The pros and cons of using Pull-Ups (and other brand name disposable training pants like Easy Ups by Pampers) will depend on your child’s age and personality as well as the situation (Are they in daycare? Do you need them to be trained for school soon? etc.) and your own ability to manage accidents. You may not actually know which option is best until you get started with toilet training. However, here are a few things to consider.
Overview
Some children display signs of potty readiness very early on. But, while your young toddler may like using the potty and is happy to sit there when you suggest it, your child may be too young to have full control over their functions and could get upset when they wet themselves. Pull-Ups could be a good option to use at least in the beginning. But there are pros and cons to using training pants.
Benefits of Training Pants
Here are a few reasons why training pants might work well:
Training pants are a clear step away from “baby” diapers and toddlers generally love the idea of being a big girl.If your toddler is already motivated to potty train, the Pull-Ups likely won’t be a crutch, just a safety tool to prevent your child from getting upset over messes.Absorbent training pants prevent messes around the house until your child is fully trained is a big help to parents, as well.
Even if you decide to use regular underwear from the start, you might consider using disposable training pants or pull-on diapers like Little Movers by Huggies. Since toddlers pull these up like underwear, they still have the feeling that they have progressed out of baby diapers and into big kids’ pants.
Benefits of Cotton Underwear
Other children aren’t ready to start training until after they are two years old, or even older. Even then, some parents find they have trouble motivating their toddlers. They may not respond well to reward charts or praise. This attitude can make using Pull-Ups the wrong decision (at least for daytime training). Cloth training pants that absorb some of the wetness, but then make the transition to regular underwear, may be the right choice for these toddlers. When accidents occur while wearing thin cotton underwear, they have no choice but to stop playing and get cleaned. That alone should help motivate your otherwise engaged child to recognize the signs they need to use the potty. Many parents choose to use disposable training pants at night but during the day, regular underwear can be a better choice, depending on the child:
If your toddler is old enough to be able to tell you when they need to go (or go on their own) and doesn’t need constant reminding, they’re probably ready for underwear. Dealing with messes is not a big deal. Accidents can upset a sensitive child, so you may want to use something with extra absorbency if your child is upset by them. You also need to be free to clean up any accidents that are inevitable at the start of potty training. Some toddlers need a little push. If you are sure that a child is developmentally ready to toilet train, but just doesn’t want to give up the convenience of using diapers, introducing underwear that is exciting (we used superheroes) and requires using the toilet if he wants to keep them can be a good motivator.
Other Considerations
Another factor to consider when choosing between disposable training pants and regular underwear is cost. Pull-Ups and similar brands can cost more than baby diapers so they can be expensive compared to a few pairs of cotton underwear. But the money saved may not be worth it if your child isn’t comfortable or you’re not able to manage the accidents that might occur.
