[w8ting4Thomas]

Thomas is not showing signs of wanting to use the 'potty' yet. But I am wondering when should I switch him to pull-ups versus diapers.
BTW he is 19mos.

[DPline]

Honestly, I personally dont' think that wearing Pull-ups vs. wearing diapers makes any difference in when a child potty trains. When they are ready, they are ready. And if they aren't, they aren't.

When my kids potty trained (2.5 for my daughter, 3.5 for my boys) we used Pull-ups for going out when I didn't want to chance an accident, but we never used them full time.

[KarynB]

Hello,

19 months seems REALLY early to me.
Our son is 27 months and only now starting to show a few "signs" but I won't be doing anything for another few months yet. The way I see it, I can either go crazy for 6 months and drive us both nuts, or relax and wait till he's really ready and make it easy on us all.

When I think he is more ready I plan on buying a few cloth diapers so he can really feel the "wetness".

We only used pull-ups when they were pretty much trained but had a few accidents here and there, or when we went on long errands and that sort of thing.

Boys are usually much older than girls when they are ready, too.

Is he dry all night?

[carolynpep73]

Cost wise, pull-ups are much more expensive than diapers. I started training with pullups and got frustrated because of the expense, since I was changing her almost as much as I would if she were still in diapers. I ended up going back to diapers and, when she showed interest at 27 months, I put her in underwear. We now only use pull-ups at night simply because it's easier for her if she wakes up to potty in the evening.

I agree with the other posters. If he's ready, he'll let you know. In the meantime, spend the money on diapers and get more bang for your buck.

Good luck!!!

[mommyto2guatboys]

19 months can be pretty young. My oldest started showing signs very young so I started potty training him at about 18 months, it didn't work! I took a year break and then he still wasn't potty trained until about 3.5. Boys are hard let me tell you! Both of mine use the potty now, but it is work! With Pull ups, I never really liked them, my kids never could tell when they were wet so they would just go in them all day long. I just put underwear on them and they knew they would make a mess if they pee'd in them. We use pull ups at night sometimes still and on long car trips. I would say, when you are ready to start go right to underwear and skip pullups!!

Magen
My family!

[w8ting4Thomas]

I love the forum!!!! I knew you all would know the answer! I kept getting these coupons in the mail for the pampers brand of pull-ups. I would have to mortgage my house for those!!!! And I starting wondering did 'big brother' know how old my child was and was I going to be punished that he wasn't potty trained!!! '
Seriously...some friends have said their kids wanted to use the potty this early. He plays with it but won't use it...which is fine with me!
Thank you. Pressure GONE!

[SKL]

I started using pull-ups when the girls were about 15 mos and 12 mos. This was to accommodate my nanny, who found it difficult to put their diapers back on after a potty stop without laying the girls down. Otherwise, I might have stayed with taped diapers and never switched to pull-ups. The pull-ups cost more, and the girls never were able to actually pull them up/down on their own. We gave up diapers all together at about 19 mos and 17 mos. Might have done it sooner, but I wasn't brave enough.

I don't think there is any "right time" or "wrong time" to give children the opportunity to use the potty; the important thing is to have a positive attitude. No matter when you start, there could be a long or short time period during which you and your child are both learning what does & doesn't work. An important success factor is the parent's ability to stay the course. Best to think hard about what's feasible for you before you decide timing.

[whereintheworld]

Another issue to consider about pull-ups vs diapers. You usually have to take pants all the way OFF to put on a new pull-up...whereas with dipes you only have to have the pants pulled down. I hate pull-ups!

[avoel]

I am a pediatrician and I have found that pullups seem to cause a lot more "diaper rashes" than good old diapers as well. They are not as absorbent by design so if your child is not ready and is going to be wet in them a lot, best to stick with diapers!

[amylynn3]

I am in the "I don't like pull-ups" camp. I have worked with 2 and 3 year olds in day care for numerous years. In my experience, children use pull-ups like diapers...there's not a whole lot of difference. I do have to say that they may help promote independence since a child is more likely to be able to put on and take off a pull-up independently versus a diaper. But, to me, that is not enough to sell me on them...plus, they cost more than diapers.

My ds potty trained and we never used one pull-up. He is in underwear all day, but a diaper overnight.

You have to do what feels right for your family...this is just my two cents worth. Good luck...we are starting to think about potty training our dd...she is almost 20 months. She is interested in the potty, but has no clue what to do when we sit her on it...LOL!

[SKL]

Originally Posted by avoel

I am a pediatrician and I have found that pullups seem to cause a lot more "diaper rashes" than good old diapers as well. They are not as absorbent by design so if your child is not ready and is going to be wet in them a lot, best to stick with diapers!

This is a very interesting point. Being the cheap person I am, I did not buy any of those fancy "feel wet" / feel cold / color change pull-ups, and I didn't have any diaper rash issues. Maybe there are chemicals in the fancy ones that are less child-friendly.

Also, I found some generic pull-ups that could be opened from the side like diapers, but the issue with them is that they could be too easy to open and sometimes come off when you want them on. (I must say the same is true of taped diapers; that's why I switched to sturdy pull-ups at night.) But, if the child stays dry most of the day, it's more convenient to pull up their diaper than to have to tape one on after each pit stop. I was usually using only 1-2 each day (per child), so to me the convenience was worth the cost.

Another thought is to put cotton training pants on inside the pull-up, so they feel different but mishaps are contained. I had mixed results with this.

I think most people would agree that from the child's perspective, a pull-up is a diaper, and the choice to buy them or not really depends on grown-up concerns.

[DPline]

Is he dry all night?

I know this is commonly on the 'Are they read to potty train' lists, but my two boys, potty trained 2 years and 6.5 years, still do not consistantly stay dry at night. (Thank goodness for night time pull-ups!) So I don't put a lot of stock in that being an indication of anything. Unluckly for me (and my boys) the ablility to day time train does not necessarily have anything to do with night time dryness.


(Absolutely no offense to the person who posted this. Just my two cents worth of experience. )

[Quesita]

Liana has just started the potty training process, and she loves sitting on the potty, and beams with pride when we hear that pee pee sound! Sometimes she tells me she has to go, but often she is wet already. That said, I don't think we are using fewer diapers. And she has not yet gone poo poo in the potty.

I tried the pull ups early in the process, and in my experience, if she has a big poo in the pull ups... ummmm... we need a whole new outfit change.

[RGirl]

Well, I guess I'm the odd one out here! I use pull-ups most of the time and have since my daughter first started showing interest in using the potty at about 18 months old. I use them because they are more convenient for me - it is easier for me to pull a pull-up down and back up before and after each potty stop than to deal with a diaper. The cost has not been a huge issue because we don't use very many - at least at home (not necessarily at school), she usually uses the potty more than the pull-up (she is almost 22 months now). We will probably try switching to underpants next month when I have a week and a half off work for the holidays. But for now, I love the Easy-Ups (the brand that actually comes in a small enough size for my kid).

[w8ting4Thomas]

OK RGirl...you are not odd woman out!!! With my Stepdaughter and stepson pullups were great. But I didn't have them here ALL of the time. So I am wondering if it would be different if they were here 100% of the time vs 50%.
I see all of these viewpoints and am so glad to hear from so many of you. THANK YOU. We will have to decide what to do...probably nothing for now.