UPDATED: Car Rides While Potty Training: JFF SORTA

Updated on March 20, 2012
B.P. asks from Columbia Station, OH
13 answers

Okay my 3 yr old will be on her 3rd day of potty training tomorrow and we will be out of the house all day and her dad and i are trying to figure out what to do while we are out, so WHAT do you mamas/dads do when you have to go out while they are potty trianing, panties/undies or pull ups. he says pull ups but i say panties since that is what she has been wearing and has had ZERO accidents ALL DAY today and only 3 yesteday.

Shes been TELLING us she has to go, if she has had an accident today id for sure say pull ups but she has pooped and pees in the potty all day

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So What Happened?

Well we were going for 6 hours today, she used the potty right before we left the house, stopped at her grandparents store after the doctors for her 3 yr well child check and she used the potty there, then when we got to the outlets (she needed new shoes) we tried to go potty she wouldnt/couldnt, then about 15 minutes before we left she said she needed to go but didnt want to in their pottys, but she held the pee all the way home

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T.M.

answers from Columbus on

I just got a plain potty from the store and I keep it between the second row of seats in the van. I line the removable "pot" with plastic bags from the grocery store with a couple paper towels inside for easy disposal. And I keep lysol wipes on hand in case the plastic bags leak.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Get a car potty.

Via Amazon, do a search for "on the go potty" or "travel potty."

We have one and so do ALL of my friends.
It is a life saver.

And stock the car with extra clothing and undies and/or diapers etc.
And toilet paper.

A child, no matter how old, will have accidents.
And your child is only 3.
And during traffic or in places without a toilet, or at parks... then what??
Therefore, a car potty, is REALLY great.

We still use ours. And our kids are 5 and 9.

I took my kids out in undies, ONCE I KNEW they were ready for it.
These things goes in stages.
And then just short outings at first.
And explaining to them and our telling them that they CAN tell us, no matter what, if they have to pee/poop, and do not be afraid of making mistakes. They are only learning now. Its okay to make mistakes. ALL kids do.

My routine was:
undies at home
Once they mastered that, then, we went out with undies. For short outings. Until they mastered that, it was diapers while out.
It goes in stages.
I EXPLAINED that to my kids.
Thus they did NOT get "confused" about being in diapers or undies nor did they regress or back track in their progress.

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S.L.

answers from Philadelphia on

I never went back to diapers during the day after we started training and I consider pull ups to be diapers. We kept a little potty in the car and stopped whenever he said he needed to go. I put a cloth prefold diaper under him in the carseat just in case and that early in the training I always had a few changes of clothes in the car. As long as you set out the expectations for her and tell her what will happen when she needs to go I think it will be fine. Our son actually told us more often when he had to go in the car because he thought it was fun to pee in the potty in the car. He's over that now, but when we first started we would have to stop every 20 minutes to pee.

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K.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Heh, I am on day 3 of potty training with one of my twins (as the other isn't interested at all). Up until this point we had practiced going potty but still wore diapers. Other than when he is sleeping, he is in training underpants. Training underpants have extra padding so it catches some of the pee but the child still feels wet. That might be an option if you are concerned about going out with her.

We have a portable potty for taking out with us. My plan is to initially only go places where I can get to a potty quickly either on location or using the portable potty in the car. So, going out to eat at a restaurant or going to the park is okay. But I'm not going to cruise the mall until I feel more confident in his abilities to hold it because I will need to have nearly instant access to a bathroom until he is good at holding it.

My nanny took the kids to the park today and she brought both the portable potty and one of the potty seats that sits on top of a regular toilet. My kid opted for the seat that sits on top of the regular toilet.

I do not want to go backwards in progress either. So I plan on working through any accidents whether at home or out and about. I already have extra clothes in the diaper bag but I might put in some more or keep some in the car. For the car seat, I plan on putting a towel down for him to sit on and maybe a layer of plastic or a waterproof mat under that. Just something to help protect the seat.

I will do diapers (or pull-ups) when he is sleeping. That's for both night time or naps, but he doesn't nap much anymore anyway.

I figure it will be hard for a while, but to just keep working through it. If your daughter has a regular poop schedule, you could try your first outing after she has pooped. Then if she does have any accidents, it's most likely to be a pee one and you can just change wipe her down and change her clothes.

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R.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

It just takes a little advance planning but you can continue training just as if you were at home. Panties for sure, take a potty with you in the car to pull over to the side for her to use, and extra clothing. You can also use the smaller waterproof flannel backed pads to protect her car seat.

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A.M.

answers from Kansas City on

first off until i was sure, i never planned to be out "all day" lol. i did one errand, maybe two, and i watched him like a hawk. we normally didn't have any problems. one time, however, we did have to stop and let him pee on the side of the road - and we were halfway between walmart and home, which is like a 5 minute drive. but he was convinced he couldn't wait lol. that's the only "incident" he had. even went in a port-a-potty at the carnival with zero issues! :)

until i was confidant he'd be okay, he went out in a pullup or diaper. once i was sure then he kept the undies on during outings. no way was i going to take a toilet (no matter how cute) in the car with us. he would go before we left, and there were always toilets where we went. i had a few false starts with pt and when i saw he wasn't ready, i stopped. so when he was really ready, it fell into place effortlessly. i preferred that to struggles, fights, resistance, or carting around a toilet....ew!

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K.G.

answers from Fort Wayne on

I 2nd Ti M, we have an elephat potty that fits in between the 2nd row and dd just goes there we dump, wipe it with bleach wipes and we were good to go.

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

I put my grandchildren in pull ups for outings. They could still tell me they needed to go and we used the rest room but the pull ups were a little added assurance that the kids and I appreciated. They weren't confused by the difference at home and away from home.

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C.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

I had twins so potty training was doubly dangerous. Do not go backward! Take the advice below and carry a potty with you. Good luck.

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

We put the BumGenius covers we already had on DD when we did a quick errand. For longer car trips, we brought the potty. We also brought clothes (remember the socks or flip flops!) in large ziplock bags in case that did not work out so well (My DD did great.....and then she had an accident at the preschool open house....). Take your DD to the potty whenever opportunity permits (like when you enter a store or are leaving for a long distance between stores) and show her where the potties are if you are at the library or something.

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L.O.

answers from Detroit on

do not go out all day.

1 parent stay home wiht training child.

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J.F.

answers from Columbus on

We never did pull ups, so I would say panties. Just take extra clothes and stop often.

L.M.

answers from New York on

Bring a potty chair! Let her go right away when she has to go. Set it up somewhere in the car. Bring wipes for her butt and clorox wipes for the seat in case you get a load in there.

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