Oh Crap! Potty Training

suggesting that you shame your child; I don’t advocate that. There is,
however, a natural sense of shame that develops during the process of
socialization, and an internal sense of shame is an indication that
socialization is occurring appropriately. Any child can go without
underpants under shorts or pants, and on girls, no undies under a
dress is perfect.
Another possible reason that kids seem to have more accidents
early in potty training if they’re wearing undies: underpants afford a
certain level of privacy. If the genitals are all tucked away nicely, it
seems to the child as though you can’t see them having an accident,
which reduces the internal sense of shame.
As for cleanliness, going commando is fine hygienically. If you
find you have a strong reaction to this suggestion, ask yourself why.
I’ve never seen a kid get an infection or anything like that, which
some parents fear. Still, many parents are freaked out by this
suggestion. If you are, I’d venture to say you are going to have a hard
time potty training. Underpants are a layer of fabric—nothing else.
Pants are a layer of fabric. Going without underpants is not a big deal
and can save you lots of frustration. When I hear a parent get wiggly
about commando, it makes me think they have some weirdness about
genitals and pottying in general. Neither hang-up will help in the
potty training process. Day cares and commando are another ball of
crappy wax entirely. I’ll address that in chapter 12, “Day Cares and
Other Caregivers.”

What’s the deal with training pants?