by Megan
This is definitely a “benefit” of cloth diapers that is touted quite proudly through the generations, as well as, the interwebs. In this article, I hate to tell you that unfortunately this Myth or Truth is a MYTH! Cloth diapered babies do not necessarily potty train earlier. However, I do have some good news as well, just keep reading…
Cloth diapers have earned a reputation of supposedly helping kids to potty train earlier. I don’t know of any “scientific studies” proving this but rather believe it all to be anecdotal. And for good reason, I’m sure! You see, when the older generations were cloth diapering their little ones, diapers were made of all natural materials and the covers, i.e., rubber pants, were made of lower quality materials than we have today (therefore, not nearly as effective). This all created an ideal scenario for parents to potty train their children earlier.
Let’s make sense of all of this:
What does this all mean? There is more at play than what diaper type is being used when looking at the average potty training age. Two main factors are: 1) the baby/toddler being developmentally ready to potty train, and 2) The parents being mentally ready to potty train. All seven of my children have been in a variety of diapers (ones that they felt wet in and ones that they felt dry in due to wicking capabilities) and they have all potty trained at varying ages. I have not seen a strong correlation between the diaper they were using and the age they potty trained. I had a child that potty trained as early as 22 months and another that potty trained as late as 3 years, and everything in between.
I did promise you some good news at the beginning of this article, though. I want to encourage you that one layer of potty training I have seen with my own children was my mental willingness and tenacity to get through the process. I’ve gone in with a solid plan and come out the other side victorious, despite what “diaper type” I was using. I am a believer that part of potty training success lies in the parents hands (and the other part in the child’s development).
You’ve got this,
Megan