it. They are not very coordinated when it comes to carefully lifting things over their heads). So, with that in mind, I'm just not sure I'm ready for it. But, it's not out of the question if it comes to that. I just don't think I could handle two PTing boys in birthday suits running around the house trying to catch both of them in the act of pottying on the floor.

How do you do it with twins?

 

:grouphug: I hope things get better!

I tried at that age and mine just were not ready. I did the 3 day and after that they weren't even close so I had to stop. I waited a month and tried again, the same method and it's been a piece of cake! They just weren't ready before and once they are it's not hard. My dd never needed a pull up and my ds did for a week at bedtime because he pooped at night but that only last a couple days and then he got the hang of pooping on the potty.

I know you have these time constraints but if they aren't ready, they aren't ready ardon: :hug:

 

Lora Jensen's 3 Day PTing method 3-book can be purchased on Amazon. I read the book recently and she recommends waiting a period of time (I think it was a month or 2) where you stop using previous PTing methods before you use her method. This is just a recommendation, though, and you could choose not to follow it since you have time constraints. How has your DH been with the training? I am worried about mine. He does not deal with messes and stressful situations very well.

 

I just don't have the luxury of waiting for that moment. They are in preschool (well, early preschool, but they are advancing them to the next class which is preschool on June 15 which means we gotta get them in undies now)!

I actually had a big change today. No messes in class. Only one mess when we arrived at school to pick them up cause the teacher that was watching them (not their normal teacher) missed the time their regular teacher told her to take them to the bathroom. They both messed their pants, but other than that, no mess from either of them! I was very happy to hear that! One mess at home from Cameron but two pees int he potty after that on his own request. One accident from Kiefer and one pee in the potty on his own request. They both get stickers at home for a reward. The game is to get the most amount of stickers by the end of the day. I'm going to have to get a chart cause they are starting to get tired of wearing the stickers and trying to keep them on without letting them fall off. The chart might be better. Apparently, the school gives them stickers as rewards for going in the potty at school too. I didn't know that until today. It's great that we both are being consistent so they learn better.

So things are looking up so far. I just feel bad that even if they aren't ready, I don't have a choice. Cameron seemed to be more ready than Kiefer so hopefully Kiefer will continue on this positive direction in PTing.

 

Well, today has been MUCH better than expected. Cameron has not made a single accident with his 4 pees. Kiefer only one out of three pees. None of them pooped yet, but with their diapers on for nap (we are not equipped yet to clean up pee or poo during naps), it's likely they'll do something in there. But, I'm feeling much more positive about things now!!!

 

here's a link to the ebook that I bought & downloaded. several other moms here used the method and have raved about it too...

if you're doing great, then I probably wouldn't bother, but for us it was a turning point. I'd been haphazardly attempting our pottying for months, and got to a point the day I went to a park and had 3 accidents! that I googled and bought the book that afternoon and started fresh the next morning. I did not go back to full time diapers for a month to wait it out... I just plunged in and had them help me pack up all the cloth diapers the next morning and everything we pulled the big bag into the laundry room never to pull them out for naps or night time again.

oh and it is not the naked method, there are other methods that do that, but she doesn't recommend that either.

3day method

good luck with what you decide! hopefully you have great results for your preschool class deadline!

 

Well, well! NO ACCIDENTS TODAY!! :woo: I'm SOOO happy!!! Cameron even pooped in the toilet!! Kiefer hasn't pooped in a couple of days now. He NEEDS to go. He seemed like he wanted to go during bathtime, but he was not too sure about it. He kept asking for his diaper. I told him I didn't want him pooping in his diaper, I'd like him to try to use the toilet. He's used the toilet before to poop, but it just hasn't always been a pleasant experience for him. I gave them both some miralax to help out a bit. I doubt that's why Cameron pooped since it was just a few minutes after I gave him the laxative, but I'm hoping this will get Kiefer to poop. I hope that he'll do it in the toilet, but it's OK if he does it in his diaper at this point. I just hope he doesn't mess his pants cause the last time I gave him miralax, he had some soft doody. But, Cameron won this evening with the most stickers. Kiefer won yesterday. Cameron is still one day up on Kiefer though since Cameron did manage to use the toilet more than Kiefer on Thursday.

I am so proud of them! They are doing so well!!!

 

:clapping: That is AWESOME!!! WTG boys for keeping up the great work and WTG MOMMA for keeping up with it!!!
I'm so glad it's such a great update!!!

 

Again no accidents today. Cameron went almost every three hours this time. Kiefer went first thing in the morning. He woke me up at around 6:45am wanting to be changed to his undies. Then he peed at 7:08am. That was it. He did go maybe twice in his diapers for naptime, but didn't pee in the potty until about 7pm. He hadn't pooped in about 2 1/2 days. I KNOW he had to go since every time he passed gas, he left a skid mark in his underpants. He was too afraid to pee. I asked him why since yesterday he was so proud of himself for peeing all on his own. He was afraid he'd poop too. Poor guy. He was so uncomfortable. Finally tonight, through plenty of tears, he pooped. I was praising him like crazy. Even Cameron got in on the act. He had already pooped last night (and again tonight after Kiefer went). Kiefer was still crying, but said he felt better. I hope this experience wasn't too scary for him and he's able to use the potty again more comfortably when he has to do a #2.

I am so proud of both of them. I'm also amazed at how fast they caught on to using the potty. By the way they were acting, I was thinking this would take over a week to get them to use the potty more regularly. I know there will likely be more accidents, but 2 days of accident free makes me a happy mommy!