How to travel with a potty trainer?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
United States
February 5, 2009 10:59am CST
I don't mean travel travel, we're not going on a vacation or anything, at least not for a couple of weeks anyways.
What I mean is... well, my toddler is finally potty training, and doing quite well. I'm so proud of him! He still has a few accidents, but for the most part he will tell me when he has to go, and he's doing a great job.
The problem is, tomorrow is my shopping day, and we usually spend the bulk of our day out and about, especially this week because I'll have to drive hubby to and from work tomorrow.
I'm afraid that if I stick a diaper on him, even for just one day, he'll revert back to pre-potty training status. But I also don't want him to have accidents in the middle of the grocery store, or even in the car. I'm also not too sure how he'll take to the big potty without his little seat on it, but I'm certainly not going to wander around the store with his little seat in my cart just in case!
I think when I was potty training the twins, I avoided taking them out of the house until I was comfortable with them using the big potty, and comfortable with them not having accidents. It was the same way with my oldest son, we just never went anywhere for awhile.
What did you do when you had a potty training child and you had to go out somewhere? Did you stick a diaper on them anyways, encourage them to use the big potty at the store, or just avoid taking them out until they were trained enough to hold it for extended periods of time?
1 person likes this
7 responses
@Jae2619 (1483)
• United States
5 Feb 09
When we were potty training our oldest, if we had a short trip outside the home, we'd just leave him in the underware. If he was wearing say spiderman that day... We'd tell him... Ok.. Spiderman don't like to have pee pee on him, so if you feel like you gotta go make sure you tell us. It's a little stressful and time consuming but well worth asking over and over to avoid an accident. For long trips or full days out of the house we still kept him in the underware. We once tried the pull ups for day out trips and it was like a freaking diaper again to him and he pottied in it and didn't even think twice about telling us until he had to go again... Thankfully after that one time we learned it was strictly underware from then on out. It does take a little more time for you when you have a potty trainer with you because you will be making more trips to the bathrooms on those just in case times...
Just little extras, try to limit his fluids while your out, that might help to keep the bathroom breaks down... put an old towel down under him in the car seat for those times where he might dose off and have an accident, and always pack extra underware and pants for the opps!
Good luck and have a great day shopping!!!
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
5 Feb 09
I think that's pretty much what I was planning to do, bring a couple pair of pants as extras, stop at the bathroom when we first get to the store, and on our way out. Hopefully he will be okay with using the big potty. It might scare him a little, but he's got to get used to it eventually, right?
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
5 Feb 09
I might try that for the rest of the day today, just sit him on the regular potty and see how he does without his seat, just to warm him up for tomorrow.
1 person likes this
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
6 Feb 09
With my oldest she took to it very fast the first time around with almost no accidents. Then I took her to walmart. Dun dun Dun! (evil music) The automatic potty went off while she was on it and literally scared the pee out of her. That set her back almost 6 months. She wouldn't go on any potty except at home. When we took her out and our middle one out we used pull ups. They are a little expensive but if you only use them for when you go out they are nice. You can get ones that feel just like underwear so it shouldn't really set him back and then while you are out you can try having him go on the potty. Just make sure you cover that darn little light! lol
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@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
6 Feb 09
Yes, he was terrified of the big potty, luckily the stores we went in didn't have auto flush toilets, but he was still scared of them. At the second store I could tell he had to go bad, he was holding himself and dancing around. I brought him in the bathroom, he cried because he was scared, but I held him up on the big seat (he fought me a bit) but then he started going and I smiled and told him what a good, big boy he was, and finally he smiled. So we went all morning with no accidents!
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@gemini_rose (16264)
•
5 Feb 09
Training pants! That is what I used for mine, they are just like nappies but pull up and down like a pant. So if I am out then I can still take my child to the loo but I never took the potty or seat with me I would just hold them on over the toilet. It would just be a bit hard if he is scared of the toilet as they can feel unsafe on it cant they?
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@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
5 Feb 09
I've never liked training pants. The kids treat them as if they're a diaper. I'd rather just take extra clean pants in case of accidents, you know.
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@GreenMoo (11834)
•
6 Feb 09
We would 'go' before we went out, then I'd offer the choice of a nappy or 'big boy pants' for the outing. I always stuck a towel under him in the car seat if he wasn't in a nappy, just in case, as cleaning the car seat was a real bind. I'd ask regularly about if he needed to use the loo whereever we were, and if he had an accident then it was just a case of a quick change of clothes.
My youngest is showing absolutely no enthusiasm for potty training at all, and I've given up for the time being. Perhaps when the weather is warmer we'll try again.
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@mammamuh (582)
• Sweden
6 Feb 09
I wouldn't put on a diaper just for the sake of it. My bigger girls stopped from a day to another and no accidents at all (one or two perhaps) the younger naver had any accidents at daycare nor when we were out - home it happened several times a week. I would bring extra clothes and encourage him to use the toilet at places. I wouldn't let it stop me from doing things I have/want to do. If an accident happens - it will it's not a big deal. Try to use the toilet at home without his seat :-) it might be a start.
Not going is not a good choice - do you think? It can take months until he's fully out of accidents!
Good Luck!
@4ofmyown (1119)
• United States
5 Feb 09
I do remember being in the house for a while but eventually when I did start taking them out I just brought changes of clothes with me, lots of wipes and a hand towel just in case I did need to clean up a puddle somewhere. I had one of those padded seats that sits on top of the regular toilet seat and I did bring it with me. I just put it in a bag. I had them use it at home for a while and then they were used to it when we went out. I don't know how old your son is but I never started potty training any of mine until they were 3. So communication was alot easier because they were a little older. I am glad I waited till that age because each one of the was out of diapers within a week of starting and I never bought one pull up ever. Good Luck with shopping.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
5 Feb 09
He's a bit over 2 and a half right now. We tried potty training when he was 20 months, but obviously that wasn't going to take, so we gave up and just recently tried again, and he's pretty much picked it right up! Like I said, we just started this week and he's good about telling me when he has to go already. Like I said, he's had a couple accidents, but he's getting the hang of it. On the second day of training he wet his pants and then came to me to say he had to go potty. I could see he'd just gone, but I realized that at least he was beginning to understand. The day after that he had an accident on his way to the bathroom, so he just keeps getting better. So far today the only accident he's had is when he fell asleep on the sofa, but that's understandable.
My plan is to just bring extra pants and clean up supplies with us. I can't bring his potty seat, it's too big to just stuff in a bag (I have one of those little seats that can either be put on the baby potty, or the big potty, and he prefers it on the big potty.)
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@aprilj1231 (288)
• United States
10 Feb 09
This might be late, but hey better late then never. When we traveled on trips with our little potty trainers, I took their little potty in the car, in case we had to make an emergency lane potty stop. I never did this when going to the store. I always put a towel under their carseat and where ever we stopped I carried them straight to the potty and said oh mommy needs to try to potty, why don't you potty too. I also stopped at the potty before we left. It is a huge hassle but it does reaffirm the potty training, cuts down on accidents and keeps you from having them revert to diapers. I did slip diapers over their panties after they went to sleep though, because I didn't want to have a peed in hotel bed.
