Can I switch to reusable diapers if my baby is already 18-24 months old?

The title question of whether it's a good idea to start using reusable diapers when a child is getting close to be potty trained, that is, over 1.5 years old or even over 2 years old, is a common doubt among parents who have so far used only disposable diapers. Check out our answer below.

Perhaps, when your baby was smaller, you hadn't yet heard about modern reusable diapers, or you weren't ready to opt for this solution. At the moment you're very interested in them, but you're not sure if it's still worth it as your baby is so big.

There are a lot of doubts in your mind:

    maybe the baby will soon get potty trained, so there's no use to invest in reusable diapers
    can reusable diapers help with potty training?
    what if the child does not accept this solution and does not want to wear them?
    will reusable diapers be absorbent enough for such a big baby?

Let's start with the question of potty training.

Indeed, there are children who start using the potty quite quickly, and unless it happened earlier, around 18-24 months is a good time to start explaining to the child that he or she will not always pee in the diaper and show that parents and other family members use the toilet. Practice, however, shows that there is usually a long way from the time a child is introduced to the potty to the time they are fully potty-trained. How long will it take - this will be related to the age of the child. The younger your baby is, the longer the process will usually take.

So most often it is a multi-week or even multi-month process. Usually, too, the child does not get rid of the diaper completely at one time, but first stops pooping into the diaper and partially peeing during the day, then there is a stage when peeing into the diaper becomes less and less frequent and turns into only occasional slip-ups, and finally the child says goodbye to the diaper at night.

So, in most cases, it's worth switching to reusable diapers if you feel motivated to do so.

Reusable diapers can support the process of potty training for children who have previously used disposable diapers. This happens on the basis of a cause and effect relationship, which is better assimilated by the child when they feel that the diaper is wet. When child feels the effect of peeing in the sense of feeling wet, it will be easier for them to relate this to the sensation of pushing on the bladder that precedes peeing. It will be easier for them to understand that by signaling the need to pee in advance, they will make sure the diaper stays dry.

Often at the time of potty training, parents give up on diapers completely, but this involves changing all the clothes until the moment when baby let them know they wanted to pee. So reusable diapers seem to be a very good compromise here.

We should also remember that the reusable diapers can serve another baby, which makes their final cost lower than what we have to invest initially.

Can a baby not like reusable diapers? It depends on the child. For one, the sensation of wetness will not matter, while for another it will. One will be more sensitive to what it's wearing and to any changes, while the other will be completely indifferent. To find out - you can start by trying one reusable diaper to test your baby's reaction.

What about absorbency?

Older children can really pee a lot, and reusable diapers are not as absorbent as disposables. So will they pass the test?

There are plenty of solutions among reusable diapers, which are designed for children with different needs and for different situations. We can use diapers that are more or less absorbent, and if you're just a beginner in this topic, it's worth taking advice, for example, from an advisor at the store where you want to buy diapers, or from a person who professionally advises on the choice of reusable diapers. When deciding on PUPPI diapers, you can get professional advice by phone, email or chat on our store's website.

We certainly need to be aware that reusable absorbent materials will not have as much absorbency as disposable ones. They will usually require more frequent changes. However, they have many other advantages and by investing in the right solutions, you will also be able to use reusable diapers for a baby who pees a lot at night and who really pees a lot during the day.

To sum up:

•     there is no age limit from which it is no longer worth using reusable diapers (except for the size restriction) - as long as the child wears diapers, it is always worth choosing the healthiest solution for the child and environmentally friendly; you can read more about the advantages of reusable diapers HERE;
•     reusable diapers can support the potty training process for children who have so far used disposable diapers;
•     it's worth buying one-two diapers for a trial, to see if you and your baby like reusable diapers; you can find ready-made sets with one diaper here;
•     there are high-absorbency reusable diapers on the market, which are suitable for children up to 4-5 years of age;