M&M QOTW ~~ Potty training

What are your tips and tricks for potty training?

• What age did you begin with your child(ren)?
• How long did it take?
• Did you use a "system", or just wing it?
• Did you use specific rewards for incentive? How did that work for you?
• If you could change anything about the experience, what would you do differently?
• Did you use Pull-Ups?
• Do you think it's easier to potty train multiples at the same time, or separately?
  

DS #1 ~
I started at age 2.5 with him. I tried for 2 weeks to potty train him, and he was NOT getting it! We tried m&m's, bribes with toys, sticker charts, tons of encouragement....and he was still peeing in his underwear. I used pull ups at night, but not during the day unless we were going somewhere. I gave up, tried again in a couple of months....this time for a week, and it STILL didn't work. I let it go, and left him be, and 2 months before he turned 3 he suddenly decided HE was ready to go on the potty.....and it was a piece of cake after that! He was day trained within a week. Night training happened shortly after he turned 3.
DD #1 ~
I tried at age 2 but she was nowhere near being ready. I was pregnant with the twins at the time and it was exhausting trying to run her to the potty every hour or so. I attempted it again right before she was 2.5, just before the twins were born, but she still wasn't getting it. The twins were born when she was 2.5 yrs old, and because of having them, there was no potty training going on anytime soon. I tried again when they got about 6 months old, right after my dd turned 3, and she was close to being ready, but after 3 accidents in one afternoon, one of which was all over the floor and the baby toys, I gave up. At 3.5 yrs, she'd been going on the potty randomly for a few weeks....before baths, in the morning, etc, so when she went one morning I suggested she try her new fancy tinkerbell undies. We used m&m's as incentives, and potty training was finally a success. Originally we set a timer for every 30 mins, but when she wasn't going very often I extended it to 60 mins. Eventually it was every 2 hrs. I limited liquids for awhile until she understood what it felt like to go. It only took a couple weeks for her to be fully day and night trained. I only used pull ups at night for her as well.

I'll let you know how potty training the twins goes when they are a bit older (they are almost 18 months old). For now, I will say that the most important thing I learned with my older kids, was to not push them. They won't go to school with diapers on, they'll potty train when they are ready. It created a lot of stress when I tried to push my oldest son, to the point where we would both end up in tears everytime I said "Let's go potty!". Not cool mom, not cool.....