5 Best Underwear For Potty Training

best underwear for potty training

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support!

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Your child is used to wearing diapers all the time. If you are ready to potty train your child, you have to ditch diapers and switch to underwear to help them learn how to use the potty on their own.

I spent hours researching underwear and training pants that are soft, reusable, and comfortable so my daughter could learn how to remove them while she potty trained.

Simple cotton underwear like these Hanes Underwear for girls or these potty training  underwear for boys are effective at potty training because your child will feel wet and understand the consequences of peeing on their underwear.

Don’t fall for the marketing tactics of big companies. You do not need fancy or expensive potty training underwear. 

Here are the five best underwear for potty training to help your child potty independently. 

Our top recommendations

These underwear are simple and achieve the goal of helping your child learn how to use the potty on their own.

  1. Hanes Cotton Underwear 

  2. Charlie Banana Training Pants

  3. Nicki’s Diapers Training Pants  

  4. Honest Company Training Pants

  5. Thirsties Organic Cotton Potty Training Pants

5 Best Underwear For Potty Training

Image: Amazon

1. Hanes Cotton Underwear 

Simple cotton underwear that will help your child potty train faster.

There is no need to buy super expensive underwear with lots of colors or animal prints. 

To successfully potty train your child, you need to help them understand that if they pee on their pants, they will feel wet and uncomfortable.

These Hanes Cotton Underwear are just simple underwear, there is nothing special about them to be honest. But its simplicity makes it very effective at potty training in no time

Why?

Because your child will feel very uncomfortable when they pee and this will make them understand that they need to sit on their potty to avoid any messes.

This is how our daughter learned to potty on her own at only 20 months old. No more messes to clean up!

Best training pants for potty training

If you don’t want to switch directly to regular underwear from diapers, then I recommend training pants since they offer a smooth transition to underwear.

Image: Charlie Banana

2. Charlie Banana Training Pants

100% organic cotton training pants that are soft on your child’s skin and prevent rashes as they learn to use the potty.

Charlie Banana is one of our favorite brands for cloth training pants for toddlers. These training pants have two buttons on the side that easily snap together and make it easy for your child to put on and take off on their own.

These training pants are also reusable, so you don’t need to worry about breaking the bank. Simply remove them, throw them in the washer, and use them again.

And you don’t have to worry about overnight accidents because your child can wear these training pants while they sleep.

What we love about this brand is how they regularly test their products to comply with health standards. 

These training pants are certified under STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX to ensure that there are no harmful chemicals when your child puts them on for the first time.

Shop now and save 10% off your first order.

Image: Nicki’s Diapers

3. Nicki’s Diapers Training Pants  

Economical, washable, and reusable potty training pants to potty train your child without added costs.

Say goodbye to painful rashes with these training pants by Nicki’s Diapers. Nearly 70% of children experience diaper rashes. 

This is because traditional training diapers are made with chemicals that irritate the skin. Nicki’s Diapers on the other hand are a natural option for potty training your child and are great if your child has allergies.

There are various options to choose from, from natural to organic materials that are both comfortable and smooth on your child’s skin.

Depending on your needs, you can get training pants that have good absorption features to minimize messes, or you can get thinner training pants that look like regular underwear.

And the best part is that your order can qualify for FREE SHIPPING!

Image: The Honest Company

4. Honest Company Training Pants

The closest to underwear they can get. These training pants are made with sustainably harvested fluff pulp and plant-derived materials.

Your child loves smooth touch materials, so give them the comfort they need. 

I highly recommend these training pants by Honest Company because they are very flexible and provide stretchy wear for comfort and support. 

Removing underwear can be hard for a young toddler to do on their own. They need to practice removing and putting them on.

But with these training pants, your child can master this skill in no time because the training pants have a snug waistband that will allow your child to easily put them on and take them off.

Even though these training pants look like diapers, I like how they closely resemble regular underwear. This is a huge plus because it will make the entire potty training process go smoothly.

The only thing to consider is that these training pants are not reusable, so you may have to continue to invest in these training pants which can get costly.

Shop now to unlock 20% off!

Image: Thirsties

5. Thirsties Organic Cotton Potty Training Pants

Thirsties organic cotton potty training pants are designed to catch small accidents during potty training.

Clothdiaper.com is a marketplace where you can find cloth diapers and training pants. By far the best training pants you can find are the Thirsties Organic Cotton Potty Training Pants

Immediately when I got them, I noticed how soft they were. This is because every Thirsties Organic Cotton Training Pants are GOTS certified which ensures that the outsourced material comes from organic origins.

These training pants also include 4 layers of protection with a waterproof TPU laminate to prevent large leaks.

And if you want to add some style, you have various designs to choose from like rainbows, animals, or flowers.

You can also get FREE SHIPPING when you order from clothdiaper.com.

Trust my recommendations

In the Montessori classroom, my students are fully potty trained by age 3. In the toddler program, we help students learn how to use the potty on their own.

I apply the same methods at home just as I do at school. We want our children to take responsibility for their actions so they can become independent at using the potty.

The underwear I recommend will help your child learn the consequences of wetting their underwear so they can begin using their potty.

The solution to not peeing all over themselves is to use the potty when they feel the sensation of peeing or pooping. This is the goal we want to achieve.

