Are you getting ready to potty train your child? Are you wondering whether to use cloth toddler training pants or plain underwear?

That's a good question because there are advantages and disadvantages to both. By taking a look at each one you can get a good idea of which is right for you and your child.

Toddler training pants - the pros.

- Cloth training pants are thick and absorbent, designed to hold - somewhat - any accidents your child might have. Especially for little potty-ers who are sometimes a little late to the potty chair, they work quite well.

- Your toddler will feel wet if he has an accident. This is a very good thing. Children who feel uncomfortable when they are wet or soiled usually potty train faster.

- Training pants are washable and can be used over and over.

What are the cons of cloth training pants?

- They are not full proof. To handle large accidents, some training pants come with plastic or waterproof exteriors or you can simply add a pair of plastic pants over a non-waterproof pair of training pants.

(Disposable training pants also handle accidents well; so well, Crinkle Satin fabric Manufacturers in fact, that many toddlers can't tell any difference from wearing a diaper and treat the disposable pants as such, delaying their training.)

- Since training pants are so thick and cushy, some toddlers find them a bit difficult to pull up and down. Bigger leg openings make it easier to do this, but larger openings also means more chance of an accident escaping.

Toddler training underwear is a little different. The pros of these are...

- that they are thin and lightweight, making them a breeze for most toddlers or preschoolers to handle with ease.

- Your toddler will also feel wet or soiled if she has an accident in underwear. In fact, the first time a child experiences this you often see a shocked look on their face.

- Plain underwear are also washable and reusable.

It is not all good news, of course. The cons of toddler training underwear are as follows:

- Very thin fabric and therefore unable to hold most any accident at all. When you go out or if your child is still not dependable about his potty training, you will want to add plastic pants over the underwear.

- If your child is new to potty training, plan on doing a LOT of laundry and cleanups when using toddler underwear.

There is a season and need for each of these products in the life of a toddler. Sometimes a child has particular sensitivities and that determines usage. From a practical standpoint, however, starting out with cloth training pants makes sense because your child is more likely to be having accidents.

Later on, your advanced potty trainee can use toddler underwear as the "next step" in growing up. It can represent another milestone to your child, something fun and important to work towards.

Toddler training pants or underwear? Try a pair of each on your child and watch what happens. That will tell both of you exactly where you want to go from here.