Toilet Training & Zippers

Few events in a toddler̵7;s life are comparable to the excitement that comes from learning how to use the potty. During this time, several factors are in play and many skills are required to make a successful potty run. The clothing you choose for your child during this time is crucial, so help your kiddo out and don̵7;t combine toilet training with zippers.

  1. Potty Training

    • During potty training, a child needs to be able to get to the potty, pull his pants and training pants or underwear down, and get on the toilet before going pee or poop. To the trained adult, this may seem feasible. However, to a toddler, this is a need-to-go-now scenario, and he may get frustrated or not make it in the toilet if he has to wrestle with his clothes. His skills are not quite refined enough to swiftly move through each phase of the de-robing process as he does the potty dance. To make this easier on him, dress him in simple-to-remove clothing, such as elastic-waist pants. Eliminate that clothing struggle. Then he̵7;ll only have to worry about feeling the urge, getting there and going.

    Skills

    • When your child is around 2 years old, he should be starting to master the skills needed to pull his pants up and down by himself. Since using a zipper requires developed fine-motor skills, it may take him a bit longer to master that task. He may be closer to 3 or 4 years old before he can accomplish this by himself. You might not always be immediately available to help him out with that zipper, so it̵7;s better to use other types of clothing during the potty training phase. After he̵7;s fully potty trained and has developed his fine motor skills a bit more, you can give clothing with zippers a try.

    Clothing Alternatives

    • Pants with elastic waist bands, such as sweat pants or track pants, work well because they can be pulled up and down easily. Velcro closures also make for easy undoing when it̵7;s most needed. Skirts for a girl offers easy potty access as she can simply flip it up while she pulls down the undies.

    Clothing to Avoid

    • The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests avoiding clothes with zippers during toilet training. You definitely want to stay away from clothes with tiny zippers or zippers in the back, as these are hard for your child to grab and pull on. Overalls, belts, buckles, buttons and tight snaps can be difficult for a young child to maneuver, too. Full dresses, tights and one-piece outfits are hard to work with. You don̵7;t want a potty accident because your kiddo couldn̵7;t get the clothes off in time.

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