There gets to be that stage for every parent when toilet training becomes a reality. Your child might be 18 months old or 4 years old, but either way it is a milestone that will, at some stage, happen.
At home your child might be happily commando, or even nude coming into Summer, but once you start getting out and about that’s when things get tricky.
Here’s a few toilet training travel tips that I’ve picked up along the way to help smooth the transition to being out and about.
Buy a travel potty for the car.
This is one of those products that if you have it you’ll use it; I find ours invaluable. There’s a variety of different ones you can get; some with bags or inserts etc, but I find the “My Carry Potty” to be the best one out there. Only one piece and leak/smell proof. It is small and lightweight so my toddler can carry it with ease. I have occasionally thrown it under the pram too, as my daughter only recently embraced the “grass wee”, haha.
In the car.
We are in the habit of always offering the potty prior to jumping into the car seat. If we’re leaving home I try to time our departure for just after a wee, but on the way back home I always offer the potty to her for a few minutes before departure and hope like hell that she’ll go….she usually does. I don’t find this adds too much time to our day, rather it just changes the order of things. I might put her on the potty first, then pack up the pram, put things into the car, get the air con on, and then she’ll be done and ready.
But my car seat!
You can get covers and things for your car seat to help keep them protected. We used a fabric change mat made from minky that worked a treat, but we already owned it. If I was buying something new then these mats from Brolly Sheets Kids are amazing.
Seek out tiny toilets.
In most shopping centre parent rooms there are tiny toilets. All kids I know just love these. Sometimes they are by themselves, other times there is a big and little toilet beside one another. Either way, they are a godsend. Find them, use them, love them.
Dress for success.
For girls, keep it simple with undies and dresses/skirts if possible. Boys, make sure you ditch the overalls, and anything with fussy buttons or zips. Straight elastic waisted pants or shorts are your friends.
Avoiding places without toilets.
While you are consolidating toilet training try to avoid places without toilets nearby. If you have a favourite playground that doesn’t have toilets maybe just skip that one for a little while, same as your favourite cafe.
I wish you all the best with success in toilet training while out and about. Stay confident, be prepared and before you know it accidents will be a thing of the past. Good luck!
