This post is written as part of a partnership with Residence Inn. As a member of Resident Mom Club I received a gift card for use at Residence Inn. Please note that, as always, any personal opinions reflected in this post are my own and have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.
Potty training my first son wasn’t all that bad and didn’t take all that long. Potty training my second son took a lot longer. I am so proud to say that after years of trying all sorts of different things my youngest is finally going #2 on the potty. It’ was a very long journey but we’ve finally arrived and we are so happy to be there!
Speaking of journeys. Chances are good that if you have a family with children you’ve had to face the challenge of traveling with a child who is in the midst of potty training. For some using a public restroom with a potty training child is daunting . I assure you, it can easily be managed if you know where to start. The best place to start is by being prepared. Here are some things I found helpful to have with us when traveling.
Disposable toilet seat covers
A “regular” toilet is pretty big for a little one. Potty training is work enough for you and your child without you having to worry about your child sitting on some nasty seat, or for you to pull your back out trying to suspend your child in the air while they go. If going takes them a while then you could be saying “hello hernia!”. You can avoid this by making sure you have disposable toilet seat covers on hand. (I actually recommend everyone travel with these, regardless of who they’re traveling with.) How many times have you went into a public restroom only to find the seat cover dispenser is empty? If you’re like me the answer is too many.
Flushable wipes
Bring along a container of flushable wipes. It’s a lot easier to clean up a child that’s potty training using wipes then it is to have to use the thin paper you find in public restrooms.
Hand sanitizer
You’ll probably need this in the same public restrooms where you didn’t find any disposable seat covers. And the soap dispenser doesn’t work. Never fails.
Pull-Ups
If your child wears them at home then carry right on and bring them with you. If they don’t wear them at home anymore then don’t put them back in them. My youngest outgrew Pull-Ups years ago. At one point the days were so challenging that I had this bright idea that I’d get some adult diapers. My son had other ideas. Every day when I’d put the adult diaper on him he would go in the other room and take it right off, ripping the side so it couldn’t be used again. I know now that this was his way of letting me know he didn’t want to be treated like a baby. If you’ve ever had to buy adult diapers then you understand why this was an expensive lesson for us to learn. Just keep on keeping on.
Underwear
Obviously when you pack for a child that’s potty training you’re going to pack extra clothing. For years we brought one or two extra outfits for each day we’d be gone. We gauged how many extra things to bring by the typical number of times in a day where our son has an accident. If he had one accident a day at home we could count on at least one while we were away. (Sometimes more. I mean rich food, excitement, you know.) So for a four day trip we’d probably bring eight outfits.
Many times if your child is wearing underwear and has an accident the clothes don’t get the worst of it, the underwear do. If you’re like me and you have a child in underwear that is potty training you are going to wind up with some underwear that just doesn’t look “nice”, even if it’s been cleaned and washed a gazillion times. Don’t throw those away. You want to bring those with you when you travel. The reasoning here is very simple. Washing underwear is unavoidable if your child goes #2. So you’re on the road and wash out the underwear and then what? Carry around a stinky pair of damp underwear? I think not. Make use of the old ones you were going to throw away. And if an accident happens, rinse them out, put them in a plastic bag and throw them away.
It’s always nice to arrive at your destination. Yay for a break from public restrooms! But the reality is, potty training continues. The great thing about getting a suite at the Residence Inn is that it’s ideal for potty training. If you’re doing things on your trip such as visiting an amusement park it’s well worth the time and energy to go back to your suite for meals. You can plan a potty break for that time. And it’s a lot less expensive then going out to restaurants! I think you’ll agree that it’s much easier to go when you can take your time and relax. It’s hard to do that in a public restroom. The private bathroom in your Residence Inn suite is much like home. Let your child take their time when they try to go. You can wait in the living room area and give them some privacy if they need it. Should your child happen to have an accident you can take advantage of the laundry facilities on the premises if you need.
What tips do you have for traveling with a child that’s potty training?
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You’ve named a lot of the ones I would say to bring. Extra clothes is always a must for kids that are potty training. I even pack extra clothes if my kids are already potty trained because you never know if they may have an accident.
Such a great list. I think you pretty much covered everything here.
I take a couple of the things on your list with me whenever I go out, and I don’t even have kids. Great post!
Flushable wipes and hand sanitizer. If you’ve got little ones, you cannot leave home without those two key supplies.
I keep ALL of these on hand. The trip you forget one of these things is the trip that you need it!
This is a great list! I always carried toilet liners when we traveled. I ordered them online and they came in handy.
I always traveled with 3 pairs of clothes in the car when I was potty training. You never know when the kids are going to have an accident, it’s great to always be prepared.
When I was potty training the kids, I always brought plenty of clothes and wipes. I think the disposable toilet seat covers is a great tip.
Truthfully… I pack a potty! My tot is too small for most toilets (like seriously too small), so we bring a small potty for her just in case, and a ring, too!
Great tips! I don’t miss potty training one bit! I will have to share this with my SIL.
I always carry hand sanitizer with me any were i go. Great list of extras to take with!
Full change of clothes; wipes; plastic bag for soiled items all musts.
My tip is to be prepared to stop a lot and make more time between destinations to offer the potty!
These are great tips for travelling with a child while potty training. It has been years since i went threw potty training with my kids.
With my son on places like airplanes I’d put a pull up on him so that if we couldn’t get up to the potty he wouldn’t feel like a failure.
We are potty training two at once right now and it’s much more of a challenge than I remember it being. We haven’t been doing much traveling so no cool tips to share, but I will be stealing the ones that I see.
I remember the first time I traveled with my child and I thought she was fully ready to travel without diapers. We were at the airport and she peed everywhere. Those are the things I’ll never forget. You’ve got some great tips here.
i always have a change of clothes for everyone, towels, toilet paper and wipes. you just never know!