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When we started potty training Jordyn I thought it was going to be impossible to leave the house for a while! Then I remembered who I was and knew that could never happen. Here are some tips that have made traveling while potty training as smooth a process as possible.
Dress Your Child in Potty Training Friendly Clothes Save the one pieces that require you to unbutton 20 buttons or remove their entire outfit for when you are confident they won't wait until the last minute to tell you they have to go. The last thing you want is for them to have an accident because it took you too long to get their clothes off after they told you they had to pee. Buy a Travel Potty There is nothing worse than your child finally telling you they have to pee and you not being able to get to a restroom fast enough because you are in the car. This could be especially true on a road trip when you just passed the last rest stop for 26 miles with no exits in site and all of a sudden the child you just asked 5 mins ago if they had to go says "I have to pee." Yes, this happened to us, gotta love these kids! I absolutely love my Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus. With this travel potty you can stop on the side of the road and have your child use the toilet on your seat or in the trunk. Be sure you also have the disposable bags so your car stays clean and you can easily dispose of their mess. In addition to being a travel potty it also serves as a trainer seat and fits right over any toilet so you can use it anywhere. It's smaller than most training seats and can easily fit in your diaper bag or purse and it comes with a protective bag.
Set Your Timer
It is really easy for both you and your little one to get distracted when you're out exploring and in a new environment. Your child can't hold it as long as you can and they may be so caught up and excited about the adventure they are on or activity you are doing that they have an accident. To avoid this set the timer on your phone for every hour so you can both remember take a bathroom break. Continue Your Rewards System If you reward your child in anyway for using the potty at home be sure to continue that while traveling. You want them to know it's good to use the potty outside of their home. It's Okay to Use Pull-Ups Even if you have transitioned your child to underwear during the day it's okay to use Pull-Ups for long car rides or on the plane. Treat this time like nap time or overnight, especially since they may very well may fall asleep in these instances. Just remind your child this is only for that particular situation and they still need to let you know when they have to go. Be Prepared in the Event of an Accident Have a potty training bag with you, in it you can keep your essentials:
Public Restrooms I am a germaphobe and don't sit on public toilets myself so I wouldn't dare have my child sit on one. Since the kids aren't tall enough to squat and holding them up can put strain on your back use your travel potty. Even still I don't want the travel potty touching the public toilet and that still leaves room for them to end up touching the toilet seat so consider purchasing disposable toilet seat covers or putting down toilet paper on the seat first. The toilet seat covers are extra large and hang over the front and sides of the toilet so the kids still won't touch the seat if they hold onto the sides. The ones they have in public restrooms never cover the entire seat. A lot of companies sell these such as Summer Infant and Potty Shields. If the toilet has an automatic flush you can put a post-it note over the sensor to prevent it from flushing prematurely and freaking out your child or spraying toilet water on them.
Protect Your Car Seat
If you are on a road trip or having your child sit in their car seat on the plane and don't like the idea of putting them in Pull-Ups in fear of regression be sure to protect your car seat. There are plenty of waterproof car seat protectors on the market including the Silverflye Piddle Pad, Summer Infant Deluxe Piddle Pad or the Britax Seat Saver Waterproof Liner. Not all car seat manufactures have their own line of waterproof covers like Britax. In addition most of these liners require being washed before the first use to actually work so be sure to read the instructions and check the reviews to decide on the best one for you.
1 Comment
Noelle
10/10/2017 04:36:57 pm
Great tips thanks!!
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