The truth is: pullups are just glorified diapers that prolong potty training. Not only does this dwindle the confidence of our children working towards independence, but it also makes our lives as parents more difficult — more days spent cleaning up messes at home and in public, more stressful nights trying to rest but changing wet sheets.... do I need to go on?

To quickly understand why pullups prolong potty training, let's first understand how they work.

Pullups were designed to keep our kids dry. 

Pullups are absorption machines — just like normal diapers. Pee and poo immediately get absorbed by the pullup, and within minutes they dry up (because of their quick drying materials).  They do a great job soaking up all the liquid and making it comfortable to sit in!... But this isn't what we want if we want to potty train our kids as fast as possible...

Pullup diapers make sitting in pee and poo comfortable. That's their job.

And it may sound weird and gross to us, "potty trained adults"…

But the key to speeding up the potty training process is making sure your kid feels uncomfortable sitting in their pee and poo — Not comfortable!

This is why pullups are so counterproductive. They make your child too comfortable. And they might not even know they wet themselves since they've been doing it for so long.

Just like you and I have learned it's unpleasant to sit in soaked underwear, our kids need to learn as well.

So should you make your kid switch to normal underwear immediately?