My youngest is 2 and has been showing signs of being ready to potty train or potty learn recently so I decided it would be time to make him some trainers. We have used cloth diapers almost his whole life and I figured there was no reason to stop that trend by using a reusable option for potty training.
I decided to try two of the pattern designers I like one is A Sparkly Baby (ASB) and the other is Stitch Upon a Time (SUAT). Both have different patterns and many other patterns I have sewn and loved. I personally use the Stitch Upon a Time scrundlewear for myself, but I’ll write a separate blog post about that.
The Lil’ Bug Undies from ASB does not have a specific piece you cut out for the training pad. This can be a little frustrating, but they do have an easy to follow tutorial on their Facebook page to make one, and that helps quite a bit. I followed the steps they gave, but opted to not use a liner on top of the pad and instead I sewed the pad straight to the underwear. I also did not use the recommendation of having the pad about 1/2″ away from the normal edge of the underwear/trainer. This may not have been the best idea as my serger did not really care for the thickness while sewing. However, I was very happy overall with the fit of these on my son. They give him lots of space to play, run, climb, and crawl around. There isn’t a worry about a lack of coverage, as all his little parts stay well covered. He does have a booty and his belly is definitely one that belongs to a well-fed toddler. His belly/waist measurement is slightly more than his chest, but that seems to be slowly going away as he grows. Finished photo of the Lil’ Bug Undies below.
The kids scrundlewear trainer from SUAT does have a trainer pad piece to use, which was nice. I also sewed the pad straight to the underwear as directed in the training pad directions. For this pattern, there was a little bit of excess fabric in the rise that we didn’t necessarily need. This may be due to his little belly or just that he is a bit on the shorter side. Overall the fit is nice and still serves its purpose. Finished photo of the Scrundlewear below.
For the pads I opted to use a hemp and bamboo blend fleece for 1 or 2 layers. I also used a windpro layer under these and before attaching it to the main part of the underwear. I basted each of the pad layers together before attaching to the underwear to avoid any slippage while sewing. I also attached the pad to the underwear using a stretch stitch to ensure it wouldn’t go anywhere and we wouldn’t lose any stitches along the way of potty training. For him, I may need to use additional absorbency options until he gets the hang of listening to his body all the time. Below are pictures of the pads before construction and ready for sewing.
He has great days and not so great days. We are not using any special 1 day or 3 day method. I am listening to him and following his queues on how he feels each day. Some days we do great and are dry all morning and most of the afternoon with may successful potty trips. Other days we are changing constantly and may even offer the option of putting a cloth diaper back on. No one is perfect. I do not expect perfection from him, but he is continuing to show progress, which makes me happy.
For this round of sewing, I made a total of 18 trainers. I think we will need more because of his changing feelings about potty training. Again, we aren’t pushing hard, but we are encouraging him to become more comfortable with the toilet. If I try any other trainer patterns I’ll be sure to share those. I also plan on making a post about the fit of different underwear patterns. Hopefully I’ll have time to do that shortly.
Most of the fabric used was from left over projects. They come from a variety of places including: Sweet N Charmed, TKB prints, Elevation Fashion Fabrics, Purple Seamstress, Dark Matter Fabrics, Sew Creative, and others.
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