So, you’re entering the world of potty training – but now you’re afraid to leave the house . . . don’t fret!
Read this post to find out what to include in a potty training travel kit and tips for mastering potty training on the go!
HOW TO MAKE A POTTY TRAINING TRAVEL KIT
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I remember when I started potty training my oldest child and then realized – I still have to leave the house! While yes, it is a good idea to find a window of time where you can be home for a few days in a row when you start potty training, it’s very realistic that you will leave the house eventually – probably sooner than your newly potty trained child is actually ready for in fact!
I had to go to the grocery store but I was so worried my daughter would have an accident. I had no choice – rip the bandaid and off to the store we went – right after I made our potty training travel kit!
Leaving the world of diapers behind is a monumental step in raising your child, but once you start potty training you sort of get another set of issues to deal with. Yay you, right?
Even if your child gets it – like how I potty trained my oldest in ONE DAY – now your child has to understand that potty training goes beyond the walls of the home. Now we have to teach our children how to “hold it” when we can’t get to a potty right away.
Until your child is old enough to actually “hold it”, a potty training travel kit will be your best friend. Even if your child has potty training down 100% at home, you still need to be proactive and ready for accidents that might happen on the go.
Let’s talk about what I put in our potty training travel kit!
ITEMS FOR YOUR POTTY TRAINING TRAVEL KIT
Potty Chair
It goes without saying, but you will need a potty chair that you either leave in your vehicle or take in and out of your vehicle and set on the ground.
Plastic Grocery Bags + Extra Diapers/Pullups/Pee Pads
The last thing you want when you are using your potty training travel kit is to have to clean out the potty chair. A really easy way around this is instead of letting your child pee directly into the potty chair basin, have a diaper, pull-up, or pee pad stuffed down in the bowl that can absorb the mess!
You know all those extra diapers or pull-ups you end up with when your child sizes up? Don’t throw them away or get rid of them! Instead, gather them all up and put them in a dedicated potty training travel kit bag.
I had lots of left over pull-ups because we tried to stay away from them during potty training as much as possible (find out why in this post).
To set up the potty chair I first take the bowl out and place a plastic grocery bag in it and fold the handles underneath the bowl before placing it back in the base. Then, I take a pull-up, rip open the sides and stretch it out, and place it in the potty bowl on top of/inside the plastic bag. Now when your child is done you can simply pick up the plastic bag, tie up the handles, and dispose of it at your convenience! No more taking the bowl out and discreetly pouring your child’s pee into the grass.
I mentioned pee pads because they are an option here, but I think they would be a lot more difficult to stuff down into the bowl of the potty. If you don’t use them in the bowl and you have a vehicle big enough that your child will use the potty chair inside your vehicle, you might want to place pee pads underneath the potty chair. In the weird, off chance that the potty chair gets knocked over, it might save you from getting a mess on your vehicle’s interior.
Roll of Toilet Paper/Baby Wipes
I think we’ve all been there at some point in our lives – we finish using the bathroom only to find the toilet paper roll empty. It’s the worst – especially when we are outside of our house. It would be just as bad if it happened to you when your child uses their potty chair . . . especially if they went #2. We keep a roll of toilet paper in our potty training travel kit, and after we wipe it gets thrown down in the diaper and wrapped up in the plastic bag as well!
Hand Sanitizer
You are potty training on the go so there’s obviously no sink, but we are dealing with pee and poo here, so it’s a good idea to keep some hand sanitizer . . . on hand. When dealing with little kids I prefer the hand sanitizer wipes because it’s inevitable that the liquid hand sanitizer will not get rubbed in fast enough and just drip down to the floor.
Piddle Pad
In the event that you can’t stop the vehicle soon enough and your child has an accident in their car seat, it’s nice to have something like a piddle pad down to absorb the mess. This way, you can easily take the pad out and throw it in the washing machine, whereas peeing in the car seat means taking the entire car seat liner out and throwing it in the wash.
