The 11 Best Potty Training Underwear — To Save Your Carpet And Your Sanity
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Choosing the right potty training pants can feel like a, let’s say, loaded issue. Whether it’s your first child and potty training is cloaked in mystery, or you’re trying to motivate a reluctant potty trainer (or one going through a regression), potty training is a lot. But the best potty training underwear can help make the process a little easier for everyone.
Here’s what you need to know about each type of training pant:
- Disposable potty training pants offer convenience (no washing!) and are required by most daycares. They often feature a wetness indicator, kid-friendly characters, and tear-away sides perfect for removing a sticky situation. There are even some plant-based options, making them a more eco- and skin-friendly option than ever before.
- Cloth potty training pants are an even more environmentally-friendly choice because they’re reusable. While you do have to keep up with laundry, you won’t have to shell out to buy more disposables from week to week. Cloth options feature an absorbent liner that doesn’t hold as much as disposables but does allow a child to feel wetness faster. The underwear-like fabric and fit offer a big-kid feel.
Whichever type fits your lifestyle, you can motivate your little one by involving them. While “Yes, Yes Vegetables” may haunt your dreams, you can harness the power of your tyke’s CoComelon obsession. “Toddlers’ interest in cartoon, TV, and internet characters can entice them to further their progress in potty training. Being able to wear their cherished underwear becomes their reward,” explains James A. Waler, MD, board-certified pediatrician and author of The Owner's Manual, A Parent's Guide and Medical Record for a Child's First Two Years.
The potty training process involves plateaus and regressions and may last longer than expected — and that’s okay. Keep in mind “the vast majority of toddlers” will likely need nighttime protection “for months to years before being able to wear underwear through the night,” according to Dr. Waler.
Until you reach the promised land of regular underwear (it does happen, I promise), here are the 11 best potty training underwear that will stop leaks and end the 3 a.m. sheet changes.
01The Overall Best Cloth Training Pants
“Worth every penny” is what reviewers say about these cloth training pants. A parent-favorite for their cute prints, these reusable pairs are made with organic cotton and the absorbent liner is wool with a layer of nontoxic waterproof material. The briefs sit below the belly button, unlike many cloth training pants which run high-waisted, so they stay under cover. They’re available in sizes 2T to 4T, and in four different multi-print packs. “I would say they are the best potty training underwear I ever purchased,” one shopper raved. “Very soft thick cotton feel. Very absorbent. Fits like a glove.”
02The Overall Best Disposable Training Pants
It’s no surprise these disposable pull-ups from Huggies have a ton of five-star reviews: They’re a great value and come in a wide range of sizes, from 16 pounds all the way up to 50 pounds. The sides open easily and refasten for a customized fit that prevents leaks. One reviewer reported, “The sticky Velcro on the sides is so convenient, especially in public restrooms.” The Mickey and Minnie prints have a special design that fades when wet, helping your little one learn to recognize when they need a change.
03The Best Disposables For Sensitive Skin
Many reviewers note that Seventh Generation’s free and clear hypoallergenic training pants are the only brand of disposables that don’t give their sensitive kids a rash. They are made in the U.S. using no chlorine bleach, lotions, or fragrances that could irritate the skin and the absorbent core is made of wood fluff pulp. One reviewer underscored how comfy the tear-away sides are: “We've been dealing with pull ups that are really scratchy on the sides, leading my son to refuse to wear them. He has no objections to how these feel!” They are available in sizes from 2T to 5T in unisex-friendly prints.
04The Best Character Cloth Training Underwear
These are the cloth training pants for your toddler who can’t stop singing CoComelon’s “The Potty Training Song.” Available in sizes 18M, 2T, 3T, and 4T, they feature a soft combed cotton outer shell and a polyester lining to catch accidents. Reviewers said the vibrant prints helped motivate their little ones to keep them dry. They are tag-free, easy to pull on, and look like real underwear for the “I’m a big kid” crowd.
05The Best Character Disposable Training Underwear
Huggies debuted these hypoallergenic pull-ups in 2020. Offering 12 hours of protection against leaks, plant-based ingredients make up almost a third of the ingredients of these toilet training pants. They are also free of fragrances, chlorine, bleach, and parabens. The Frozen II prints feature a wetness indicator, letting you and your little one know when they’ve “let it go.” They come in sizes 2T to 5T.
Looking for a different character? Consider these highly rated PJ Masks-themed training pants from Pampers.
06The Best Superhero Cloth Training Pants
For little superheroes who need a little extra motivation during potty training, these DC Comics Justice League cotton training pants will save the day. Not only are they super colorful and adorned with iconic logos, they also have a polyester mesh lining to protect against leaks. Choose from several different multipacks (3-pack, 7-pack, or the featured 10-pack) and sizes ranging from 2T to 4T. One shopper raved, “Really cute and perfect for potty training a toddler. He loves seeing his favorite characters which makes this potty training process fun for him.”
07The Best Cloth Training Pants For Extra Protection
What stands out about these pure cotton training pants from BIG ELEPHANT is that they’re extra padded — they feature six layers, in fact. The snug leg holes are also designed to be leakproof for protection at any angle. So, if your little one has an accident on the go, you’ll have the peace of mind that it will stay contained. They’re machine washable and available in several cute six-packs. Choose from a good range of sizes, starting at 12-24 months and going up to 3-5T. One reviewer noted, “Helps keep my floor and [everything] she sits and plays on dry. Thicker than other brands i have [come] across with.”
08The Best For Petite Potty Trainers
Have a petite or early potty trainer in your house? These tag-free, washable potty training underwear start at 18 months and run up to 3T, and they come from a trusted name in underwear. One parent said, “These are the smallest training pants that I've found so far.” Another perk is they are not bulky and look and fit just like big kid’ briefs. A cotton liner keeps skin clean and a leak-proof liner also made of cotton catches any accidents, while still allowing the child to feel wetness.
09The Best For Bigger Kids (& Getting Through The Night)
Perfect for larger children or potty trainers working through a regression, Goodnites Nighttime works for day or night from 28 pounds all the way to and beyond 140 pounds. The smaller sizes feature fun Disney character designs and the larger sizes offer more subtle patterns for an older potty trainer. They hold 40% more than pull-ups for overnight protection and offer odor absorption as well. Many reviewers note these work especially well against leaks for your “wild sleepers.”
10The Best Overnight Training Pants On A Budget
Don’t sleep on these hypoallergenic overnight disposables! They are a fantastic deal and reviewers note they are, “roomy and comfortable,” “breathable as well as absorbent” and “work as well as the big name brands.” They are made in the U.S. in a zero-waste facility without latex, fragrance, dyes, or chlorine. Your little one won’t size out of them any time soon either. Sizes run from small all the way up to extra -arge. The plain and character-free design is discreet; perfect for an older potty trainer.
11The Most Discrete: An Adhesive Liner You Can Add To Any Pair Of Undies
A great option for those towards the end of potty training or a kid who is dead set on wearing regular underwear, Sposie’s adhesive booster pads also work for heavy wetters as an add-on to any brand or type of pull-up. They are hypoallergenic and free of fragrances, latex, chlorine, and phthalates. Parents love the adhesive strip which “runs the length of the pad and is very thin, allowing for easy repositioning.”
Expert: James A. Waler, M.D., board-certified pediatrician at Baptist Health
