(This post was originally published at the end of October 2011, right before my son’s 3rd birthday.)

Add a super-absorbent maxi pad to the crotch area of the trainers!  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!

And I love this hack for making those first trips out while training. If there is an accident while scrambling to get to the nearest restroom at the mall, or while driving in the 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!

*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:

• First and foremost, a child is not ready to potty train unless and until they are ready!
• Stayfree pads are often on sale and when paired with coupons the cost is minimal.  Or you can look for inexpensive store brands.
• Incontinence pads like Poise or Depends may also work.
• Gerber occasionally has coupons for Training Pant products!
• Yes, 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 so much easier to let my son go in the parking lot or wherever we were than to have to deal with a public restroom. The rushing, the nastiness, the long lines, the flippin’ ‘out of order’ signs, etc. *shudder* Getting a potty-training kiddo to the nearest public toilet should not feel like being on Survivor!

• A “Piddle Pad” may be a good investment if you’re concerned with accidents in the car seat.
• Keep a “potty kit” in the car: change or two of clothes, plastic bags for messy clothes, paper towels, old rags, 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.

We ended up finding this travel seat and loved it!  The Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus folds up compact enough to tuck in a diaper bag or backpack and can be used over any shape toilet seat. It can also be used as an emergency potty with these disposable liners or just with plastic shopping bags and paper towels.  😉   This seat is the first thing I pack when we travel overseas!

• Standing up to pee does not work well for all little boys!
• Baby Leggings may help with training. Kiddos can wear underwear with the leggings and not have to deal with the rush of pulling down/off pants.
• Flushable wipes marketed for kids are so 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.

Do you have any potty-training tips that have worked well for you and your kiddo? Had you ever heard of using maxi-pads before?