Training pants provide an interim solution from the time your little one is ready to move away from diapers and begin potty training until they are confident wearing underwear every day.

Many parents find that training pants are essential in making the transition to big kid underwear easier, giving children the opportunity to develop their motor skills in pulling pants up and down while retaining the assurance little ones have become used to when wearing diapers.

Whether you are navigating potty training as a first-time parent or have a child eager to go straight from diapers to underwear, we'll explain how training pants work and how they can benefit your potty-training journey.

How Do Potty Training Pants Work?

Children’s training pants look and feel more like conventional underwear, typically with a flexible, resealable waistband for a comfortable fit that can be pulled up and down like regular pants.

The Pant by Coterie is a specifically designed hybrid diaper-pant for growing little ones, with numerous features to help with potty training. Incorporating up to 2.5 more stretch* and highly absorbent panels with up to 80% greater liquid capacity* means children become familiar with wearing pants as a stepping stone away from diapers.

*tested for performance against leading brands

Having pants that catch small accidents removes a great deal of pressure, especially for children attending a nursery or daycare setting where a little extra reassurance is key. Rather than having any negative connotations associated with accidents, training pants help keep skin clean, dry, and fresh, while promoting independence throughout the potty-training process.

Potty Training Pants vs Underwear

Every child is unique, and while some kids will be ready to go from diapers to underwear, many may find this daunting. Ultimately, the right way forward depends on your child, their needs, and their ability to tell you when they need to use the bathroom.

In some cases, parents opt for a mixed approach, albeit with consistency about which times of day or settings in which their child wears a diaper, training pants, or underwear–often differentiating between day and night. The key is to consider your child's developmental stage and to pay attention to the cues and indications that they would benefit from training pants or are already able to stay dry throughout the day and can confidently transition to everyday underwear.

Most young children require time and patience to get used to the change from wearing a diaper, and parents can use positive reinforcement and encouragement to help. For many, timing is a factor, where a child may recognize they need the bathroom only a very short time before they need to go–which is where training pants can bridge the gap, allowing parents to celebrate their child's success while helping children gain better awareness of bathroom cues.

Differences Between Underwear and Training Pants

The primary contrasts between these two types of underwear for toddlers and young children include:

• Liquid absorbency levels: Training pants have much greater absorbency than underwear, keeping leaks and mess to a minimum while ensuring kids feel secure.
• Fabrics and materials: Potty-training pants perform like regular underwear while enabling parents to change their children's pants like diapers when needed.
• Encouraging independence: When little ones are empowered to vocalize their need to use the bathroom and pull their pants up and down, they gain greater responsibility. They can better understand the signals and cues that they need to use the toilet.

Because training pants resemble underwear, children often feel excited about this new challenge. They can learn the physical movement of dressing and wear flexible underwear that supports free movement without the hindrance of a diaper, which can be a significant transition for a young child.

Much of toilet training is about connecting all the dots: verbal communication, physical sensations, and the dexterity to pull pants up and down. While it is normal for this process to take some time and practice, training pants can promote faster development and learning while ensuring messes are never a big deal.