Introducing Pull-Ups® Training Pants to Your Shy Child

Jan 18, 2023 | 3 Minutes Read

When your shy toddler starts to show interest in the potty, now is your moment to introduce Pull-Ups®. Your child is likely to be hesitant and skeptical of the process, so they need you to make Pull-Ups available and comfortable before he will want to use them. Make Pull-Ups a part of the bathroom environment and let your child play with them a bit before expecting your child to wear them. Shy children are concerned with consistency and predictability, so seeing Pull-Ups around all the time will help ease the transition to potty training.

Dad keeps a special place for Pull-Ups training pants and allows his son to choose which Learning Design pant he wants to wear
Shy toddlers may be interested, but they want to do things their way and feel comfortable enough to know that their pace is OK. Present Pull-Ups in a way that gives them time to explore and gain confidence, but be aware that shy child might also want some privacy while exploring.

Try these Potty Talk scripts with your Shy toddler:

  • “I notice that you’ve been hiding behind the couch (in a corner, etc.) to poop. It’s great that you’re beginning to feel that your body is telling you when you have to go. That lets me know you’re ready for Pull-Ups. I put them in the bathroom next to your potty/the toilet so you can see and play with them. Now you have your own special potty training pants. Let me know when you’re ready for me to show you how they work.
  • Look, your Pull-Ups have [your child's favorite character name] on them. Would you like to try them on now or maybe we could put some in the drawer together?”
  • “Pull-Ups slide on and off. When you’re ready, you can wear them instead of a diaper, and when you feel like you have to go to the bathroom, you’ll be in charge. You can make the potty your special place to put your pee and poop. Would you like to try them on now"
If your toddler is not ready to put them on, don’t push it; work together to find a special place for the Pull-Ups. “Your Pull-Ups will be right here. Maybe you will be ready to put one on after we change you next time.” Remember that patience is the key to a coy child’s success. You won’t be able to rush the process; it’s better to work on routines and comfort level with each step of the process.


Pull-Ups® training pants allow your child to check the outside of their training pant if they aren’t sure whether they have already peed. If the design is faded, they know they have gone already. This helps your toddler feel more in touch with his body’s signals, which will reinforce the whole process.

These experiences, repeated over time, allow your child to connect the inner feelings before elimination to the feeling of elimination, and the feeling after elimination. This awareness is essential to the potty training process, and Pull-Ups help your child connect the dots to potty training success.

Activity: My Own Potty Book

Once your Big Kid has adjusted to the Pull-Ups, create a special book with your child about going to the potty. Use your child’s name, favorite colors, plus details from your lives. Kids love to see themselves as the star of the story. Offer this book while your child is sitting on the potty, and later when they are running for President. But seriously, make sure to bring the book when you are traveling or in an unfamiliar place. Here is some text you might use in the book. Feel free to customize it for your toddler:

  • Sometimes, I dance around and my tummy feels funny; that's when I remember I need to use the potty
  • I go to the potty, pull down my pants and sit on the potty.
  • Sometimes, pee comes out.
  • Sometimes, poop comes out.
  • I feel so much better after I have gone potty! Ahhh.
  • When I sit on the potty, I can sing songs, look at a book or hold my favorite toy.
  • After I'm done, I use the toilet paper to wipe, wipe, wipe.
  • I put the toilet paper in the toilet and flush.
  • The flusher is loud!
  • I pull up my pants.
  • Then wash my hands.
  • Now, I can go play again.
  • Sometimes I use the potty before I get in the bathtub or go to bed.
  • Sometimes I use the potty just to see what will happen.
  • I feel proud and happy that I used the potty!
  • I feel like a Big Kid when I use the potty!
Potty training is a big moment — it’s when your little one becomes a Big Kid. So it’s important to reinforce this change, and there are a couple easy ways to do so. First, be consistent. When you take your kid out of diapers, keep her out of diapers. Pull-Ups are more than a training pant. They’re also a symbol to your little one that it’s time to potty like a Big Kid. Going back and forth from diapers to pants only confuses her. Next, make the first time she pulls on a pair of Pull-Ups a symbol — a promise that you’re in it together and will work and learn together on your potty training journey.

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