A guide for parents
What to wear for potty training
The clothes that make it possible, the ones that quietly sabotage it, and how many pairs of pants you actually need.
What's in here
- The clothes are half the job
- What not to put them in
- What actually works
- How many pairs of pants you need
- At nursery and out of the house
- What accidents do to clothes
Everyone talks about readiness, and rewards charts, and which potty to buy. Almost nobody mentions the clothes, which is odd, because the clothes are the bit you can actually control.
The clothes are half the job
Here's the thing. A toddler gets about four seconds of warning. Four seconds between realising and it happening.
So if they're in dungarees, it's already over. By the time you've got the straps off both shoulders and the whole thing down, you're mopping the floor and they're upset, and none of that is about whether they were ready.
The goal is that they can get their own clothes down, on their own, fast. Everything else follows from that. It also matters for their confidence, because pushing their own pants down and pulling them back up is part of feeling in control of the whole thing.
What not to put them in
| Avoid | Why | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Dungarees and all-in-ones | Straps take far too long | Separate top and bottoms |
| Vests with crotch poppers | Same problem, hidden underneath | T-shirts, or leave the poppers undone |
| Tights | Cling, and impossible to manage alone | Leggings |
| Buttons, zips, belts | Hard for you, impossible for them | Elastic waists only |
| Anything tight | They can't sit comfortably on a potty | Roomy and soft |
The vest one catches people out because you can't see it. A child in a t-shirt and leggings looks fine and is fine. A child in a bodysuit under leggings has an extra layer of poppers to deal with, and they will not deal with them.
At home, less is more
For the first few days, a t-shirt and pants and nothing else on the bottom half is genuinely the easiest thing. No trousers to fight with, and they can see what's happening, which helps more than you'd think.
Bare-bottomed works too if you're brave and your floors can take it. Plenty of people swear by it for the first weekend.
What actually works
Elasticated everything. Leggings, joggers, elasticated shorts. If it needs a hand to undo it, it's wrong for now.
Loose enough to fall. This sounds daft but it's the whole trick. Bottoms that drop when pushed, rather than needing to be worked down over a nappy-shaped bottom.
Dresses and skirts are brilliant, as long as there are no tights underneath. Easy to lift, nothing to pull down.
Cotton pants rather than the cheap synthetic ones. They're more absorbent when there's a small accident, they hold their shape, and they don't go grey after a fortnight.
And let them choose the pants. Whatever character it is this month. It sounds like a small thing and it is genuinely one of the most effective bits of the whole process.
How many pairs of pants you need
More than you think. Considerably more.
| What | How many |
|---|---|
| Pants | 10 to 15 pairs |
| Bottoms (leggings, joggers) | 6 to 8 pairs |
| Socks | However many you have. It travels. |
| Spare sets in the bag | 2 to 3, always |
Ten pairs of pants sounds excessive right up until the day you're on pair seven by lunchtime and the washing machine is still going.
And it's worth knowing that pull-up nappies aren't generally recommended, because they feel like a nappy and a child won't understand why they're meant to treat them differently. Washable trainer pants do the job better if you want something in between.
At nursery and out of the house
Nursery will ask for spare sets and they mean it. Two or three complete changes, labelled, plus more pants than seems reasonable.
Out and about, the same rules apply but harder, because a public toilet is a difficult place to be wrestling with a button. Elastic waists, every time.
And keep a bag in the car with a full change in it. You will need it, probably on a day you were only nipping out for ten minutes.
What accidents do to clothes
Less than you'd fear, honestly, as long as you get to them.
Cold water, straight away, then a normal wash. Never hot, because it sets things rather than shifting them. The full stain guide is here, and the short version is that cold water and daylight sort out nearly everything.
The pairs that don't come back are the ones that sat in a bag all day. So the carrier bag in the changing bag is genuinely worth having, and dealing with it the same evening beats dealing with it on Sunday.
I put him in dungarees on day three and could not work out why we had suddenly gone backwards. It was the dungarees. It was entirely the dungarees.
🌱 And then it's over, and you've got a drawer of leggings
The awkward bit about potty training clothes is that you need a lot of them for about three months, and then you need normal clothes again in a bigger size.
That's what Swapaboo is for. You photograph what they've grown out of, we check and value each piece, and it becomes credits you spend on the next size up from another family. So the eight pairs of leggings go on to somebody who's just starting, and you get whatever comes next.
The clothes cost nothing, and the only money that changes hands is the delivery or collection, from £1.99.
We're opening a few families at a time and it's invitation only just now.
Common questions
What clothes are best for potty training?
Anything with an elasticated waist that a child can pull down without help. Leggings, joggers and elasticated shorts all work well, as do dresses and skirts without tights underneath. The aim is that they can manage their own clothes quickly and independently.
What clothes should you avoid during potty training?
Dungarees and all-in-ones, because the straps take too long. Vests with crotch poppers, buttons, zips and belts, because a toddler cannot manage them. Tights, which cling and are difficult to pull down. And anything tight enough to make sitting on a potty uncomfortable.
How many pairs of pants do you need for potty training?
Ten to fifteen pairs, plus six to eight pairs of bottoms. Accidents come in runs rather than singly, and washing rarely keeps up in the first weeks. Cotton pants are worth choosing over synthetic ones because they are more absorbent and hold their shape.
Should a toddler wear pants or pull-ups when potty training?
Pull-up nappies are generally not recommended, because they feel like a nappy and a child may not understand why they should be used differently. Ordinary pants, or washable trainer pants as a halfway step, give a clearer signal that something has happened.
When should a child be out of nappies?
Bladder and bowel charities suggest that being out of nappies by around 30 months is best for bladder and bowel health, while also being clear that it is never too late to start. Every child develops at a different pace, and readiness varies widely.
Should you let a toddler go bare-bottomed for potty training?
Many parents find a few days without bottoms at home helpful at the start, because there is nothing to remove and the child can see what is happening. A t-shirt and pants works nearly as well if bare-bottomed is not practical.