Potty training can be green, too.
John and I switched Braden to cloth diapers way back in February (Bum Genius 3.0) and our only regret was that we didn’t do it from day one. We are already planning on bringing up our next child in them from the very start. If you click the above link and read, you’ll see that cloth diapering is good for the earth and your wallet. The initial cost is nothing compared to the huge amount you’ll save in the long run.
But does the good stuff have to end during potty training? Must you run out a buy disposable potty training pants to get by?
Heck no. There are cloth training pants out there, people! And I can give you a personal recommendation because we’ve already tried some of them. Braden played around with potty training earlier this year and was doing very well for some time. He has since regressed and decided he’s not interested in full time potty-training anymore, so he’s back in diapers to take the stress off of all of us. We check in with him from time to time, and we know he’ll be ready eventually.
HOWEVER! We ordered “Dri Days Training Pants” from OneStepAhead.com. I was a bit nervous, not sure of what was going to show up or how I’d feel about them, but they are excellent. I was never worried that Braden would be standing in a puddle at any time while he was wearing these – they are incredibly absorbent for little underpants! At the same time, the absorbent pad is directly in contact with the child’s body, so the child can feel the wetness and learn to respond. Braden always seemed very comfortable while wearing them.
I was so pleased to find something that we could wash and use over and over again, rather than adding disposable training pants to the landfills out there. They are $9.95 a piece, so not cheap, but if you buy a handful and use them over and over again, you’ll end up spending less than on package after package of the disposable training pants (and use them over with more than one child!) and you can feel good that you’re doing the right thing, which is invaluable, truly.
The linky below is open to anyone who wants to link in any type of “green” post they have written within the past month, or in the next couple of weeks. Please link in anything you’ve written that’s applicable, and thank you in advance!
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Hands and Hearts Full
Thank you for the link! I am on their site now
I just found your log now, as I am aout to make tea. Well ok, I should have started an hour ago. I won’t tell my DH if you don’t!!
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Loralee
Between you and Kerflop I swear I am going to cave and cloth diaper this kid, DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Did I mention I did cloth diapers when I spent 6 summers nannying my SIX nieces and nephews from the age of 12-18. It was back in the day of diaper pins and plastic covers and it SUCKED.)
Sigh…
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laura
i cloth diapered 4 out of 5 of my circus clowns and potty trained the whole gang with good old fashioned training pants…of course #5 we still struggle with pooping in the potty but never the less i truly believe cloth is the way to go when potty training. pull-ups (imho) are just glorified disposable diapers.
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Lisa
Those sound too cool. J is at that point where he’s sorta kinda interested in the potty so I know the time is coming. May have to consider these.
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Jeanette
Now that’s a good idea! I can get training pants like that, but never thought about it. Need to do something about Connor now.
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Avitable
When we have kids, we’re using disposable diapers – the idea of cloth diapers just freaks me out. Like the Diva cup. I hate this whole going green thing!
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lceel
I suppose I’ll be buying these things for my grandkids, given that I am firmly convinced i am beyond propagation at this time in my life. Oh, and that vasectomy I had 17 years ago probably would interfere in the process anyway. And Annie’s hysterectomy probably would help, either. And, of course, fecund young women aren’t in the least interested in fat old men – at least, not to the point of exploring their fecundity with them – so I’m pretty much screwed in the propagation department. Grandkids.
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Wayne Tingle
My wife and I are moving to Nicaragua, where diapers are in short and poor quality supply. Perhaps cloth is the way to go…
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orlund
We use cloth diapers as well but I never thought of the potty training aspect of things yet. Thanks for the post and link.
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shannon
Thankfully I am finished with diapers but I will recommend these to my friends that are still reproducing.
Sarcastic Mom, aka Lotus
Avitable,
We started out using disposables, so I can certainly understand your apprehension. Whatever you’re envisioning, I can guarantee you it’s not that bad.
Oh, and btw, using disposables will NOT prevent you from getting covered in all manner of bodily fluids from your child. It’ll happen anyway, just FYI.
Braden once shot doodoo UP my sleeve. That’s talent.
Lotus:)
Twitter: LotusCarroll
stephanie
I didn’t know there were cloth training pants! Thanks for the info.
