DIY Pull-Ups!

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Well, the time has come. I was really apprehensive about pushing potty training with my son, and frankly, just wasn't interested in training a child that wasn't ready and dealing with the messes! So, after a year of letting my then 22 month-old son "self-train" and still being paused at the "I onwy PEE in the potty! I'm not gonna poop!" stage (*sigh*) we are finally just going to rip the bandage off and finish up this potty-training ordeal once and for all!  LOL  And, in trying to remain true to my frugalista roots, there will be NO investing in OVER-PRICED PULL-UPS! While I realize this stance may have to bend a little if we ever intend on leaving the house, for now we're going the homemade route! This is what I came up with:

Toddler training pants + Super maxi pads = The BEST potty trainers EVER!

You can buy a 3 pk. of Gerber toddler training pants (thick, soft, cotton underwear that has a little extra fabric in the crotch area) in sizes 2T -3T for about $8 at Target.  (Or you can check out the selection of Training Pants on Amazon.)  Buy Buy Baby also has a 2 pk. for about the same price and the sizes are as small as 18 months!    Perfect for skinny little guys like mine!  And the ones at BBB have a concealed plastic liner in the crotch area for added protection.  

Add a super-absorbent maxi pad to the crotch area of the trainers!  (You can score Stayfee pads quite often for FREE using coupons and sales at the drugstores or look for cheaper store brands like Target's Up & Up) Sound crazy?   Probably, but it totally works! 

Now, the maxi pad is not designed to absorb a TON of liquid like, say, a Poise pad or Depends undergarments. And Pull-ups? Well, let's call them what they are: Over-priced diapers! These do nothing, in my opinion, to encourage a child to learn or want to get to the potty! And why should they?! They are safely "wrapped up" in diaper underwears that will contain the potty mess and someone will change them when they feel uncomfortable enough. Where is the connection to train?  Anyways, the maxi pad has just enough absorbency to "catch" a majority of the mess before your mahogany hardwood floors become slicked but leaves enough "leg dribble" for your child to realize something ain't right and get to the potty!

This is my favorite Potty Chair!  Very sleek, simple, and easy to clean!  And, if you aren't comfortable with buying used, you can usually find at least one color on sale for around $19.99! They are normally $29.95!

And I LOVE this hack for making those first trips out while training. If there is an accident while scrambling to the nearest restroom at the mall, or while driving in the car (keep a potty bowl in the trunk of your car!), depending on the amount of leakage, you can just change out the maxi pad and be done. The underwear (and the rest of the outfit!) is still good to go! Less laundry, less land fill waste, and less wasted moolah!

(This post was originally published at the end of October 2011, right before my son's 3rd birthday.) *UPDATE* We never did purchase ANY Pull-Ups and were very pleased with the success of the homemade version! My son had only two very minor incidents the first day or so and that pad totally worked! We used the homemade version only about a month or so during the day, just to be sure he was totally confident, and only a couple of months for overnight protection.

Some things I learned from our potty training experience:

• I reused the maxi pads multiple times if there was no leakage or, um, 'stains'. ;)
• I placed the maxi pad a little more towards the front for more protection.
  

  
• I invested in very simple potty bowl (purchased used at Once Upon A Child for about $5) to leave in the trunk of our car. I found it is MUCH easier to let my son go in the parking lot or wherever than to have to deal with a public restroom. The rushing, nastiness, lines, 'out of order' signs, etc.
• Keep a "potty kit" in the car: change or two of clothes, plastic bags for messy clothes, paper towels, wipes, and hand sanitizer,
• You can avoid having to carry/use a foldable toilet seat when you're out and about. I have found that it is difficult for my son to "go" comfortably on an adult-sized toilet seat, but if I take off his pants from one leg (yes, big hassle!) and sit him backwards on the toilet (like facing the tank) he can hold on to me for balance and still manage to open his legs a bit to go.
• Standing up to pee does not work well for all little boys!
• Flushable wipes marketed for kids (Huggies) are WAY overpriced! You can get feminine wipes at Target (with coupons!) for about 1/3 of the price and they are the exact same product! Or just use all those leftover baby wipes, but don't flush them!
• Buy enough underwear in the beginning to cover the laundry load if you are having a lot of accidents. I got 11 pairs, enough that I wouldn't have to do laundry every day.

Huggies Simply Clean Baby Wipes, Refill, 648 ct (reg. $14.99) ONLY $8.58 Shipped!

  

Stayfree often has a $1 coupon on one package of Stayfree & a FREE Sample!

Gerber sometimes has $1 coupons on any Gerber Cloth Diaper or Training Pant products!

Will update the deals as they become available!

I also blog daily over at The Krazy Coupon Mama where I share lots of great money-saving tips, lessons in couponing, freebies and product samples, printable coupons, giveaways, grocery store deals, and more!