On Big Kid Undies

E is a tough kid. He's stubborn and refuses to be reigned in for any length of time and any reason. He's determined, he's steadfast, he knows what he wants and isn't willing to give in for anybody if it means giving up what he sees as being the answer - the ONLY answer.

Potty learning is, as you might have guessed, a challenge for him.

He's fully capable, you should know - he's proven he can go on the potty, with the exception of when he's sick, but we've all had times when we haven't felt well and our bodies got in the way of us making it to the bathroom in time. It's embarrassing but certainly not purposeful. He just doesn't WANT to. Using some form of training pants - there are no diapers that fit him anymore - is far more convenient for him. It's a safety thing, it provides him with a measure of control that he otherwise doesn't have during the day. It's all about control, something I've learned after guiding two other kids through this journey. He wants all the control but we want to encourage something he's shown he's more than capable of handling. So how do we proceed?

With the older two we just kind of did whatever. We used cloth diapers sometimes, disposable training pants in others, and cloth training pants sometimes too. We never found something we settled on and we used different brands without actually committing to anything. It's how our cheap asses rolled. But I recently got a chance to review a couple of the new Pampers Easy Ups for free (thanks, Influenster) so I went for it with gusto (because those things are expensive and I like free, and I'm not against being brutally honest).

E didn't find them to be any better or worse than anything else he tried. He had no real opinion, other than being super pumped about the Thomas the Tank Engine stuff all over the boy ones, and enthused about the Hello Kitty pattern on the girl ones. He didn't care otherwise.

As far as how they worked, they were about the same as any other disposable training pants we've ever used. They held up well to the insanity of an active toddler and we never had any ripping issues. There were no leaks. One night he had a stomachache that resulted in every parent's nightmare, the uncontrollable diarrhea, but they survived that too. They were not better, though they were not worse, than anything else I've used.

Pros:

Held up well

Kid liked the designs

Impressed with the amount of stretch in the entire pant

No leaks

Sides tear pretty easily but don't tear if you aren't trying to

Cons:

Still pretty expensive

Sides tear away pretty easily but can't be resealed like with Pull Ups

If you'd like a coupon for $1.50 off you can grab it here. If not, it'll still be there - but coupons are good because shit's too expensive.