Toilet training: disposables vs cloth

[jackrose]

I think I was in a similar situation to you prama, wanting to use cloth to help the understanding of body functions and assist in TT. Like you, I had another on the way when I made this decision as it did help to know that I would use the nappies I bought for a 2yo again!

I went ahead with it, we have a store in Melb (where I am) where you can go in and have a chat to ask all those questions and work through all the confusion about cloth and it was very helpful. Once I was armed with the info, I felt better about trawling through the online shops. I decided to but two different MCN and start with those to see how they went, then went back to get a few different brands again later to build up the numbers.

I have found it has really helped with the TT so far, but we are still not there. DD now knows when she wets and asks to have her nappy changed right away. If I put her in sposies, she is back to wearing the nappy for most of the day At least with the cloth we can talk about it and she gets it a bit more. I am with Arimeh in that I really believe the child sets when they are ready and DD is still not so I am not pushing it, just talking about it.

She loves the cloth ones and certainly has her favourites! I am a fan of the AIO/AI2's and ittibitti are my fav, they are pretty trim and low cut so go under clothes well.

Apart from the benefit of DD realising what it feels like to be wet, the other benefit is that I have been able to try cloth out so that I am ready and confident to use them now with my next baby. It has been a great practice run.

So, maybe check out whether there is a shop front where you are, or someone who can do a demo for you. Otherwise, some sites offer a nappy rent system where you can hire a mix stash to try before you buy. That might be a good start??

[Hansie]

I was/am currently in the same situation. My DS is 2yrs and we found out that day-care liked them to be TT'd to go into the next room. Some of his friends had already moved but DS didn't seem ready always been in sposies, but at the same time miserable because his mates had gone. I found I wasn't ready (not saying that you aren't), I wasn't ready for the accidents (house fully carpeted) and being pregnant with number #2 and working part time. I planned to do it later in the year when we had moved into our new house (tiled floor) and I was home with #2.
Then I realised how miserable he was and had been buying a few cloth nappies for #2 and tried them with DS. I realised it wasn't so hard the poo's and wee's and I could deal with it. So I took the huge leap and sent him to day-care with normal undies. Yes more washing but a firm believer that he had to have the accidents to realise that he needed to go, to feel the wetness and put two and two together. My woohoo moment was when we went to friends and DS wasn't very vocal about needing to go we had to watch for his signs. Both occasions he needed to go he sai "Mommy potty" and sat on the toilet and went. It has taken him 4 weeks and about 2 weeks ago he woke up and was so much happier and we have 90% dry weeks. He does have some accidents and he gets so so upset with himself little poppet. At night he wears Aldi's pull ups and we call them "special pants" no wee's and poo's. We tried the cloth training pants but he didn't like them as much.

Sorry way longer than I meant, but I would say straight into normal undies ..make a big deal of it "you're in your big boy undies let Mommy/Daddy know when you need potty/toilet" We also do the big high fives after and hugs and "big wee's talk" lol

GL

[Nai]

Another straight into undies here. I had used cloth full time but she let me know that she was ready so she just went straight from nappies to undies.

[~clover~]

I'm not sure if there is much difference between cloth & sposies either, but I do know that DS will rarely wee in cloth anymore. He'd rather take them off & wee on the floor Even over night he doesn't wee in a nappy very often. Where as in sposies, while he doesn't wee over night much, he does more & will leave in on in the morning til he does a wee.

But I'm just using terry flats with no liner. So as soon as he wee's he feels it. But I think he needs to get it off before the wee coz he gets a.... 'big doodle'... & the cloth nappy presses on it where the snappy is & makes it uncomfortable... iykwim

So I really don't know which is better, but I have to say, with little boys, when there is nothing on you can see when they need a wee & you can let them know. If I tell him, while he won't attempt to wee in the potty, he will run outside & pretend to try to wee on the dog & then at least its outside, lol!

[Cassius2]

I'm not sure if there is much difference between cloth & sposies either, but I do know that DS will rarely wee in cloth anymore. He'd rather take them off & wee on the floor

this what our DD does glad to see we are not the only ones

i find that kids will TT only when they are ready to have a crack at it, and only then can the subtlety of difference between cloth or sposies be seen ITMS. for example i found that DD only started wanting the cloth off for a wee after she had done a few wees on the toilet and really started to 'get' the concept. before that she was happy to wee or poo regardless of cloth or sposie.

generally we do the knickers or the nudie rudie in our house DD likes the idea of 'big girl' undies and the ease of no knickers is advantageous for her as she likes to get on the toilet on her own and she finds having knickers to be time consuming lol.

[prama]

thanks so much for your replies, ladies.

i had a chat w day care and they said we could use the terry cloth training pants. it looks like soakies but made of terry cloth w a thin foam lining. it makes them feel wet but doesnt seep through. i got them at kmart for 2.50 each. the other kids use them and they said it works well. on the weekends we are going to put him undo undies straight.

what did you do went you went out and about. did you put nappies on or use undies?

thanks so much

[Visitor7]

what did you do went you went out and about. did you put nappies on or use undies?

When I first started tt DD1, I tried to limit our outings to friends places or the park. I'd put a nappy on her while in the car, then when we got to our destination I'd put undies on her. That seemed to work really well.

[~clover~]

If we're going to be less than a few hours, I just put undies on Jesse now. I always have back up, but doesn't wee when busy & stopped pooing in nappies a while ago.