How We Potty Trained the Twins in 3 Days! A Full Breakdown
This post is a full breakdown of how Brodie orchestrated a full miracle and potty trained the twinados in just three days 🙏
I will never forget the day Brodie said, “It’s time to potty train the twins”. The look on my face was akin to someone witnessing a tiny toddler pour their smoothie all over their white furniture. My heart sank even further the moment Brodie followed up that statement by uttering the words, “...and we’re going to do it in just 3 days.”
I was petrified…
How can any reasonable human being expect to potty train not just one two-year-old toddler but TWO, two-year-old toddlers at the same time… in just three days?! I had long heard about the three-day potty training method when Brodie potty trained our firstborn Hudson. Truthfully, I wasn’t much help, if any, during that time as I was working long hours so Brodie did it solo, and hence I only got the Coles Notes. This time, however, I was going to be potty training the twins in tandem with Brodie and I knew it would be one the most physically demanding challenges of our parenting journey. Potty training one kid is difficult, but potty training two at the same time is like trying to run an ultra marathon through the Sahara Desert with screaming goats on our back while also carrying a potty.
I replied by giving Brodie a nervous laugh thinking there was no way she could be serious. The twins had just turned two and Brodie wanted to do this while she was six months pregnant. Even still, I could tell from the look in her eyes that this was no joke—the time had finally come to potty train the twinados and we had no choice but to face it head-on.
Even though the odds seemed stacked against us, Brodie seemed 100% confident that if we gave it our absolute all for 72 hours, potty training would be done once and for all and we’d never have to change a stinky diaper again. This gave me a glimmer of hope and something to look forward to (the thought of changing those stink diapers still gives me nightmares).
As usual, Brodie was right… Within 72 hours, she made the impossible possible and the twinados were successfully potty trained. It was a magical feeling. So, as daunting as potty training is for most parents, take it from us, you can do it if you just commit. It was the best decision and I am so thankful Brodie chose to try the three-day method. Many parents we know ultimately waver and it prolongs the suffering and, of course, the dirty diapers.
In today’s post, we’re breaking down our tips and sharing exactly how the three-day potty training method works so your kids can be as successful as the twins were!
How to successfully pull off the three-day potty training method:
The first step is absolute commitment. Brodie emphasized this about a million times for good reason. Any wavering at any point will send you back to square one. We opted for a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday potty training bonanza and promised we’d give it everything we could
Most potty training goes awry because parents waver, get busy or distracted. Brodie insisted that this was a 72hr non stop mission to get the job done! Prep your kids. We didn’t just spring it on the twinados. Before our start day, Brodie mentioned countless times to Preston and Boden that soon we’d be potty training. This helped generate a level of awareness and understanding of everything that was to come. Brodie had also purchased the two potties and showed them to the boys so the potties were familiar to them.
You have to ditch the diapers (and underwear/pants). Brodie’s master plan was to keep the boys bottomless from morning until nighttime. This gives you quick access to the potty and ensures your child knows the diapers are gone. We highly suggest avoiding any bottoms (even underwear) as they give your child the false sense of comfort that diapers provide and ultimately hinder your potty training efforts. You want them to know there is no fallback. Lastly, when it comes to ditching diapers, we also highly suggest investing in some long tank tops or t-shirts so your kids don’t look like streakers everywhere they go. The twins wore tank tops that went down to their knees so we could still bring them outside, etc. but if needed, we could get them to the potty quickly.
The twins are running in their long tees and Brodie and I are doing our best to follow as closely as possible so we can catch that first pee! Catch the first pee! Brodie made our mission clear (even if it seemed like Mission Impossible)…The boys could not go out of arm's reach, especially for the first pee. I was a little skeptical of this tactic but it turned out to be an essential piece of the potty training puzzle. Once we caught that first pee, our boys got a sense of what we were trying to do and it really helped reinforce the potty training. Any
signs of incoming pees or poops and we would get the boys to sit on the potty!
Potty training tip: Get your kids to pour out their potty on their own! It makes them feel so proud and gets them excited about doing it again! Reward them with praise (and treats). This was key. Although we don’t love busting out the treat drawer frequently, this was a must. Every successful potty trip our boys had was rewarded with a lollipop or small treat. We also cheered as if we’d just witnessed our sons win an Olympic gold medal. It put a smile on their face to see us share our pride about their efforts and got them excited about their next potty trip!
This was us cheering on Boden after he went potty! Keep watching them closely and pay attention to the signs! After catching the first pee, your job is far from over. For the next three days, you need to pay attention constantly. I think a lot of people get complacent here and start to switch off and that’s when the potty training goes downhill. Brodie ensured we stayed super diligent and close to the boys. Also, as time goes on, your children will start to showcase more telltale signs that a potty break is needed (wiggles, shakes, etc.) which will make your job much easier!
Get them to drink lots of fluids. During the three-day potty training marathon, we gave our boys more fluids than normal. It helped them urinate more frequently, which helped because it gave them many opportunities to practice their new skill.
Naps and bedtime protocol: Throughout the weekend, we made sure the boys went to the potty right before naps and bedtime. Even if they didn’t pee, we would make them sit on the potty to get into the habit. Afterwards, we would put on pull-up diapers and remove them immediately after they woke up. It is amazing how quickly your kids will start staying dry for naps and through the night.
Accidents will happen! This is extremely important because as all parents know, nothing involving your children will ever go perfectly to plan. In the days and weeks to come afterward, accidents will certainly happen and that is 100% ok. Just like anything in life, a slip-up doesn’t mean the entire journey was a failure. Instead, it simply means you need to clean it up, talk calmly to your kid about what happened and how to avoid it next time and get back on track!
How do you know you’ve potty trained them and the marathon is over?
By the end of the three days, you will hopefully see a massive shift in your child's willingness to get on the potty… I know we certainly did. Like most things in parenting, potty training can seem extremely daunting but if you really commit I promise it will all be over before you know it. Plus, you’ll be so thankful diaper changes are nothing but a distant memory. The biggest mistake we’ve seen other parents make when potty training their kids, for whatever reason, is wavering in their commitment and doing it half-heartedly. This is a one-way ticket to dragging out the potty training process for months on end!
As always, there's no perfect way to parent and this was simply the experience that worked for us. With the twins, Brodie has insisted we keep major milestones like potty training, sleep training, etc. very regimented because as any twin parents can attest to, if you don't do it, it will make life so much harder!
Please comment if you have any other tips or questions! Next, we’ll be sharing how we sleep-trained all four of our boys!