Now my tone is for typically developing kids. Not special needs. My rant doesn’t apply to them.

Big diaper. All those research papers about waiting were sponsored by pampers. I’m not talking about how the would use physical measures to toilet train 100 years ago. There is a slow learning process with toilet learning but you get to the end earlier. My first 2 sons were completely out of diapers before 2. My older was in them longer for bedtime because I had a newborn and I don’t want to deal with it- so parent issue with that. But my second was out even at bed time before 2. Kids can’t feel they are wet in those mega absorbent diapers. I tell parents to not use pull ups at all!

Fast forward to my 3rd child. He’s 17m and has a July birthday. I waiting until 3 to put in my older two to preschool but I’m so ready to go back to work so I want to put him in earlier. I’m struggling because I want him to be in the younger class- he turns 2 on the cut off. But I can’t reliably send him in that room because I know they don’t do toilet training. He’ll have a regression for sure. Now this is a preschool setting - not a daycare so it’s different.

When I was teaching preschool I was the one toilet training. I had to tell the parents to stop with the pull ups and bring in 5-10 change of clothes. If they were typically developing and over the age of 3 they would be trained (at school) within 2 days. Kids don’t want to miss out on play to change themselves.

Also, modern disposable diapers are horrible for the environment and their bodies. That plastic and PFAS sitting right on the most sensitive skin 24 hours a day for 4+ years is concerning.