I don’t often make New Year’s Resolutions. The only one I can remember making and keeping was in 2017: no overnight trips with babies. Our fourth child was born that spring, and the other kids were 13 months, 23 months, and 14 years old when he came along. My parents did keep our kids at our house one weekend so we had two glorious nights without babies, but otherwise, we stayed home and people came to see us. This year my resolution is no diapers in 2022! The time has come for the youngest to learn to use the potty, and I am so excited to be leaving the diaper days behind for good.
Our first baby came home the day after my 29th birthday. Ten months later we brought home his sister. Then I gave birth 13 months later, and again 18 months later. After the last baby, we had four in diapers for about 6 weeks before our oldest started using the toilet. It was as magical as you’re imagining. After 2,450 days straight of diapering at least one kid, here are some of my takeaways.
Cloth vs Disposable Diapers
Our first two babies were preemies, and thank goodness for preemie disposables. I’ve never seen such tiny heinies! Before we started fostering, I procured a small stash of one-size cloth diapers and I started using them with the first baby when he was almost three months old. I liked saving money with cloth, but disposables also had their place; specifically, nighttime, church nursery, and traveling. My babies wet a LOT overnight, and it’s not fun to have to change a soaking baby and their sheets in the middle of the night when they might have otherwise kept sleeping. Overnight disposables were a lifesaver! Cloth also seemed to intimidate nursery volunteers, and since they rotated frequently it was just easier to pack disposables on Sundays rather than train new people every week. I also found it much easier to pack disposables for trips as they are thinner and you don’t need to transport dirty ones back home.
When the second baby came along, a friend send me some newborn cloth diapers that we ADORABLE. The cute factor is huge with cloth. You don’t get the same personality with disposables. Maybe that’s not a big deal, but if you’re going to be looking at diapers a lot, it doesn’t hurt for them to be attractive. For several months we had both in cloth, but in the second trimester of my first pregnancy I raised the white flag. My wash routine needed help because the diapers were stinking as soon as they got wet, but I couldn’t figure out how to strip them and start fresh, so we just went to all disposable. I do not regret making the switch, though it did come with a seemingly never-ending cost. My youngest two babies never wore cloth, other than as swim diapers. I do highly recommend reusable swim diapers even if you use disposable the rest of the time.
Premium vs Store brand Diapers
Some babies’ sensitive skin requires very specific diaper brands. But if you have the luxury of being able to use any available diaper, I recommend trying out several different ones. I never found any store brands that let me down as often as Huggies did! I found Pampers to be the softest and most durable, but also the most expensive. I thought the scent of Luvs was overpowering. We used Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club), Comforts for Baby (Kroger), Parent’s Choice (Walmart), Up & Up (Target), and Little Journey (Aldi) enough over the years to recommend them equally. Wipes are a different story, though! They are definitely not all created equal.
Potty training vs child-led learning
You might think after transitioning four kids from diapers to the toilet I would have it all figured out, but no. There are plenty of methods out there, but the best advice I can give is just to wait. They’re probably not ready as early as you’d like for them to be. If you want to do a lot of work and clean up a lot of messes, then don’t be afraid to start as soon as you’d like. However, if you have a lot of little kids or other responsibilities your priority may not be on getting the baby out of diapers. I tried to encourage my older two to potty train before the last baby was born. It was fruitless. But less than six months later, the oldest pretty much learned by himself. I eventually picked up on his cues and suggested he try the potty and he never had a single accident. I think I put more pressure on the next kid, but they rose to the challenge. My four-year-old would still be in diapers if I hadn’t taken drastic action. Not to say there’s anything wrong with being in diapers at almost five, but he was absolutely capable and needed an ultimatum. Now we’re down to the last one and so far no diapers in 2022 and I don’t see us going back. Maybe the occasional pull-up for my own peace of mind, but I think it’s all clicking.
Is it better to train them on your own terms or wait for them to take the lead? No idea. Talk with your child and see what they think. Some are gung-ho but don’t quite have a handle on the muscle control required. Others can read their bodily cues just fine but have anxiety about the potty. I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all approach. Just have patience and the whole thing will go a lot smoother.
