Potty training can be a tricky time in a child’s life. There are plenty of mistakes a well-meaning parent or family member can make, which can set back a child’s progress. Potty training can also be a messy time. Accidents are going to happen. Even once a child is more or less potty trained, accidents can still happen.
Especially for new parents, the advice they receive can be overwhelming. Everyone has opinions on how a child should be potty trained, and these opinions are strong, insistent, and conflicting. It’s easy for new parents to allow themselves to be swayed by the opinions of family and friends, while completely ignoring their child’s needs.
Pull ups are a particularly controversial point. Some parents claim that they’re an invaluable tool, while others insist that pull ups should be avoided at all costs. What should you do?
The idea of using pull ups can be extremely tempting. As a kind of half-way point between traditional diapers and regular child’s underwear. However, do pull ups really aid potty training, or do they just muddy the waters? Should you use pull ups at all? If so, when is the best time? Let’s find out.
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Diapers vs Pull-Ups
Firstly, let’s discuss the difference between traditional diapers and pull ups. Pull ups are absorbent training pants, that can catch any accidents. However, they aren’t as absorbent or effective as regular diapers.
This can be a great aid to potty training, or rather, encouraging your child to potty train. For example, some pull ups get cold and wet once their soiled, which leaves your child feeling uncomfortable. The uncomfortable feeling can prompt a child to avoid wetting in their pull ups.
One aspect of potty training that shouldn’t be overlooked is getting your child to understand what’s going on. You can’t set your child on a potty and hope they get the message. Putting your child in pull ups can give a “grown-up” feel to your child, especially if they’ve been fidgeting in diapers for a while.
Pull ups can also be useful if potty training takes longer than you expected. A 3-day potty training is fantastically convenient, but it may not be suitable for every child. So, if potty training is taking longer than you’d prefer, pull ups can be a useful halfway point. If you need to be out and about with a semi-potty-trained child, using diapers can be something of a backwards step. It can confuse your child and set back their progress.
So, pull ups could be the way forward here. It’s important to understand your child and their needs. Pull ups may not work for every child, and it’s your responsibility as a parent to decide whether or not they’re the right choice for your child. Your choice – not the choice of well-meaning family or friends!
Potty Training Mistakes to Avoid
Can You Use Pull-Ups for Potty Training?
Pull ups can be used to help potty training, but it’s important to be careful here. Used incorrectly, pull ups can hinder potty training rather than helping it. So, let’s take a look at a few pros and cons of using pull up training pants.
Pros:
- Allows your child to make the leap to being fully potty trained without pressure or discomfort.
- Means that you can take your child out and about during the potty-training period, without the worry of disastrous accidents.
- Ideal for night-time use. It’s worth noting that night-time potty-training is a very different ball game to potty training during the day. While a child may well be fully potty trained during the day by the age of three or four, night-time bladder control is trickier and takes longer to learn. Don’t be surprised if you child has night-time accidents, even after they’re officially potty trained.
- Boosts a child’s motivation. Children need to feel excited about potty-training, instead of miserable and embarrassed. Wearing pull-ups can make them feel grown-up and encourage them to work harder towards potty training.
- Allows both you and your child to slowly work towards full potty training.
Cons:
- Wearing pull-ups may make potty training last longer. Your child may feel as if they are receiving conflicting messages. On the one hand, you’re encouraging them to go in the potty, but you’re also putting them in a pair of pull ups as a safety net. Without motivation to use the potty, your child is likely going to prefer to use the safety net. Especially when your child is busy, playing, or just distracted, they’re probably going to go in their “safety net” pull ups, without bothering to try for the potty.
- Pull ups can be very uncomfortable. The idea behind pull ups is that they’re convenient, just as easy to slip on as regular underpants. However, they’re considerably less absorbent than diapers. This means that if your child has an accident, they’re going to immediately feel wet and uncomfortable. Sitting in wetness is bad for your child. Besides the obvious hygiene and comfort issues, your child may also develop rashes, soreness, or an aversion to their pull ups.
- Expense. Pull ups are not reusable. Like diapers, you throw each one away once you’re done with it. This means that if your child wears pull ups for a year or two, or even more, you could spend a lot more than if you’d simply skipped the pull ups and potty trained your child as quickly as possible.
It’s difficult to make a definitive statement about whether or not a parent should use pull ups. Some parents swear by them, and others wouldn’t allow a single pull up in their home.
Simply put, it’s your decision. You are the one who needs to potty train your child, and you face any consequences of your actions. Pull ups might be ideal for one child, but not for another. As the parent, it’s up to you.
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When to Use Pull-Ups
If you decide that pull ups are the way to go, when and how should you use them?
The idea behind pull ups is that they are a safety net. By the age of 2.5, most children are ready to potty train. This means that you can take them out of diapers – but now what? Some parents go cold turkey, using an intensive weekend or three-day period to potty train their child and deal with the ensuing mess in the meantime. Other parents prefer to take it slower.
Keeping an eye on your child’s toilet schedule and eating habits can help you work out when they’re likely to need the potty. In the meantime, wearing pull-ups keeps your child safe and gives you peace of mind.
Pull ups can be ideal on a vacation. Nobody wants to potty train their child while they’re on vacation, and it’s not a good time for the child, either. Wearing pull ups can prevent accidents during day trips and travelling, when it’s simply not practical to whip out a potty for your child.
Of course, pull ups aren’t a substitute for diapers. They’re not a permanent solution for anything, only a temporary fix. It’s worth noting that your child needs to recognise the pull ups as something separate from a diaper, and closer to grown-up underpants. If your child sees the pull ups as just another kind of diaper, they’ll likely happily soil and wet without worrying about getting to the potty.
If your child shows this kind of reaction, it’s possible that the pull ups may be doing more harm than good.
Using pull ups during the night-time is a good way to deal with bed-wetting. It will likely take your child longer to learn to hold their bladder during the night.
Potty Training: The Bottom Line
Whether you love pull ups or hate them, we can all agree that potty training is a challenging time! However you choose to deal with potty training, it’s important to realise that each child is different. Additionally, your child must be physically and emotionally ready to potty train. Starting too early is a recipe for disaster, as your child won’t physically be able to control their bowels and bladder. This can lead to parental frustration, and the child may feel embarrassed, confused, and upset.
Generally speaking, children are ready to potty train at the age of around 2.5-3. At this time, they should show awareness of what’s happening when they pee or poo in their diapers. They may even get uncomfortable with a wet, full nappy. Some children even start sneaking away to go to the toilet or tell you when they need to go. If that’s the case, congratulations! Your child is perfectly ready to start potty training. Children who display physiological readiness to potty train often take to it quickly and naturally. Most parents are eager to get their children potty trained as quickly as possible but remember to be patient. Waiting until your child is ready will save you frustration, time, and a lot of accidents later on!