What’s the difference between potty training underwear and regular underwear?

Regular underwear is what we wear daily: simple trousers made with cotton, polyester, or similar materials. In my experience, this is the most effective type of undergarment to help your child learn to use the potty.

It doesn’t absorb urine so your child will feel wet when they pee and this will help them make the connection between wanting to pee and using their potty.

Potty training underwear, also known as training pants, is a combination of underwear and diapers. They are easy to pull up and down but have materials that absorb urine.

These absorbent materials prevent urine from dripping down your toddler’s legs if they have an accident. 

Potty training underwear can provide a transition from diapers to regular underwear while still offering some protection.

If you don’t want to switch directly to underwear while your potty train your child, training pants can be a good option to ease the process.

What about pull-ups?

I am not a fan of pull-up diapers because they don’t help with potty training as effectively as using underwear.

Pull-ups are essentially disposable diapers that can be pulled up and down like underwear. They absorb urine and your child may not feel the wetness as effectively as they would in regular underwear or potty training pants. 

This can make it harder for your child to connect the feeling of wetness with the need to use the potty. 

Pull-ups are also expensive if you use them as a primary potty training tool. You will have to change your child’s diaper every time they pee and poop.

And since they are not reusable, you will have to buy a lot of pull-ups as you potty train your child. You can go through boxes of pull-up diapers fast and this can get very expensive.

This is why I recommend regular underwear or training pants when you potty train your child.

What to look for in potty training pants

To keep things very simple, get potty training underwear that will allow your child to feel wet. It is OK if training pants absorb some of the urine as long as your child can feel the wetness when they pee.

Remember that your child needs to understand that if they pee in their pants, they will feel uncomfortable.

When I did my research to find the best underwear for potty training, I considered the following:

  1. Absorbency: Potty training underwear with little to no absorbency is ideal so your child feels wet.

  2. Easy to pull up and pull down: Your child needs to be able to pull their diapers up and down. The potty training pants I recommend have elastic waistbands and stretchy materials so your little one can remove them independently when they use the potty.

  3. Washable and reusable: This is going to save you a lot of money in the long run. But besides saving you money, your child can practice using real underwear as they learn to use the toilet.

  4. Comfortable materials: The underwear and training pants I selected are made from soft and breathable materials like cotton. Your child needs to feel comfortable so they can wear training pants for extended periods.

  5. Appealing design: Designs will not help with potty training, but it may motivate your child to want to wear potty training pants. So if you want training pants that look nice, you can shop around using the links I provided.

How should I dress my toddler for potty training?

The right clothes can help your child to use the toilet on their own. As your child learns to use the potty, they should be able to easily remove their clothes.

The way I did it with my daughter was to leave her in underwear only.

Yes, just underwear. That means no onesies or clothes with zippers or lots of buttons. The quicker they can remove their clothes, the better.

It is also less messy to use only underwear because if they have an accident, the only thing getting dirty is their underwear.

But if you want to dress your child as they potty train, then just a t-shirt and pants or shorts are enough. Your child can easily remove their pants as they learn to sit on the toilet independently.

So if you have a bunch of cute onesies, it is time to buy some shorts and tees that your child can remove on their own.

Potty training underwear FAQ

Yes. I recommend that your child uses training pants overnight because they can help your child transition from nighttime diapers to eventually staying dry throughout the night.

Training pants are a hybrid of diapers and regular underwear and are designed to contain small accidents. They give your child a sense of wetness while still absorbing some of the pee.

You may be inclined to use diapers but remember that diapers absorb all the wetness and the goal here is to help your child understand that if they pee, they will feel wet and uncomfortable.

Yes, this is how my daughter learned to use her potty and was almost fully potty trained at 20 months old. 

The biggest benefit of using regular underwear is that it allows your child to feel the wetness when accidents happen, and this helps them associate the discomfort with the need to use the potty. 

Underwear is also easy to pull up and down and makes the entire potty training process easier for your child.

Generally, most toddlers begin to show signs of readiness for potty training between the ages of 2 and 3 years old. 

But the sooner you potty train your child the better because it is easier when they are younger. We started potty training our daughter consistently when she was about 14 months old and by 20 months, she was almost 100% potty trained.

And you don’t have to physically take your child to the potty. You can begin the process by taking them to the restroom when you have to go and allow them to watch you take care of business.

Yes, they do. Pull-ups are basically diapers without adhesive parts. 

Pull-ups are more absorbent than regular underwear and can prevent your child from fully feeling the wetness, which is the most important part of potty training. 

That doesn’t mean that you should avoid pull-ups. If you are on the go, then it is OK to wear pull-ups. But try to use regular underwear at home so your child responds to their body’s cues for using the potty.

What to do next?

These are the best underwear for potty training I recommend. As a Montessori Guide and a mother, I want to help you make potty training easier.

Go ahead and see how the Montessori potty training method will help your child learn how to potty independently.

About Leslie - Latinx Montessori

Hello, I am Leslie. I am on a mission to help you support the growth and development of your child. With the right tools and proper guidance, you can navigate parenthood with confidence and assertion! My goal is to equip you with knowledge to help you construct a strong foundation for your child’s life.

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