I know this suggestion could rub some the wrong way. I know the car seat manufacturer would say to not insert any additional accessories into the car seat because it could cause the harness system to not work the way that it’s intended. But you have to pick your battles here.
If they pee in the car seat, even if you change them into dry clothes they would still have to sit back in a wet, dirty car seat. I would rather “break the rules” for a few weeks while my child gets the hang of going out and risk washing a piddle pad instead of the entire car seat cover. Make the choice that you are comfortable with!
Change of Clothes
This leads us to another super important item – a change of clothes! If your child does end up having an accident, you will be so glad to have a dry change of clothes for them. Throw the wet clothes into an empty plastic bag so they don’t soil anything else until you get home. I suggest picking out clothes that they rarely wear and to also make sure they are weather appropriate! You wouldn’t want to pack shorts and a T-shirt in the middle of winter.
TIPS FOR POTTY TRAINING WHILE TRAVELING & ON THE GO
Yes we made a potty training travel kit, but it’s also the goal to not have to use it! Here are some things we did to quickly get our child used to going out in public after mastering potty training at home.
Potty Before You Leave the House
This is a must! Make sure you are completely ready to walk out the door and buckle up that way using the potty is the last thing your child does before getting in their car seat. This will give you greater odds of your child making it to the place you are going without having to stop and use their travel potty.
Sometimes this can be a struggle because it’s really easy for your child to say they don’t need to potty right then or they just flat out don’t want to. I always found it easier if I took my child to the bathroom with me and told them something along the lines of, “Mama always goes potty before we get in the car. Come potty with me!”.
Even if they say they don’t need to, remind them it’s okay if they sit on the potty and nothing happens, but they have to try.
Limit Fluid Intake Before Leaving
If possible, try cutting your child off from drinking anything for about 30 minutes before leaving the house. This will also give you greater odds of your child not having an accident or needing to use their emergency potty on the way to your destination.
Potty When You Arrive or Before Leaving Your Destination
As soon as you get to your destination, ask your child again if they have to use the bathroom. If they don’t, you might want to tell them that that’s okay, but that they have to potty before leaving and getting back in the car.
Pack a Portable Potty Seat
Public restrooms are just gross sometimes. If it’s way too gross, go back out and use your travel potty. If it’s a nice restroom that you’re comfortable with, it’s still probably really difficult for your child to sit on the seat without feeling like they’re going to fall in (and inevitably touching the toilet seat to hold themselves up – yuck).
This is a great reason to pack a potty seat that can fold up and fit in your diaper bag! If you go this route, it might also be a great idea to have a travel pack of disinfecting wipes in your bag or purse to wipe down the potty seat when your child is done and before putting it back in your bag. Let’s face it, the disinfecting wipes are probably a must, not just a suggestion.
Give Praise for No Accidents
Make sure to acknowledge upon arriving at each destination that your child is still dry and didn’t have an accident. This doesn’t require any kind of reward, just a simple smile and high five or hug will reinforce to your child that they were successful.
I always tried to mention to my child how they “held” it during the car ride, that way they would understand what I meant later when I inevitably started asking if they could “hold it”.
Practice Makes Perfect
Go in with the mindset that your child will have to use their travel potty at some point, and that there probably will be an accident here and there. It’s there if you need it, but if you don’t that’s great! And if there is an accident, you were already prepared for it.
Our potty training travel kit is still in my van to this day, and my oldest has been potty trained for a year now (we actually just had to use it the other day!).
If your child has an accident do not get upset with them. We took care of this in our travel kit, remember? Tell them they are not in trouble for having an accident, but if it’s because they refused to go the bathroom before you left the house or before getting back in the vehicle, then remind them that doing so would help them not have those accidents.
These are just tips for on the ground! I’ve never flown with a child yet so I don’t feel qualified to give tips on that topic.
What other suggestions would you give for traveling with a newly potty trained child? I’d love to hear in the comments!
XOXO – Kendra