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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

in thinking pull-ups are a bit of a con.

100 replies

SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 12/07/2012 12:34

They're more expensive than regular nappies of the same size (at least they are in the supermarket I usually shop at), but they don't actually help with potty training at all.

I've been using pull-ups but I've just started potty training DS2 and we've abandoned them because they're just useless.

OP posts:

MammaTJ · 12/07/2012 19:34

worrywort even NT children are not considered to have a problem with bed wetting until at least 7 years of age. I know that because my NT DD was finally referred to the School Nurse because of it.

Oh how I wish I had had your clearly magic touch of 'not letting her get away with it' instead of having to use all the methods recommended by the proffesional!

My DS now nearly 6 is still wet at night, so, to keep from upetting him he keeps his pull ups on.

My DD2, now nearly 7, wore pull ups until she started to have dry nights herself. That was about a year ago and while wearing pull ups. She still wets occasionally, but it is rare and the waterproof mattress protector is fine. We strip her bed and give her a sleeping bag till morning to minimise fuss.

GretaGarbage · 12/07/2012 19:36

I agree OP, never used them.

Big boy pants indeed. You are either ready to wear pants or not, if you are old enough to be self conscious then he is old enough to potty train, i reckon.

If not, wear nappies.

youarekidding · 12/07/2012 19:41

I used pull ups for DS because he announced on the morning of his second birthday he was too old for nappies now.

With 20 guests coming for a tea party it was not the time to potty train him so I asked my friend to bring me over some pull ups (she was coming to help me prepare food).

I used them as DS' big boy pants. Worked for me as he didn't think of them as nappies, helped if he had an accident but a week later he was dry and in pants.

Dprince · 12/07/2012 19:46

I use pull Ups but only at night. Ds (16 months) has got into the habit of getting up in a morning and undoing his nappy and running round his room naked (he is in a toddler bed) and peeing on the carpet. He can't undo the pull Ups or get them down. Which kind of defeats the object of them. But they have stopped his carpet smelling of wee. The rest of the day I use normal nappies.

Dprince · 12/07/2012 19:50

Forget to say I used them with dd to potty train. She never had an accident in them. But the she was easy to train, it only took a couple of days. All her not me. She wanted to be like the bigger kids a nursery. We never finished the pack.
They are a pain to get on as, easier to put a nappy on.

SizzleSazz · 12/07/2012 19:50

My NT dd - 5.8 still wears pull ups at night havind day trained in 3 days at 2.5. She is desperate to be dry and we have followed all the drinks/double wee/sticker charts/pull up free weeks tO no avail

Her dad and 2 brOthers were not night dry till 7, pre pull ups. I think there is a genetic link re hormone production.

Her sister is headed the same way too.

MammaTJ · 12/07/2012 19:55

SizzleSazz keep with the relaxed attitude and you will get there. My DD1 now age 17 manages to never wet the bed!

She didn't manage a dry night till age 8 though.

My DD2 was late and my DS has yet to acheive it.

My DSis was very late and had a fab buzz mat, which is what finally got her dry at night. I think it is genetic too.

teacherwith2kids · 12/07/2012 19:55

Sizzle - it WILL happen. None of those things would have worked for DS at the age of 5 - but in combination they did work at the age of 8.5 - 9...

We did two weeks nappy free at night every 6 months from the ages of 4 to 8, with no improvement whatever. 8.5 - 9, after a visit to the clinic, we finally saw improvement. The drinks / double wee stuff was, I think, a help at the margins, and made DS feel better that 'he was doing something'. What really made the difference was that he grew up, and hormone production finally switched on!

knowitallstrikesagain · 12/07/2012 19:57

YABU

Some people find them useful, some don't.

Some children will understand that they are used on long car journeys to avoid having to sit in a puddle for 20 mins til the next services in the unlikely event of them having an accident, some will just use them like nappies.

I have known many parents who use pull ups for occasions such as motorway journeys and hospital appointments but at no other times. Their children, all under 3.5, understand that they still ask to use the toilet but that they will not be uncomfortable if there is an accident which is unavoidable. Not one of them thinks, 'I will wee now because I am wearing a nappy'. And often, when removed, they are not wet but it removes the stress for the length of the journey or appointment for both child and parent.

Depends on the child.

GnocchiNineDoors · 12/07/2012 19:58

Pull ups are the nappy equivalent of follow on/ toddler powder milk.

Nappies or knickers. No inbetweens.

Sirzy · 12/07/2012 20:00

I am just starting potty training DS and we are generally using pants however for the early days until he is a bit more reliable then pull ups are working well for us when we are out and about, means if we have an accident there is less mess to clean up.

ClaireBunting · 12/07/2012 20:02

Pull ups worked for us.

teacherwith2kids · 12/07/2012 20:03

Gnocci, for an older bedwetter, the ability to get out and put on one's own pull-up is a big morale boost - as well as making things like sleepovers, Cub camps etc possible.

I agree with your comment for daytime - but not necessarily for nights.

