Training Unders

[SoCalMommy]

DD is 21 months and we are far from being PT, but she is interested in sitting on the toilet before bath time and will always want to flush after i go. I know it's just a matter of time and I want to be ready (and able to educate DH) when that exciting day comes.

Can you please educate me on training underwear? Is this a good option before transitioning to regular "big kid" unders? I never knew about these. Do they still feel wet? What do you suggest?

Thanks for bringing me up to speed. :)

[Simon]

We always start with the Gerber size 18 months which are lightly padded. Their main effect is to help contain the pee if there are small accidents instead of having their clothes get flooded. I know lots of people here like HA underwear, but I have to say my Gerber ones have made it through 2 kids, are still going strong and are super soft. I couldn't bring myself to spend more money on something my kids would be peeing in, kwim?

Then we move onto other underwear. I've liked gymbo better than Wee Essentials (a JC Penny brand). We just bought our first lisenced character ones and they shrunk, a lot, which is good for us but not for everyone.

[123LuckyMom]

We had bad luck with pull ups. You can find my lengthy story on some earlier posts. Some people have great luck with a middle option, but we found it wasn't until the safety net was totally gone that we had any real success. DS was older, though, and physically entirely capable of PT.

[SoCalMommy]

123luckymom- I am not interested in going the pull ups route partly due to your experience. I would like to make a bigger jump to some kind of big girl undies.

I know the HA trainers are popular, but they seem pricey. Then again, I haven't checked what other brands cost.

Any other brands that people like or dislike? Ideally I would like DD to pick them out since I like the idea of getting her more involved with the entire process and we do not live close to any HA stores anyway.

[weech]

Today was our first day of trying to PT DS and he's wearing the Gerber training unders. I considered Hanna and Kushies, but I just couldn't justify the price because I knew we'd need SO many. I think I bought 12 or 16 and we went through probably 5 of them today. They definitely absorbed some because the first few accidents he had, we actually had to check to see if he was wet - there was no dripping. Later on in the day there was a waterfall, but I was definitely pleased with the Gerbers... especially for the price.

Also, I plan to have him keep wearing the Gerber unders after he trains. They're nice and soft and seem like they'll work just fine as regular underwear. HTH!

[SoCalMommy]

I think I will look for Gerber to start and see how it goes.

Sounds like I need to get a ton....is a dozen typical?

How long do they usually wear training unders?

[citymama]

We like the Hanna trainers which I bought on sale for DD1 and am reusing for DD2. We had 6 for DD1 and I do have 2 unopened packs as back-ups for DD2. We are in the midst of PTing but haven't switched over to no diapers during the day yet. That's when the trainers come in handy and you end up running through them. We used them for a total of maybe 6 months with DD1? Maybe less? But we still used them as back-up unders or in cold weather even after she PTed, until she outgrew them.

[Simon]

I think we once had 9-12 pairs and both Ds wore the Gerber trainers for almost a year after training, just because they fit well and were comfortable. I also still continue to use them as part of the "emergency back-up" clothing that preschool wants kept there, I keep a pair in the car (in case of food spills more than PT accidents) and other places.

[queenmama]

Oh, there are some really cute WAHM-made trainers on Hyena Cart!

I would probably go with a dozen, yeah, so you have plenty to cover accidents and not have to wash them constantly.

[crl]

FWIW, training pants were useless with ds. When he had an accident it was always way more pee than the trainers could contain. We used them as regular underwear for a while, but with dd I am planning to go straight to regular underwear.

Catherine

[Smillow]

I found that when I started PTing DS, knit shorts + gerber trainers were the key to keeping the floor dry. Woven shorts just let the pee run down his legs.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i love the Hanna training underwear. they are so soft and look so comfortable. even DS prefers them over the Hanes ones featuring his beloved Thomas. regular price sure the Hannas are pricey, but i've always managed to get them for $10-$14 for a pack of 3 from the outlets.

also i found they do contain some accidents...eg. ds would pee a little bit and then run to the potty.