Once your child has shown you they are ready, pull-ups can be used to simulate wearing real underwear. They can easily pull them up and down to go, however, they still provide some protection from accidents. This is especially true for kids who might start to go potty, then realize what they are doing and want to use the toilet.  Some parents prefer to use underwear during the day and pull-ups as an alternative during the night. Something to note is that the average pull-up diaper doesn't provide a lot of protection from big accidents. This is especially true for toddlers because their bladders are bigger than they are when your child is a baby. If you are going to use pull-up diapers for nighttime, you may want to invest in pull-ups designed for nighttime use.  Of course, the same potty training process isn't going to work for every parent and child. Some kids hate the feeling of being wet, so they might potty train easier. For others, a potty-training 'boot camp' where you keep them close to the potty for several days and let them wear real underwear (or go naked) works best. When kids take a little longer to potty training, pull-ups familiarize them with the process but protect beds, car seats, furniture, carpeting, and other surfaces from accidents. They can be used in place of underwear until your child is ready. As an added benefit, this gives you the option of using 'big girl' or 'big boy' underwear with your child's favorite character as an incentive for going on the potty.