Meglet · 12/07/2012 20:04

yabu. Pull-ups were dead handy.

I didn't have the time or energy to potty train my until they were over 3 but they were in pull ups for months before they went into big boy/girl pants. That way they could take themselves to the toilet and try and keep dry but it didn't matter if they had an accident.

3.10yo DD hasn't wee-d in her night time pull ups for months but I'm not taking her out of them until after our summer holiday. She doesn't mind them and it means I don't have to worry about any accidents.

And they both wore them on long car journey for a few weeks after they were potty trained, they never wee-d in them but it made my life easier.

Birdsgottafly · 12/07/2012 20:18

"But, holyfishnets - if he can go to the loo without you, why does he need pull ups"

My DD, who has LD's and did have delayed development, liked the independance of trying to go to the toilet and being able to pull the pants up and down, as her sister did with her knickers.

She didn't poo of a day, but they were handy for when toilets were not easily available.

They should sell them for people who want them and if you don't, don't buy them.

The same applies to any baby/child product.

Original poster

SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 12/07/2012 20:34

I don't think that the OP was aiming this at children with SN of whatever kind.

I wasn't but I'm not going to start getting anal because the discussion has progressed down this avenue.

I can appreciate that for an older child who still wets the bed at night, pull-ups are much more dignified than nappies However, I was really just thinking of a typical toddler of around 2 or 3 being potty trained. I got sucked in to the whole buying them to get DCs ready but in my experience, they make nappy changing much more of a faff because you have to completely strip the bottom half off - including shoes in order to put the new pull-up on. Also, they don't help at all with potty training at all. They can't take them off themselves, nor can we as parents see when they've wee'd and from that get an idea of when we need to start asking if they need to go on the potty.

OP posts:

Birdsgottafly · 12/07/2012 20:44

As you have found out, some children prefer them. Mine, even my DD with delayed development were well trained by 2, but she wasn't during the night and wouldn't have wanted to wear nappies.

For children with siblings, or cousins, close in age wearing nappies can be humiliating.

They have their uses for some children, as any product does.

bronze · 12/07/2012 20:46

My ds had an alarm for a bit. The batteries ran out as he kept sleeping through it

I can't afford nappies/pull ups at the mo so an trying two weeks again with all of mine (minus ds1 who luckily for me has the hormone) Wish me luck and sunshine for drying my washing

Sirzy · 12/07/2012 20:46

"Also, they don't help at all with potty training at all"

Just because you don't feel they help you at all doesn't mean that for many families they don't help.

Nobody forces anyone to buy anything, if you don't like them dont use them but to suggest they don't help at all is madness!

AKMD · 12/07/2012 20:47

YANBU, they might work for other people but I've found them completely useless.

youarekidding · 12/07/2012 20:49

I will add (and this may be contoversial) that after DS trained himself in a few days I was unaware if he'd manage longer periods outside the home, playing with friends etc.

I used to put a pull up on over pants. Then if playing with friends and he 'forgot' he'd feel wet. It helped him remember the feeling even when distracted. I basically used them like the training pants.

Accidents were never a problem here and DS was dry at night at 3.5. He started school at 4.03 and was wet again for the first 6 months. We just used pull ups - or night time pants as I called them then to relieve the embarassment DS felt.

Sylvie1980 · 12/07/2012 21:09

I bloody wish my DS would use his pull-ups (night time only) like a nappy. But no, it's up and down whenever he needs a wee, 10 minutes after bedtime, 11pm, 5am, whatever really, to go to the loo. And no, I won't leave him in pants over night because if I also had to change the bed if he didn't make it out of bed intime I think I'd have an actual breakdown.

I also couldn't explain to a stubborn 2 year old that he was 'big enough for big boy pants' but leave him in nappies for nappies etc - he protested mightily when I tried that. So pull-ups for night time have been essential for us. And haven't slowed us down (95% dry in day at 2.6, 3 weeks into potty training).

Noqontrol · 12/07/2012 21:17

I used those training pants things with dd. i thought pull ups were nappies. Anyway the training pants were great. She had knickers in the house or going for walks. Training pants for friends houses, shopping and my car. But i also took a potty with me and encouraged dd to treat the pants like knickers. It saved the mess and she still trained in a week. You don't know how well or how long they're going to manage for when you're out, and i didn't want to stop doing our normal stuff because of potty training.

McHappyPants2012 · 12/07/2012 21:21

DD has been potty trained now for 3 weeks and still has accidents, so we uses pull ups for long car trips.

Quenelle · 13/07/2012 09:39

I wonder why the preschool staff have said it's easier for DS to wear pullups than a nappy then? Apparently he had been taking his nappy off and taking himself to the toilet, then he would ask them to put the nappy back on for him. Perhaps he can pull the pullups down and they just have to pull them back up for him. He hasn't done any of this at home yet so I have no idea.

Unfortunately DH picks DS up from the CM and when she tells him that DS has used the toilet at preschool and her house he doesn't ask any questions. I'll have a chat with her next week.

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