Using underwear to potty train?

[Devaskyla]

Anyone tried just putting their diapered child into underwear in order to try to get them using the toilet? Did it work? How long did it take until they stopped just peeing in their underwear & waiting for you to change them?

It's only been a couple hours & I'm getting discouraged already. I'm just at a loss how to get this kid out of diapers. I thought his brother was hard, but ds2 is even harder.

[Amila]

We did- we just went cold turkey. She had accidents for a week or two, but that was it. Did a nighttime diaper for a few weeks until she kept waking up dry.

[thepeach80]

We let the kids go naked. This seems to work better b/c there's nothing there so they understand nothing is going to catch it. It's a little tricky from there to start using undies b/c they have a tendency to think of them like diapers, but it didn't last long at all.

[Devaskyla]

I thought about letting him go naked, but he won't even leave his pants off, he completely loses it if we try. At least he's wearing the underwear without crying today. So far he's peed in 3 pairs & pooed in one pair & not even tried to get to the potty. He says next time he'll go in the potty. Guess we'll see.

[chkpea]

we are in the midst of it right now

I am off for 2 weeks so I am taking this time to get him toilet trained, my babysitter hasn't really been all that helpful with the process which is a whole other post. Anyhow, it has been going relatively well. Went to the store and let him pick out his own underwear. He has thrown a couple of tantrums over wanting a diaper on. I put him on the toilet more often at the beginning now I am asking him if he has to go, he has had accidents more so outside in the cold. He does seem to be able to control his bladder for long periods. Even had a nap today without a diaper on and didn't pee. The poop hasn't been so successful. I am looking for signs that he has to go #2 and then getting him to set for a bit. That works and he usually goes. But if I miss the signs he just goes in his undies. I am really hoping this next week is going to be our big turning point because he goes back to the sitters and she is a bit anal. Not that I blame her, there isn't much worse then cleaning it up when it is in the underwear. The whole pull up thing is a big waste of money as far as I am concerned. They treat it just like they have a diaper on. Hope my 2 sense helps. But if you are a stay at home mom then for sure I would go for it...just use undies. They soon get the hang of it.

[Bug-a-Boo's Mama]

Is he able to pull his underwear down by himself? If he won't go naked, but about just elastic waisted shorts/pants with no underwear. I really have no tips other than going bottomless. DS started peeing on the potty September of LAST year-I kind of think it was a fluke at first. There were few ups and downs the first few months and I was wondering if he was every going to wear bottoms at home again. Sidenote~DS only was PL'd at home for a very long time. He wore diapers while sleeping and while out. Then one day in September of this year I just decided that this would be the day we would go out in underwear. A couple of minor accidents and things have been going well since. Now he only wears diapers at night-which I foresee continuing for a long time as he wakes soaked in the morning. I also felt he was REALLY ready to take the leap.

[riverscout]

:

[theretohere]

I did it with DD1 and will do it again with DD2 in a few weeks. There's a lot of accidents at first, but it's a quick way to do it.

[JayGee]

We did it with DD2 (she's 2 1/2). It took about a week before she stopped having frequent accidents. She still occasionally wets herself, but usually it's in the bathroom where she doesn't quite get there in time. But, I will add that they really have to be physically ready. My DS had no idea that he was even peeing on himself and had no control at all until well past his 3rd birthday (actually only 2 months before his 4th...)

[DaughterOfKali]

I gave my son a week notice. I told him that on a certain day (I marked it on a calendar and we crossed the days off), we would stop using diapers and that he gets to wear underwear. I made it an exciting thing.

I bought HA training pants (they really helped make accidents not so embarrassing for ds).

Yes, it took a couple of weeks but he got better and better.

[riverscout]

Originally Posted by DaughterOfKali

I gave my son a week notice. I told him that on a certain day (I marked it on a calendar and we crossed the days off), we would stop using diapers and that he gets to wear underwear. I made it an exciting thing.