Avitable
Oh Jesus. I think you just gave me the final reason to remain childless.
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hipmarye
We used cloth diapers too when ours were wee ones. I love that more people are thinking about the environment instead of convenience.
I hope you are using cloth grocery bags too! At Kroger we get 10 cents back for every bag we have. In less than 10 visits to the grocery store the bags have payed for themselves.
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Barbara
I used cloth nappys for my daughter but when it came to potty training it didn’t even occur to me that there were such things as training pants – I cleaned my floor an awful lot for a couple of weeks!!
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Preparing for the potty « Jenty’s Ramblings
[...] shopping | I went to the shops this afternoon to buy nappies. But before I went, I read Lotus’ post about green training pants, and it triggered thoughts of potty [...]
Johannes
With our first son Lukas, we used also clothing pants, from the beginning. And our washing machine was running more than ever..
With our second child Jona we go back to paper and plastic, was more comfortable for us and for him!
Johannes
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missy wiggins
I’m gonna look into these since Remy will be 2 very soon. He still fits into his Bumgenius but any day now I am sure his bottom will have a growth spurt.
Thanks for the recommendation!
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kompostela
I didn’t know there are such pants. But I know that we don’t have such pants in Ukraine:(((
I was lucky because after 18 month my daughter decided herself that she wants always use her potty, even at night.
I wish we have such pants here before we decide to have next baby:))
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Simply Fearless
Oh you are the purtiest, greenest mommy ever!
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imaginary binky
After birthin’ a baby, I think I need training pants. Damn loose bladder.
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pgoodness
hmmm…if I can ever, EVER ever get my son interested in potty training, this is definitely a better way to go than those pull-ups!! Thanks.
Now, can you tell me how to get him interested? He’s 3. He laughs when we ask. Seriously, thinks we are hilarious!!
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Colleen - Mommy Always Wins
Oooh, yay! How awesome you posted about this! Will is staying true to his name and absolutely REBELLING against potty training (after being *totally* into it at 16/17 mo. old – I thought he was a friggin’ genius). But I will definitely check these out! Those little Gerber underpants are cute, but SO not absorbant!
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Nicole Feliciano
I love the training pants. I’m leaving a link about Paper Shouts and their recycled paper. I’m running a green ideas contest with them.
If you are feeling lucky, I’ve got two I am running this month:
Paper Shouts $50 GC
http://momtrends.blogspot.com/2008/11/paper-shouts-holiday-card-contest.html
And an adorable art backpack from Little Jet Set:
http://momtrends.blogspot.com/2008/11/contest-easy-holiday-travel-with-kids.html
Good luck with this cool feature!
Jenny
Hey- Im using cloth training pants too! We’re using Imse Vimse brand and we LOVE them. They’re pricey, but they fit children who are smaller than average- Ian started wearing them off and on right before he turned 2, when he weighed about 21 pounds. They’re soft and not plasticky, but they hold a ton of pee! Yay cloth!
And to Avitable, the Diva Cup ROCKS! I swear, I have less cramping than I did when I used tampons. Plus, no more wrappers in the trash and tampons down the drain, no more having to carry anything around with you, never running out of supplies, only removing it 2 or 3 times a day instead of 5 or 6… SO much less hassle AND waste… so what if you have to go a couple fingers deep every now and then?? You have to wash your hands after you use the toilet anyway.
Stephanie - Green SAHM
We’ve always just used diapers throughout potty training. No training pants required! Just a switch to underpants and a lot of patience once the kids started to get it.
Poop is obviously the most challenging part with potty training, so underpants generally didn’t come until things were pretty… regular in that respect.
pgoodness, my son wasn’t at all interested in potty training for a long time. Then one day he was wearing his favorite blankie as a Superman cape. He started howling as I changed his diaper. “Superman doesn’t wear diapers! Superman wears underpants!” That was the point at which potty training started going a lot smoother, as we tied wearing the cape with using the potty.
You really never know when a stubborn child will decide to train out of nowhere.
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Kat
Awesome. I have these on my bulletin board and glad to know they are working well! I’ll get some now.
Also, Stephanie above just made me feel lots better. My kid is still stubbornly disinterested in potty training. But there’s hope, right? There’s hope.
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