Do You Need Potty Training Pants?

No. Well, maybe. A parent who is savvy and ready for potty training—one who is confident, consistent, who knows what they’re doing, and is determined to get the job done quickly—may not need training pants at all. They will go commando and stay on it, no matter how long it takes. They will clear their schedules, stay home for a few days or more, and be ready to tackle any accident when out and about. They will be prepared. Their attitude will tell their child that they mean business, and they will have tactics in place to counter any usurping of authority. And they will potty train! 

However, there is a whole other side of parenting that does take transitions seriously and believes that children need time to adjust to this new, permanent way of life. Neither school of thought is wrong. You just need to determine what will work best for your family. 

Training pants are designed to be a transitional item to help children adapt between having an absorbent diaper to no protection at all in underwear. They are lightly padded, which helps catch leaks but will also leave a child feeling very wet and having to “deal” with the accident. They can be essential teaching tools in the transition between diapers and being potty trained. 

Should You Use Cloth Training Pants?

Absolutely, because there is no other kind! Disposable pull-ups are not training pants. Disposable pull-ups can actually hinder your potty training process because they are so good at absorbing! In fact, a pull-up is nothing more than a diaper without the adhesive side tabs. If we wanted to teach our children how to pull their pants up and down, we could just let them dress and undress themselves. Wait...you probably are already. Problem solved, then! There is no need for pull-ups! 

See, a child has a psychological bond to their diaper. They’ve been in it as long as they can remember. Since day one, it was there. As long as you have been there for them, so has their diaper. Giving them a virtually identical item to replace something and expecting them to learn an entirely different way of living because they now have a pull-up on (i.e., a diaper in disguise) is just not going to work. 

Pull-ups are crutches for the parent. And if you find that you would feel much better about potty training if only you could use pull-ups, then please consider the new, modern-day cloth training pants options that follow. I assure you that they are much more effective in potty training than pull-ups. 

What Do You Need To Know About Cloth Trainers?

In order for training pants to be an effective transitional tool, they must meet the following criteria: 

• Trim fitting
  
• Mildly absorbent
  
• Underwear-like in appearance
  
• Causes the child to feel wet when used
  

Examining the criteria above, you can see two things: Why disposables do not fit the bill in any form and that trainers must truly bridge that gap between diaper and underwear. Each criteria sits somewhere between a diaper and underwear—absorbent, but kind of, not fully like a diaper. The slight padding of training pants is very helpful to sensitive children because they mimic the same feeling that their diaper already has. Typically, the padding in a cloth trainer is the same 

thickness as an unused disposable, so the garment feels good to the child. The kicker comes later when he pees and feels it like never before!  This builds the brain body connection faster, and helps effectively potty train.

Why I like Waterproof Potty Training Pants

Poop. There, I said it.  I don’t like the idea of fecal germs seeping out of anything and getting onto everything. But my second reason if even more compelling! 

I call it, “The Squish Factor” 

If a toddler pees in their pants they feel wet, wetness grows to the clothing and down the legs, maybe onto the floor, or couch... Your natural consequences are high!

When a toddler pees in waterproof Undies, that waterproofing hold ALL the liquid on their side, not letting it go anywhere else. That just transferred ownership onto the child. If the trainers didn't have enough absorbency that that kiddos duppa is not just feeling wet, it's WET. It's wet, and it's staying wet. Hello brain-body connection! 

How Many Trainers Will You Need?

You want to consider your laundry ability and your level of activity outside the house when answering this question. For a child, often at home and potty training, you will eventually level out at around six pairs. In the beginning, you will have a few accidents that will cause you to go through them more quickly, which is fine. But letting some accidents happen outside the trainer is also a benefit. During your first two to three days or so, you may find yourself wishing you had ten pairs, but usually you can get by with a few and have one left over for the emergency car bag. 

If you are out and about often and/or you find your laundering capacity to be more limited than a load a day, you will want to have more trainers on hand. The same goes for day care situations. Many day cares like to be provided with the same trainers parents are using at home, which will look like two sets of six to ten. In any situation, ten pairs of training pants are going to be enough to get you through twenty-four to forty-eight hours and possibly have one on hold in the diaper bag. 

Could you be potty training all wrong?

Great our guide 5 Ways You Might Be Potty Training All Wrong