Give him the Pull-Ups. First, you are right, they are the same as a diaper and they aren't going to help him with potty training at ALL.... BUT, it will help you because he can take himself to the potty 1000 times every day if he wants without any help from you and that will encourage him. Also, it will keep you from discouraging him to run to the potty for the umpteenth time today, which in the end is the goal anyway. I agree, a move would send him into regression anyway, so why bother doing the real potty training stuff yet. But the Pull-Up might buy you a little sanity and him a little independence/confidence, neither of which are overpriced when you consider the difference you'd pay between a pull up and a diaper.

How's that for ten cents worth (I can never keep it to just two cents! :)

As a mom, I've learned that there are alot of gimmicky things that don't work but are well worth the money if it helps me or my kids get through the day with a little less hassle.

We used the pull-ups, but not for very long. Once he was ready he moved quickly to regular underwear and we've only had 1-2 major accidents in the past year of being potty trained. In the end, they aren't much more of a waste of money than buying diapers.

We used diapers at night by the underwear that has plastic on the outside during the day. They worked well, didn't leak and if there was an accident, in the laundry the went. No biggy. This worked great my first was trained at 18 mos, second at 20 months and last one at 25 months. However boys are more difficult. (remind me of this when Alexander is big enough. lol) Pull-ups have too few in the package compared to diapers. However if you decide to use them look for coupons online and if you or someone else gets Parents Magazine there are always $2.00 off coupons in there. Best of luck!!!

We did use pull ups for travel only, and the regular diapers for nap & bed time.

I too think they are expensive and a waste of money and like you I do think that children see them as a diaper. Livi never keep her pull up dry and I used them more for convenience and outings, when a changing station was not easy to come by. But if we were in the house, the best bet was big girl undies and a t-shirt- I was lucky that we Potty trained last summer and she could practically run around 1/2 naked.

Potty training was really easy for us

Pull-ups are perfect for night time. This is because if your child is awake enough to go potty they can go and then pull back up their pants on their own. If they have an accident in bed you don't have to clean up a big mess the next day. Piney used to wear pull ups to bed as a transition. She usually woke up dry with them and I would reuse them until they got wet or eventually fell apart.

However, I agree that they are not good for day time because they will be used as a crutch. We had the most success by letting her go without underwear or diapers for as long as possible at home. Then underwear when we went out while asking if she needed to go potty every 15 minutes or so.

Most kids I think they are a waste of money. Karen used them like regular diapers. Didn't help with potty training. Amanda on the other hand never treated them like a diaper. She gradually got better with using the potty until she was at the point that she could wear it all day and it would still be dry. (about 2 weeks) She might pee the smallest amount in the pull up but she would stop and finish in the potty. So with Amanda 1 pull up would last all day. Of course she wasn't in them very long.

They are more expensive (ugh!) but with coupons (and those are everywhere) it's not horrid. And the independence gained and the time saved by not having to do extra laundry, clean carpets, bathrooms, yadda, yadda, yadda, it is totally worth it. And they are generally only for a short season. We used them during the day for about a week, then went overnight with them until each child learned the control he/she needed. With Sarah Grace, that was only about two weeks. With Thomas, it's been nearly 18 months, between health issues and just being a heavy sleeper, but I think we are finally out of them. Just in time for Elizabeth to start...

I tried to boycott the pull ups with my first child. We bought the thick training panties and the plastic pants. This worked well until she had her first poo. I didn't mind the pee in the panties, I'd chuck them in the washer. But the poo.....I'd just throw them away. I called my mom asking what I should do with it, and she said that "back in the day" they would rinse the cloth diaper or the training pants out in the toilet. IN THE TOILET. I am not putting my hands in the toilet to wash out a poopy pair of britches. No. So after that we went to pull-ups. All 3 of my kids were potty trained, before they were poopy trained, something about pooping in the toilet freaked them out until they were comfortable peeing in the toilet. I dunno, but that's why I went to Pull Ups.

My vote is for waste of money! I used them with Anna Kate and to me, all it did was allow her to wet/soil them and then sneak into her room and change into a dry/clean one.

IMO, there are no consequences with PU's. Keep the diaper on until you have the time to truly potty train. The best thing we ever did was let AK run around naked. She was potty trained pretty quick and girls are more difficult than boys.

We used regular underwear with our first. If he got to wetting them a little too often we'd leave them on him (as a lesson) for awhile, he quickly caught on and starting using the potty really good. He hated the wet underwear on. We used pull ups at night until he complained he didn't want to wear them anymore. We had a couple weeks of washing sheets 2 or 3 times a week, but since its past us now, it doesn't seem like a big deal. Oh, and I have this awesome plastic sheet thing that the mattress goes in. It 100% incased in this plastic cover. The wet (pee) literally sat on top until I got out the towels to dry it. It was great when he puked in the bed too. Oh, if I only remember where I got it from??? We re-used the pull ups like someone else said until they fell apart. Luckily the poohing in the potty came just as quickly as the peeing. I didn't have to clean poop out of underwear until he started "wiping" himself. That's a whole nother story!

My son isn't potty trained. I am so jealous of you...oh man...

We didn't use them for very long, but I do recommend them. Here's why - no, they don't help as far as potty training and feeling dry, BUT they can put the "power" in Iliya's hand by making him feel successful. After all, if he feels dry in spite of an accident but can feel the success of the ACT to going to the potty "like a big boy", then he's going to want to do it more and the real success of potty training will come naturally.

Once you're moved and settled (which I am still in mourning over, for the record), you can work on helping him have success (and an appropriate amount of failure) in real underwear. Using pull-ups for LONG periods of time is something that you definitely don't need to get into, but while he's interested and trying to use the potty - I think it's a good tool to empower him and make him feel successful!

Guess mine was more like 10 cents, too :) love, Aunt KiKi

Have you thought of using regular underwear with the Pull-up over the top of it? This makes the child feel the wetness and be able to pull down his own pants and without leaking everywhere like a diaper!

We haven't trained Owen yet, but this is a trick I've used in the past as a nanny and preschool teacher. My friends swear by The Potty Trainer book which trains in 3 Days by going without underwear and staying at home 3 days in a row, going potty every 30 minutes and celebrating at the end with a party/prize. I have 3 friends who've trained their boys and girls in 3 days with this method (with exception of use of underpants with pull-up on top during naptime/bedtime.

I plan to use this method, but in the meantime, Owen likes practicing whenever I go. :)

Good luck!

they have the pullups with a cold strip strategically placed (didn't effect my girl) or designs that disappear (my girl loved) and as far as daytime they were great. She only wears them at night now and has no interest in giving them up! I can't explain it. If it were diapers I think she would give them up in a heartbeat but not the pull ups. I just don't need a wet bed in the middle of the night.

I vote, "total waste of money". My girls never made the final step to potty train until we nixxed the pull ups and went with cloth training pants with plastic pant over top. Also, they make little liners to go in the cloth pants to make #2 clean-ups/wash-outs easier.