Training Pants for Toddlers

Training pants for toddlers come in a variety of forms including cotton, disposables and in various brands. They are a popular choice for modern day parents although some question their effectiveness as a potty training aid. Parents may also wonder how they should be used to optimize potty training success.

Purpose

Training pants are a tool used by parents to help toddlers and young children learn to potty train. The concept is that they ease the child from diapers to regular underwear gradually. Many are designed to look like regular underwear and usually don't have the tab fasteners like diapers so that the training pants can simply be pulled up and down. They are absorbent so they help to avoid messes during the potty training process.

History

Just a few decades ago, parents commonly would switch straight from diapers to regular cotton underwear or rubber pants. Often the child would wear the rubber pants over his underwear. In 1989, Kimberly Clark invented disposable training pants, called Pull-ups. Since then, most diaper companies have followed suite and they have grown in popularity. In 2010, disposable pants, like disposable diapers, are the most common choice of parents, with cloth only beginning to makes a comeback.

Types

As with diapers, there are two main types of training pants for toddlers, cloth and disposable. The obvious advantage to disposables is that they are more convenient and less messy. The advantage to cloth is that they are significantly less expensive over time. Disposable diapers and training pants are also made with chemicals, including dioxins, a set of chemicals that many believe may be harmful. Some companies have started producing chlorine- and chemical-free training pants.

Effectiveness

Experts and parents are still divided as to the effectiveness of potty training pants. Those made of cloth are generally less absorbent and allow the child to feel wetness easier; many believe this makes them more effective than their disposable counterparts. Others say that all training pants encourage children to use pants like diapers and, therefore, the potty training process will be hindered. Kid's Health acknowledges this difference in opinions and advises parents to ask their child's pediatrician if they think the child would benefit from the use of training pants. Many parents opt to use underwear or the less absorbent cloth training pants during the day and disposable training pants at night when the extra absorbency is needed.

Potty Training with Training Pants

Parents should begin the potty training process when the child shows interest and signs of readiness. Signs of readiness include the child clutching their diaper, stopping activity when eliminating, keeping a dry diaper for two hours or more or verbally communicating the need to use the bathroom. If parents choose to use training pants, they can begin using them immediately. Often, as the child trains, she will require the pants less often and eventually transition to using them only at night. Once the child is able to stay dry throughout the night, the training pants can be eliminated completely.

References

• U.S Department of Health and Human Services: The Effectiveness of Different Methods for Toliet Training for Bowel and Bladder Control
• Kids Health: Toilet Teaching Your Child
• The Free Library: Top New Products of the Past Year, 1989
• Kimberly Clark: Pull-Ups Training Pants With Easy Open Sides Help Make Potty Training Easier