Transition Your Toddler To Big Kid Underwear With Maxi Pads

In the final stretch of potty training, that phase when your kid almost gets it and you begin to daydream about a life of diaper-less freedom, you might be tempted to turn to Pull-Ups. These disposable “training pants” are supposed to look and feel more like underwear, theoretically making toddlers who wear them think, “Hey, maybe I shouldn’t pee right now.”

But Pull-Ups are 1) expensive, and 2) still diapers. For a lot of kids, simply trading velcro straps for a stretchy waistband isn’t enough to get them to start slogging to the toilet like the rest of us chumps if they don’t have to.

I’m a devout evangelist for the 3-Day Potty Training Method, in which you cut out diapers cold turkey. But you might not feel ready for that, and want a bit of a safety net. In that case, I like this hack from Reddit user Armorpiercing44, who suggests putting sanitary pads in kids’ underwear.

(The parent recommends using pantyliners, but as one commenter notes, those don’t offer much protection for “sneeze tinkles,” let alone a potty accident. Thin pads would do the job better.)

Maxi pads are cheaper than Pull-Ups and, more importantly, allow your kids to say goodbye to diapers, making it click in their minds that change is happening. (You can even have a farewell ceremony to mark the transition.)

Don’t make a big deal about the pad being there—it’s just a little buffer. Then when your kid starts becoming more confident about using the toilet, you might then switch to pantyliners. Because, dear parent, now that you’re done with the diaper phase, you are ready for a life of toddler skid marks!