I have made various comments in my blog about the fact that potty training has been a trial. My oldest child is now four and still resisting finishing her potty training. I have noticed that my second child who will turn two in a week is developing the same habits as her sister did. Both were in disposable diapers as infants and began official potty training at about two. Neither seems to care when their pants get soiled or wet. This has gotten me to think more seriously about using cloth diapers with child number three who is due in early February. I am already washing out cloth pants with my oldest so I have passed through the grossness barrier I felt when I was a new parent.
What I would like is if anyone who reads this who has experience with cloth diapers and potty training thereafter would give me their opinions and share their experiences. I am hoping to make up my mind about this in the next month so that I can get the supplies I will need either way. So, tell me what worked for you, what you liked or didn't like. I want to get my kids on track with potty issues earlier than has happened with my first child.
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I never used cloth diapers, but I was very frustrated as well with potty training. When I was researching potty training a common theme seemed to be praise and positive reinforcement. I came across a website called www.pottytrainingrewards.com. We hung it in the kitchen and named the little boy on the front of the package, Bobby. My son could not wait to go to the potty so he could push the button, hear the praising message, and get his chocolate reward from, Bobby. It really got my son excited about using the potty himself and it was fun for him. Because he became so involved, potty training was easy. So give it a try.
I have a friend who uses cloth diapers for that reason (and other reasons) but her daughter has not started potty training yet. I do know that she is aware of when she is wet though. She will sign "potty" (they also do baby signs with her) when she is wet. Don't really know if this is related to the cloth diapers or not though. I will caution you, however, that it is an expensive endeavor. I know that you can do it much cheaper than my friend is (she is very caught up in the trendy, cute diapers and is always buying more) but do take into account the fact that your child will grow and you will need to buy a bigger size diaper most likely before potty training. My friend did not take this into account, she knew that cloth diapers were not cheap but she thought once you bought them you were done... not so!
That was my friend's experience, or what I know of it anyway... now here's my two cents. I used disposables with my first child and I tried to potty train her when she seemed ready to me. She was just not having it. She would go sometimes in the potty and then other times wouldn't even sit down on it. I stopped the training altogether and did not make a big deal about it or make her feel bad for not succeeding. I just said that we would try again later. A few months later I brought it all back out again and put her in cloth panties and after a week of not going in the potty at all I was about to give up again but then one day she just "got it." I realized that she liked to have complete control of the situation. She was not the type of child that I could make sit on the potty every half an hour. She needed to be able to pull down her panties by herself (no pants when training!) and go without me even knowing that she was going. Of course, I watched her like a hawk without her knowing, but in her eyes she was doing it BY HERSELF. From what I've read in your blog, your oldest sounds a lot like my daughter. She is very independent and always has been. She has always been above average compared to her peers (she even relates and plays the same as girls a year or more older than her.) So, I don't know how you've been training your children, but this may be something to try. I think some kids just respond better when they are in control and don't feel like you are "babying" them.
Hope this helps! Sorry it's so long!
-Sonflour
Cloth has come a long way; we're going to use cloth with our kiddos. Here are two links with good information.
http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/
http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp
When you do the math, and shop smart, you will save hundreds of dollars a year. Check out the Bum Genius and Fuzzi Bunz (I so love the names...)
Wendy, I have checked out diaperpin.com. I'll have to check the other one. As for rewards, Anonymous, my daughter seems immune. We gave her loads of praise, and got virtually nowhere. She is not a bribable child so that doesn't work. Her issue seems to be that she dislikes pooping so much that she thinks that it will stop happening if she wishes hard enough for it. She also refuses to take responsibility for herself. She thinks it is someone else's problem. I realize that cloth is not supercheap, Sonflour, but it is cheaper than four years of disposables. And, I have no intention of going for cutesy. I tend toward practical anyway, and since this is my third child we're talking about I'm more immune to the cute vs. functional dilemma many new parents get caught up in. I'm looking for what works in the long run, even if it is harder in the short-term. If I can find something that fits my needs, and makes that hard work easier, so much the better.
Yes, it definitely sounds like you should try cloth, just from what you said. I wish I had looked into it more with my first because I could have saved a lot of money by now! But I (hopefully) am getting close to being done with diapers so no use now. And my daughter does not respond to rewards/praise/bribery in any way either...I was going to say, though, have you looked into giving your daughter foods that will loosten her stool. Perhaps her poo has been hard and hurt in the past and that may be why she is scared... just a thought. Anyway, good luck! And I don't know if you'd be interested in these, but one more option to look into is a flushable diaper. I looked at the website briefly and it looks to me that it is a cloth diaper with flushable inserts. I know you said you are past the "ick factor" of cloth diapers, but with 3 kids it may be easier to deal with! Just another option!
Sonflour
Wow, sorry, it's been one of those days... here is the website for the diapers I mentioned... it's www.gdiapers.com.
Scratch the flushable gdiapers I referrred you to, I just heard some bad comments about them on one of my message boards. Basically a lot of leaking and you definitely don't want to go through that! But if you do want references on cloth diapers from someone who has tried them all (literally... she is quite obsessed!) I could ask my friend which ones she likes the best. I know she has a favorite, just don't know the name of them.
Sonflour
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