How to Travel With a Potty Training Toddler

We've All Been There...

If you've experienced potty training a toddler before, then you've been there. You are doing everything you can to stick a routine, stay consistent, and reinforce the good behaviors. And when you are in the most inconvenient of places and times, it hits....a potty emergency.

Raising our four children, we've been there (so may times) and would like to offer some suggestions on how to make your experience traveling with a potty training toddler just a little bit better.

Tip 1: Expectation Management

We love traveling with our kids. But some good advice we heard years ago that still makes us smile is, "If you are traveling with kids, lower your expectations, then lower them again." Now you are ready to go.

Traveling with potty training children WILL include:

• Constant disruptions to your routine

• Limited opportunities for total privacy

• Accidents or mishaps; they just happen

• Twice (or 3x) as much work caring for your kids than when you are at home

Tip 2: Travel with a Portable Toilet

When potty training, it is important to help your child feel at ease and secure when using the toilet. Having a folding portable toilet that your child trusts as a safe and comfortable place to go can be extremely helpful, especially when traveling in the early weeks and months of potty training. Our favorite is the Carry Anywhere Commode, because it is small enough to stash in a diaper bag, purse, or back-of-the-seat pocket in the minivan.

I recall travel outings with our children when we used our Carry Anywhere Commode EVERYWHERE, from inside the van stuck in traffic to behind bushes at the park when we found out that the public bathrooms were locked and unavailable. And that portable potty is great everywhere: the beach, the park, dirty restrooms or rest stops, even restaurants. Whenever or wherever you need it, it is there. And it feels familiar and comfortable to your children, so the anxiety of going to the bathroom in a new place is greatly reduced.

Tip 3: Travel Prepared....and Bring Backups

Whether you're just heading to the playground or embarking on an 800-mile road trip, it's essential to pack spare clothes for your child. Even when your toddler has successfully mastered potty training, there may still be occasional (and understandable) accidents. If you are flying or taking a train (especially when children are sitting on your lap), it is a good idea to bring an extra set of easily accessible clothes for yourself. This can be useful for not only potty accidents, but upset tummies and vomiting. Once you've experienced this yourself, I can assure you, it is a lesson you only need to learn once.

Make sure your portable potty is well stocked too. We keep our Carry Anywhere Commode packed with all the extra accessories to make cleanup a breeze. Our Commode gets a LOT of use in the car so we actually keep one in all of our vehicles. Its nice to not panic whenever you hear the inevitable "Mom, Dad, I have to go to the bathroom!" and the nearest restroom is miles away.

Tip 4: Discuss What Lies Ahead and Make a Plan

At times, we may overlook the fact that the vast world is a novel experience for our toddlers. It is beneficial to familiarize your child with upcoming situations to make them feel more at ease. Whether you are going on an extravagant overseas vacation, or somewhere local, like story time at the library, always talk with your toddler beforehand about what you'll do if they need to go to the bathroom.

When you arrive at your destination, show your toddler the location of the bathroom so they feel confident and prepared when that time inevitably comes. You can even make it a game! Who can find the nearest bathroom first?

We've found looking up images online ahead of time can be a useful tool. This allows your toddler to see with their own eyes what they can expect to see on while traveling. Some good examples are:

• the airport security check, where they may have to give up a beloved blanket or stuffed animal for a short time;

• public bathrooms with automatic flushers and loud hand-dryers

• what the inside of a plane/bus/train looks like and what their teeny bathrooms look like

Kids are just like adults. If they are aware of what to anticipate, their anxiety levels decrease. After discussing what lies ahead, making our bathroom plan, and familiarizing ourselves with online pictures, we find that travel goes much smoother for the whole family. Time well spent!

Tip 5: Be Ready for Public Restrooms 

A frightening experience in a public restroom may cause certain children to regress and become afraid of using any toilet, causing potty training setbacks. Automatic flushers can scare some kids. A simple, but ingenious solution is carrying a pack of sticky post-it notes with you. Place one of the notes over the flush sensor while your child is using the toilet and remove when you are ready to flush. No more surprise (and loud) flushes! If you accidently forget your post-it notes, you can drape toilet paper over the sensor for the same effect. Just be careful that the paper doesn't accidently slip off before you are ready.

If your young child is very sensitive to loud noises, it may be a good idea to bring along a pair of toddler headphones to help dampen other loud sounds, like neighboring toilet flushes or hand dryers.

We've all experienced walking into a public bathroom that is overdue for a cleaning. Dirty and smelly facilities can cause young children (and many adults) to become resistant to using the bathroom. In many if these situations, we've used our trusty Carry Anywhere Commode. We bring it right inside of the public restroom because it is familiar to our kids and easily stays clean and sanitary.

Tip 6: Ensure Easy Access to the Essentials 

Travel naturally brings the unexpected. An easy-to-access pack of wet wipes can be a life saver. Whether you are having a bathroom emergency, or need to clean hands before snack time, they are so versatile on the go. We always try to keep some in a waste pack, backpack, or purse for quick access.

Keeping hand sanitizer easily accessible is also beneficial. Nobody likes rummaging through an entire bag trying to find it, especially when your toddler might start sucking their thumb in the meantime!

Conveniently, if we've forgotten to bring along our wet wipes or hand sanitizer, our Carry Anywhere Commode portable toilet comes with soft, 100% cotton wipes for cleanup and a bottle of hand sanitizer. It has saved us on more than one occasion!

Tip 7: Sometimes You Need "Travel Pants" 

With all this discussion about travel, you might be wondering how to manage on a plane with a recently potty-trained toddler who is not wearing a diaper.

Well, the short answer is, you don't. Even the best planning and preparation is not going to ensure that you can respond to your toddler's urgent potty emergency on a plane. We recommend utilizing a pull-up during those initial stages of potty training while flying.

But be creative on the way you present this to your child. Special "travel pants" that are just for flying can be part of the adventure for a young one. And as soon as you land, you transform back into your normal clothes.

Tip 8: Have Fun!

While traveling, you can always expect the unexpected. But don't forget to have fun along the way. Approach bathroom breaks as something to problem solve together. Sing songs, give high-fives, and celebrate the accomplishment! Remember that for your toddlers, everything is part of the adventure. Who knows, maybe your potty breaks will become some of your most enduring (and sometimes humorous) memories from your trip!

Happy travels!