We’re back! And guess what? We have a potty-trained kid! OK…so he’s about 90% potty trained, but still, we are celebrating. It was not a smooth journey, but here we are. We’ve also been back in Wisconsin now for exactly a year. The last year was a whirlwind, but we survived and still were able to accomplish ditching the diapers for our almost 3 year old. If we can do it, you can do it: trust me. Don’t know where to start? I didn’t really either. Disposable pull-ups? Cloth trainers? Regular tightie whities? Free to be nude? I had no idea.

I tried most of these scenarios…and let’s just say: I was cleaning up a lot of accidents on my kitchen floor and elsewhere. I know timing also had something to do with it—Bennett wasn’t quite ready when we tried half a year ago—so we took a step back. We took a break.

And then Thirsties released their Potty Training Pant. I seriously felt it was meant to be. The timing was too perfect. You all know I’m a huge fan of this brand, so you better believe I took this release as a sign and the perfect excuse to give potty training another shot. My fingers were crossed that Thirsties training undies would be just what we needed to have potty-training success.

Here’s what happened when we gave them a shot.

Ease of Use ✩✩✩✩✩ It doesn’t get much simpler than this trainer. The gentle elastic around the waist and legs make it so easy to pull up and down when using the potty, plus it’s gentle enough to mimic the feel of regular underwear. I guess the only slight downside is drying time, but I found turning them inside out usually does the trick.

Bang for the Buck ✩✩✩✩✩ Considering the price is just $18.75 and you get to choose from 3 adorable prints with awesome absorbency and certified organic cotton material, I’d say it’s a great deal for a trainer. We’ve been cycling through just 4 of these training pants, and that has worked for us. I will say with a small stash, we have been washing more often, and I’ve noticed a little bit of pilling; however, that doesn’t bother me. That’s just the nature of the material paired with the frequency of laundering that comes along with potty training, I think. I should also mention that you can throw in an extra insert for overnight use—that’s next on our list since we wanted to ease into potty training during the day before diving in at night. I don’t see why these wouldn’t hold up at night.

Performance ✩✩✩✩✩ These seriously rock, you guys. The inside has 4 layers of super soft, absorbent, certified organic cotton, and the wet zone is lined with waterproof TPU laminate. What more could you want from a trainer? That outside laminate is crucial. There’s nothing more defeating—at least for my little guy—than not only soaking through your undies but also soaking through your clothes. It’s just an added bummer, but the waterproof outer has always kept his clothes dry despite any accidents. As a whole, these are so soft and flexible, just like underwear would be, but with just enough absorbent material to catch any small accidents along the way. They do happen, but like I said, we’ve never had any leaks with these.

Fit ✩✩✩✩✩ I personally don’t mind the fit of these—they come in small, medium, large, and extra large, accommodating children 20-56 pounds. Bennett is between sizes, I think, so I chose to size up and get the large. I will say they seem a little baggy in the back and slightly in the front, but the elastics are still just right for keeping any accidents in. I actually prefer a little baggier fit because I think that makes Bennett feel a little more “free,” if that makes sense. I think not feeling restricted is kind of important when potty training—at least it has been for us—especially since Bennett was constantly complaining about the tightness of cloth diapers once he reached a certain age. I consider this pant sort of a hybrid trainer: a cloth diaper meets underwear. Anyway, overall, I think they have a great variety of sizing, but under clothes, especially if you size up like we did, you may find them slightly bulkier than other trainers, if you want to get picky and compare. But I’ll take it. The absorbency is much more important to me.

Overall: Maybe it was timing. Maybe it was the training pants. Maybe it was the reward stickers. Maybe it was a combination of the three. Either way, we are loving these potty training pants from Thirsties. I know the brand has been working on this creation for quite some time, and I think they got it right. My toddler is very particular, and he is a superfan of these. We started with the adorable Duck Duck Moo print, but once it was love, we got Classic Jurassic and even Unicorntopia because boys can like unicorns too, right? I highly recommend giving these a go if you’re stuck in the potty training department. Of course, there’s more to it than just the perfect pant, but these Thirsties “undies” make potty training a bit more exciting and comfortable for toddlers. They’ve worked wonders for us, so you better believe we’re celebrating these and giving them a perfect rating. We hope they bring you good potty-training vibes too!

Where to buy: Kelly’s Closet