[blparent] potty training products questions

[Dena Wainwright]

Hi All:

I have a few questions about potty training products.

My daughter is 22 months old. Recently, she has started to tell me before she poops. She is very insistant about me knowing what's about to happen, and she usually gives me about 10 minutes notice. 

She doesn't seem to do this when she peas, except that sometimes she'll say "poop" when I'm also changing a wet diaper. I'm not sure if she has just adopted one word to cover both, or if she doesn't know the difference between the two. 

I'm pretty sure she has the sensation of pooping down, as even when she passes gas, she'll say "poop." 

I am struggling with what to do. I know she is very young, and I have no desire to push her into potty training if she isn't ready. I also don't want to miss out on an opportunity to take advantage of the fact that she is communicating with me about going to the bathroom. I'm afraid if I do absolutely nothing, she'll decide that I don't really care if she gets dirty, so she shouldn't care either.

I'm thinking that, maybe, since we have been using disposable diapers, she isn't really getting the concept of peaing because the diapers are so absorbant that she doesn't really ever get to feel wet. I'm wondering if I use something a bit less absorbant, that would allow her to feel the discomfort of being wet, she might start to make the connection between how she feels in her body immediately before she feels wet. She absolutely hates being dirty, so I'm thinking she'll feel the same about being wet if she feels it. 

I'm also thinking that would allow me to help her find a word for that sensation, because she'll be able to alert me sooner. She is very verbal for her age, so I'm not worried about vocabulary or communication.

Here's my question: I don't think she's ready for full out training pants yet. I don't want to use pull-up type disposable diapers, because I've never met anyone who's said they're effective. I am wondering if it would be better to use a really absorbant training pant with a diaper cover over the pant (to prevent messes). Or would it be OK to use a cloth diaper insert with the diaper cover? I don't know if the cloth inserts are less absorbant than traditional disposable diapers. Would they allow her to feel wet, without making a total mess, or are they too absorbant to do what I want them to do?

Any thoughts, brands, or other suggestions would be very much appreciated. This is my first child, and I feel totally ill equipped to deal with this...

Dena