Disposable vs Reusable Training Pants
We really struggled to toilet train our first son....a number of things went wrong and we didn't know what our next step was. I fumble my way through motherhood most of the time but one thing I have learnt (the hard way) is to ask for help, especially from an expert! Enter Laura Morley of Toddler Talk NZ. Laura was our saving grace! I had a one-hour skype consultation with her and came away with a very clear plan and loads of tips and tricks to build our little man's confidence back up and nail this learning phase! One of the things she strongly recommended (and turned out to be one of the keys to our sucess) was not to use pull ups (or disposable training pants) and use resuable pants like Weepants. Here is a guest post from Laura to tell us why!
Laura Morley:
Parents at workshops always look at me in horror when I recommend that they take their child out of disposal nappies and put their kids in to underwear for a few hours each day. It means that their child can get used to the feeling of wet close to their skin before they start learning to do the business on the toilet. Then comes the loads of questions – but what about all of the accidents on my carpet or how can I do that when we are already so busy …..
The big thing about toilet learning is that we are trying to break a habit formed over 2-3 years. It takes time to learn a new habit especially when your child has happily used nappies for wees and poos their whole life. What we need is a stepping stone between nappies and cotton underwear. That’s where Weepants come in. They are designed & made in NZ by kiwi Mums. They are slim lined and easy to pull up and down like underwear while absorbing rapidly they still allow your child to feel damp. They are more absorbent than standard knickers or undies.
I have used both training pants (reusable) and pull up (disposable) pants with my kids. Here is why I would never look back after using training pants:
Toilet Train Quicker
This may seem controversial but many early childhood teachers I have talked to say that disposable training pants slow down the child’s progress with learning to use the toilet. This could be because they confuse kids. They feel like nappies but without the Velcro tab.
In contrast, when we put reusable Weepants on our kids we are giving a consistent message that says “keep using the potty or toilet to do your wees/poos not your pants”.
The Weepants reusable training pants also keep the moisture closer to the child’s skin which gives a natural consequence that can motivate them to stay dry next time.
No more wee puddles
If your child can use the toilet but still has accidents and you want to go to your mother in law’s house for dinner, go to a café, long car ride or send your child to day care. But you are worried that they could forget to tell you they need a loo stop and it could be too late. Weepants provide peace of mind that although your child could have an accident that it will be contained and will avoid the embarrassing issue of puddles on furniture and floors.
Swimming pants as well
Yes, you can use reusable training pants at the beach or swimming pool. That means that you just pair them with a rash vest and they are all set to go.
Less Financial and Environmental Cost
Raising kids is expensive and disposable training pants are normally priced around the $1 mark. In our family we found it cheaper to use reusable training pants. They are also not adding to the waste in the landfill.
Easy to wash
Just dispose of the poo in the loo, turn inside out, give the pants a rinse and throw them in the wash. They are quick drying on the washing line or cool tumble dry.
Give ownership
By encouraging your child to decorate their own pants with fabric pens or choose underwear that is their favourite colour your child will want to wear them. They will have special Weepals pants that they love! It’s a great idea to have their favourite character on the front so they can focus on keeping “princess” dry today.
As a parent I am always looking for easy things to make my life easier because I don’t have the time and my natural thought is that disposable is more convenient. But this is not always the case. Reusable can actually be the best option for many families. Weepants are an easy solution as they act like the ‘trainer wheels’ for toilet learning.
Laura Morley is a teacher, seminar presenter and mother of 3. She owns LooLoo – Toilet Training Solutions to help source products and give advice that make parents lives easier and help their kids be nappy free at day and night time. I highly recommend checking out her website and Facebook pages both at LooLoo and Talker Talk NZ
xxx Dr Julie Bhosale
Laura Morley:
Parents at workshops always look at me in horror when I recommend that they take their child out of disposal nappies and put their kids in to underwear for a few hours each day. It means that their child can get used to the feeling of wet close to their skin before they start learning to do the business on the toilet. Then comes the loads of questions – but what about all of the accidents on my carpet or how can I do that when we are already so busy …..
The big thing about toilet learning is that we are trying to break a habit formed over 2-3 years. It takes time to learn a new habit especially when your child has happily used nappies for wees and poos their whole life. What we need is a stepping stone between nappies and cotton underwear. That’s where Weepants come in. They are designed & made in NZ by kiwi Mums. They are slim lined and easy to pull up and down like underwear while absorbing rapidly they still allow your child to feel damp. They are more absorbent than standard knickers or undies.
I have used both training pants (reusable) and pull up (disposable) pants with my kids. Here is why I would never look back after using training pants:
Toilet Train Quicker
This may seem controversial but many early childhood teachers I have talked to say that disposable training pants slow down the child’s progress with learning to use the toilet. This could be because they confuse kids. They feel like nappies but without the Velcro tab.
In contrast, when we put reusable Weepants on our kids we are giving a consistent message that says “keep using the potty or toilet to do your wees/poos not your pants”.
The Weepants reusable training pants also keep the moisture closer to the child’s skin which gives a natural consequence that can motivate them to stay dry next time.
No more wee puddles
If your child can use the toilet but still has accidents and you want to go to your mother in law’s house for dinner, go to a café, long car ride or send your child to day care. But you are worried that they could forget to tell you they need a loo stop and it could be too late. Weepants provide peace of mind that although your child could have an accident that it will be contained and will avoid the embarrassing issue of puddles on furniture and floors.
Swimming pants as well
Yes, you can use reusable training pants at the beach or swimming pool. That means that you just pair them with a rash vest and they are all set to go.
Less Financial and Environmental Cost
Raising kids is expensive and disposable training pants are normally priced around the $1 mark. In our family we found it cheaper to use reusable training pants. They are also not adding to the waste in the landfill.
Easy to wash
Just dispose of the poo in the loo, turn inside out, give the pants a rinse and throw them in the wash. They are quick drying on the washing line or cool tumble dry.
Give ownership
By encouraging your child to decorate their own pants with fabric pens or choose underwear that is their favourite colour your child will want to wear them. They will have special Weepals pants that they love! It’s a great idea to have their favourite character on the front so they can focus on keeping “princess” dry today.
As a parent I am always looking for easy things to make my life easier because I don’t have the time and my natural thought is that disposable is more convenient. But this is not always the case. Reusable can actually be the best option for many families. Weepants are an easy solution as they act like the ‘trainer wheels’ for toilet learning.
Laura Morley is a teacher, seminar presenter and mother of 3. She owns LooLoo – Toilet Training Solutions to help source products and give advice that make parents lives easier and help their kids be nappy free at day and night time. I highly recommend checking out her website and Facebook pages both at LooLoo and Talker Talk NZ
xxx Dr Julie Bhosale