I bought HA training pants (they really helped make accidents not so embarrassing for ds).

Yes, it took a couple of weeks but he got better and better.

How old was your son when you did the calendar thing? I think that sounds like a cool idea but just wondering if my daughter would get it at her age.

Also, I've been considering those Hanna training pants for awhile but I wondered how well they really would help with accidents. I mean I know you don't want them to help too much because then you may as well use a diaper, but it would be nice if they kept pee from going all over the floor. So are they absorbent enough to do that?

[guardandolaluna]

try boxers or boxer briefs that are looser. I seem to think that since my DS was CDed he would think he was wearing a dipe when wearing briefs. We had him go naked or with boxers or boxers under his clothes. For some reason when I would put briefs on under his clothes, he would have accidents. Not sure if that makes sense, but it worked for us. It took longer for my DS to potty train than for my DD. It sounds funny, but his big insentive to PT was to play in the kids area at Ikea. They don't allow diapers!

[Justmee]

We did too, with the twins. They were almost 3 but delayed verbally. I decided I would give it a week. They were much improved in about 3 days, and by a week there was no turning back. It was the winter so I didn't do the naked thing.

[DaughterOfKali]

Originally Posted by riverscout

How old was your son when you did the calendar thing? >snip< So are they absorbent enough to do that?

My son was 3 (he had to be potty trained for preschool).

The HA were enough so that a puddle wouldn't end up on the floor but the pee did go through to his pants.
They were definitely worth the price and I used them til he was 5 1/2.

[thepeach80]

It was the winter so I didn't do the naked thing.

This is part of our problem right now, the boys learned this in the summer. Ilana is great when naked and I just need to take the bull by the horns and put her undies on her ALL the time at home so she figures out the undie thing, but I'm 33 wks pg and it exhausts me just thinking about it. lol It would be nice to have her done in the next 5 wks before baby comes though!

[babycarrier]

No underwear worked great for my son. He decided to stop wearing diapers at around two and it was winter time. He would wear sweats mostly - elastic was easy for him. Like a pp, when wearing briefs or boxer briefs, I think it just felt too much like a diaper and those were the only tiimes he had accidents.

[Devaskyla]

I'm 33 wks pg and it exhausts me just thinking about it. lol It would be nice to have her done in the next 5 wks before baby comes though!

Yeah, yesterday was really tiring. I wound up with 7 pairs of underwear drying in my bathroom. I just find trying to deal with diapers tiring too. & I really want him to be mostly out of them before the baby comes. I don't have a problem with him still using them at night for awhile.

Today, I decided since he didn't seem to be able to tell when he needs to go, that I'd make him sit on the potty every so often. He's gone on it twice & peed both times. Still in the underwear he started in. *crosses fingers*

s he able to pull his underwear down by himself?

Yeah he'd just rather have me do it.

[yoginisarah]

DS has been showing a lot of interest in going on the potty (well, at least the flushing part afterwards!) but only goes if he's naked. I fished out some babylegs and he wears a sweatshirt to stay warm. We put him in underwear and he pees in them (doesn't poop in them though). As long as he's at home and naked he has no accidents.

[riverscout]

Originally Posted by Devaskyla

I just find trying to deal with diapers tiring too. & I really want him to be mostly out of them before the baby comes.

Very good idea. I definitely regret not gently moving the whole potty learning thing along before my second was born. I was so tired during my pregnancy though, but now I have no time to devote to it. It would have been so much easier before. Having two in diapers is no fun.

[mama_mojo]

All three of mine learned the potty thing this way. One was 26 months, one was 19 months, and one was 16 months. The youngest one was the hardest, but we did ec, so it was just a continuation of that. The middle one WANTED to do it, so we did. It took her two days. The oldest had a 2 mo sister, and I just was so grossed out by the toddler dipes in relation to the newborn dipes. He figured it out in 2 days, too.

Good luck!