Yesterday I wrote an article about how pull ups have played a role in our potty training. I actually hate pull ups. I still do and I would really encourage anyone not to buy them but rather let the babe run free and naked. It does mean more messes to clean up but it also means faster (and cheaper) potty training. However, as you all should know by now, I have twins and the nakedness thing sometimes doesn’t work when you’re wiping up two puddles (or other things. . .) all the time. I also have become acutely aware that some people find the thought of a baby being allowed to ‘go’ wherever in order to get the feeling of ‘going’. . .to be disgusting. So with that, here are a few thoughts on potty training using a pull up. (Although I still highly advocate the naked method.)
Why People Say Pull Ups Are a Waste of Money
I am convinced that potty training is half psychological and half physiological. I mentioned yesterday that one reason we use the occasional pull up (and more than that for the twins) is because they really find the idea of going back to a diaper offensive. After all they are big girls now who use the potty. . .sometimes.
But the problem with a pull up is that despite what the commercials say, it doesn’t not feel wet differently than a diaper does. I know they say that pull ups have all these great learning features but it’s pretty much just a marketing lie. (Yep, I dared to say it.) It feels just like a diaper when it’s wet and those little flowers that disappear when the pull up is wet. . .well, you show me a toddler who stops long enough to look at those things to ‘know’ they’re wet. In essence, they don’t work the way the commercials imply they do.
How You Use a Pull Up to Potty Train
Again, it bears repeating, it is in most cases, so much easier to let your little ones run around naked for a few days. It helps them understand the feeling much better. All the same, if you can’t stand the mess and feel you must use a pull up then you need to get a little potty chair or make your bathroom extremely comfortable to hang out in–you’ll be spending a lot of time there.
If you’re using pull ups, you need to set your toddler on the potty regularly. . .like every 20 to 30 minutes. . .all day. The goal is to try to catch him in the act so that he learns to associate the feeling of a full bladder (or bowels) with urinating in the potty.
One suggestion that is worth mentioning comes from my great friend Angie in the forums: Give your child lots to drink, then sit them on the potty. Keep offering drinks and keep sitting.
And good luck to you!