It's time! WunderUnders Review and Giveaway

It's that time again, folks!  The stage is set, the players are all in their spots, the lights are low, and the curtain is ready to be drawn!  That's right...it's show time!  (Or in our house...POTTY TIME!)

Yep, it's true. 

Stinky is 21 months old.  Can you believe it, because I sure can't!  He's loud at home and doesn't speak in public.  He's goofy as can be.  He LOVES to dance and "sing."  He's got over 100 words now!  (I know, I made a spreadsheet.)  He likes black beans and animals (from a distance) and flushing the potty.  

Flushing the potty?  Yep.  It's a favorite game of his.  He's sneaky.  We watches for someone to inadvertently leave the door ever-so-slightly ajar, and then he pounces.  When I catch him, he tugs at the top of his pants and says, "Potty?"  I put him on the potty.  He fusses and whines and gets down.  Rinse.  Repeat.  

So, here's what I decided.  If your 21 month old can SAY potty, and knows that if he's by the potty he should pull down his pants, and warns you as soon as he has a poopy diaper, and cries if his diaper is even slightly soiled, he's probably ready.  Ready for what, you ask??

Ready for Big Boy Undies!

But then there's the problem of the mess.  And just because he THINKS he's ready for Big Boy Undies, and just because he LIKES Big Boy Undies, that doesn't mean that my carpets are really in the mood for the kind of deep cleaning that would be required, know what I mean?  So we're at that awkward stage of potty training.  You know, the place where Stinky likes to sit on the potty (sometimes) with or without clothes.  The place where Stinky likes to notify me just a smidge too late, "I poo."  The place where undies sound amazing (to mommy AND baby) but they're not so amazing in practice.  The place where you could really use something like 

You haven't heard of WunderUnders?  That's too bad.  WunderUnders are an essential potty training product that you won't believe you've lived without!  What are they?  They're adorable training underwear!

Danielle from WunderUnders understands that not only are no two children at the same point in the potty training process, but no two children are the exact same size or shape, either!  Danielle custom makes a variety of types of trainers, specifically to fit your child!  We tried out a Hybrid Trainer with Accident Inserts and Optional Side Snaps.  Since Stinky's still at the very beginning of training, but lets me know when he's pottied, he doesn't typically need a diaper-like absorbency for daytime anymore.  The accident inserts are perfect!  They leave his bum dry but let him feel the wetness.  We need the side snaps for now because, as you know, pulling icky undies up and down is not pleasant!  As Stinky gets better at this potty thing, though, He'll get to a point where we don't need snaps any more.  The trainer we have can easily be pulled up and down, but Danielle also makes snapless trainers that are perfect for the "almost there" stage!  (Don't worry, if you love the look of WunderUnders but don't want to have to deal with the snap in inserts, Danielle makes pocket and all-in-one trainers as well!)

Even though the trainers are specially made, though, that doesn't mean that you can't use the same trainers if you're training two kids at a time!  Danielle has two children herself, a boy and a girl.  They're different ages, different sizes, even different genders, but they can sometimes wear the same trainers!  Don't be afraid that just because they're custom made they won't fit your little one for a long time!

Danielle's son, 13 months, in Elephant Walk WunderUnders

 Danielle's daughter, 3 1/2, in the same pair of WunderUnders!

So, you want to know what I think of WunderUnders, right?

Here goes.  I LOVE that Danielle posts a measuring "how to" right on her facebook page!  Since the trainers are custom made, and everyone measures differently, it's important to know exactly what she's looking for when you send her your numbers. 

I LOVE that there are about 80 bajillion fabric choices!  You get to choose your own panel, side, and trim colors!  You can make your trainers as colorful or plain as you want them to be.  I actually told Danielle which middle panel fabric I wanted, and then a couple choices for the sides and trim, and gave her the freedom to create what would look best.  I LOVE what she ended up with!

The quality of the trainers is amazing.  Target could sell these.  I'm not even kidding here, people.  I wouldn't be surprised to one day walk into a department store and see WunderUnders hanging on a rack.  They look amazing.  The fabric feels like high quality fabric.  The stitching is perfect.  They're SO well made.  I am very impressed!  

They absorb!  I mentioned that they'll definitely hold one pee and I'm pretty sure he's gotten a couple in there once or twice before I've caught him.  They even hold up when he's playing, like, you know, a little boy!  I haven't tried our trainer for overnights, and I won't until he's getting close to nighttime trained, but WunderUnders has a nighttime insert as well!  I'm sure that, based on the absorbency we've found with out trainer, the overnights will be great as well!

The fit is, overall, fantastic.  I really like that the hybrid trainer isn't tight around Stinky's thighs.  I love that it sits just below Stinky's pudgy toddler belly.  It has never left a red mark anywhere on Stinky's little body!  The only problem I have with fit is that I didn't measure well.  I'm a measuring newbie, and I measured Stinky's rise just a tad shorter than it actually is.  While the trainer covers him completely, it's just a little short, and when he has a particularly messy poo, it doesn't hold well.  That's not a trainer issue AT ALL, though.  That's totally a mommy error!

I LOVE the snap in liner of the WunderUnders hybrid trainers!  I love that it isn't a "single use" trainer.  Since early potty trainers tend to potty a LOT and need to be changed very frequently, it's great to see a trainer that adapts to that need!  It would be a great idea to have 3 or 4 of the covers and 15 or 20 of the inserts!  I know that may sound a little excessive, but I have potty trained 2 others (of my own) and know that the tiniest tinkle deserves immediate response in the eyes of a potty training toddler!

Did I mention they're cute as can be??

The only (tiny) issue I have with WunderUnders is that the elastic trim is a little pilly after about 6 or 7 washes.  I have a feeling that is a common problem with these soft elastic trims that some diapers have.  I will GLADLY trade the soft trim for a little pilling any day, though!  There is no scratching.  There are no rough spots to irritate Stinky's legs or waist.  It's worth the slight pilling to have a soft trainer!

Would I recommend the WunderUnders trainers?  ABSOLUTELY!  I love the quality, the options, the fit...I love WunderUnders!

You can find WunderUnders on Facebook.  Danielle has created a great page with links to her pricing lists, her fabric choices, her sizing guide, and more!  

Danielle has also very generously offered to give one of you a free pocket trainer of your very own!  (Enter below on the easy Rafflecopter form.  Contest will end and a winner will be drawn 12/21/11 at 11:59pm EST.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway I received this item at no cost to me in order to facilitate a review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.