Potty training is one of those parenting milestones that everyone has an opinion about and nobody fully prepares you for. We started with our son Reuben at around 26 months. He was showing the signs — interested in the toilet, aware of what was happening, able to communicate. We thought we were ready. We were not ready.
Two months in, we were still having multiple accidents a day, Reuben was getting frustrated, and I was quietly wondering whether we'd somehow broken the process. Then we switched to Huggies Pull-Ups Size 6, and within three weeks something had genuinely shifted. Here's what happened.
What We'd Been Doing Wrong
We'd started with regular training pants — the cloth kind — and then moved to a standard nappy when we were out of the house because the anxiety of accidents in public was too much. The problem with that approach, which I only understood in retrospect, was that it sent Reuben a mixed message. At home, he was in training pants and expected to use the potty. Out of the house, he was back in a nappy and the expectation disappeared. He couldn't build a consistent habit because the rules kept changing depending on where we were.
We needed something that worked everywhere — something that felt like underwear and encouraged independence, but gave us enough protection that we could actually leave the house without packing three changes of clothes.
Why We Chose Huggies Pull-Ups
I'd seen Pull-Ups mentioned in a few parenting forums but hadn't taken them seriously — I'd assumed they were just a nappy with a different shape. Reading the actual product description changed my mind.
The detail that got me was the learning layer — a feature that briefly mimics the feeling of wet underwear when the pant is used. That's the key insight I'd been missing: Reuben needed to feel the consequence of not making it to the potty in order to understand why the potty mattered. A standard nappy absorbs everything immediately and efficiently, which is great for a baby but counterproductive for a child who's supposed to be learning. The learning layer keeps that feedback loop intact while still providing protection.
The 360 degree stretchy waistband was the other thing that made sense. Reuben needed to be able to pull them up and down himself — that independence is part of what makes the habit stick. If he needed help every time, the process would always involve an adult, and the goal was for him to start managing it on his own. Pull-Ups are designed to work exactly like real underwear in that respect.
The fading wetness indicator gave both of us a clear, visual signal — useful for Reuben to understand what had happened, and useful for me to know when a change was needed without having to check constantly. The easy-tear sides meant that when accidents did happen, removal was quick and clean rather than a whole production.
Size 6 was right for Reuben at 15kg. The sizing is weight-based and the fit was exactly as described — flexible enough for running and playing without sagging or bunching.
The First Week
The first thing I noticed was Reuben's reaction to putting them on. He pulled them up himself, looked down, and said like big boy pants. That was the moment I understood why the design matters. He felt different in them. He felt like he was doing something grown-up rather than wearing a nappy with a different name.
The learning layer did its job. The first time he had an accident in the Pull-Up, he noticed immediately — came to find me, told me what had happened, and seemed genuinely motivated to avoid it happening again. That feedback loop, which had been completely absent with the standard nappy, was now working. He was connecting cause and effect in a way he hadn't before.
By the end of the first week he was initiating trips to the potty more consistently than he had in the previous two months combined.
Three Weeks In
By week three, Reuben was having more dry days than not. We were still using Pull-Ups as a safety net — particularly for outings and longer stretches away from home — but the accidents had reduced dramatically. More importantly, his attitude had changed. He wasn't frustrated by the process anymore. He was proud of himself when he made it to the potty, and he understood clearly what the goal was.
The unisex design meant there was no fuss about which ones were his — they just worked, for any child, without any additional complexity. That simplicity matters when you're already managing a lot of moving parts.
What Actually Made the Difference
Looking back, the two months before Pull-Ups weren't wasted — Reuben was building awareness and understanding throughout. But the Pull-Ups gave us the tool that made the learning stick. The combination of independence (pulling them up himself), feedback (the learning layer), and consistency (wearing the same thing at home and out of the house) created the conditions for the habit to form.
I also think the confidence piece matters more than it sounds. Reuben felt like he was wearing big-kid pants. That identity shift — from baby in a nappy to child in underwear — changed how he approached the whole thing. He wanted to succeed in a way he hadn't before.
We're now at the point where Pull-Ups are just for longer outings and as a precaution at nursery. At home, he's in regular underwear and managing well. We got here faster than I expected once we had the right product. That's the honest summary.
For Any Parent in the Middle of It
If you're two months in and feeling like nothing is working, I'd say: check whether your child is getting consistent feedback and consistent expectations. If the answer to either is no, Pull-Ups might be the thing that changes the dynamic. They were for us.
👉 Shop Huggies Pull-Ups Unisex Day Time Nappy Pants Size 6 on ALTOE
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Written by Dom Whitfield. All opinions are his own.
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