So when they're still in nappies for naps & bedtime, what do you do about car journeys (when they may or may not fall asleep)?

[franch]

We often drive short/long journeys during naptime - DD1 sometimes sleeps, sometimes doesn't. Still in nappies for naps. What do we do to avoid confusion AND avoid accidents in the car if possible?

I only put my Ds in a pullup when going for naps in his cot. If in car/buggy I use a bed mat folded up to protect the seat.

This way he doesn't get confused. He is actually now getting out of the cot and going to the bathroom himself for a wee.

Has he had accidents in the car then Reece? Do you think pullups are better than nappies for naps & bedtime? (We currently use convertibles - the ones that you can convert from a pullup into a nappy if you find yourself doing a lying-down nappy change.)

And how old is he Reece?

wee before leaving and every time you stop
pampers care mat in the car seat
take clean clothes

We used a piddle pad on the car seat, but something like a Pampers care mat would do just as well. We always had a couple of changes of clothes in the car in case of accidents too, and stopped frequently for wees on longer journeys.

Are the nappies wet after naptime in bed?

Once we dropped nappies in the daytime we didn't use them for car journeys either, but got one of these (scroll down to the last image). They came in a pack of two, so one was on the buggy and one on the carseat. It won't catch a full wee, but little leaks are fine, just like trainer pants.

If you're travelling over naptime, then take him to the loo before you set off (or stop the car and do a roadside pee).

Mostly, I think, once toddlers are fairly reliably trained, then they don't tend to wee during the first 1-2h of sleep. At least IME.

My DS is 2.8. Been potty training for 3 weeks and he has not had any accidents in the car. We have not been on any long journeys such as yourself but as long as you protect seat/keep reminding/take spare pants, clothes etc and maybe a travel potty you will be set.

DS doesn't lie down for me to change a nappy so pullups are great for us. I found the Huggies ones leaked but the Pampers are great. He treats them like pants because he can pull them up and down like pants.

Thanks for all the advice. Have got a pair of piddle pads for carseat/buggy so will use one of those and take spare pants etc. DD1 is 2y 5m - only started potty training on Sat so v early days but she hasn't had any accidents for 3 days so I'm just trying to make sure nothing sets her back

PC - sorry, didn't answer your question. Nappies not dry after nap yet - as I say, early days

Nappies car, def.

Pampers care mats - are they the Bed Mats or the Change Mats?

Oh - BadHair - everyone else has said not!! You've confused me now!!

I think in that case that it's too early to expect her to cope with naps in the car. If a long journey is unavoidable then I would put a nappy on and explain that it is only because she is going to nap in the car. Then, if poss, change her back to knickers when she wakes or at the first possible stop after that.

BTW I'm a firm believer in the straight-to-knickers/briefs style of toilet-training. I don't go for pull-ups or trainer pants, but I also don't think one ought to challenge the LO too much.

I agree v much with your 2nd paragraph PC. No car journeys at all planned actually, was just thinking ahead. Thanks

Sorry, posted before I'd finished as got interrupted. Didn't mean to confuse.

For long journeys (anything over 20 miles) I put dses in nappies . I just can't be doing with wee-soaked car seats so nappies were used until boys were well and truly able to hold on. There's nothing worse than pulling onto the motorway, knowing there's no service station for 30-odd miles, then hearing a little voice wail "I need the potty".

I guess piddle pads would be good for short journeys, but don't see the point in buying the extra stuff. And can't see that wearing a nappy in the car would delay potty training as they wouldn't be able to get to a potty for themselves anyway.

we're in the change mats and crossed fingers camp.
my DH just stopped putting DS in pull ups for naps and we've done a few car journeys(1 to 2 hour ones) and had no accidents. Ds has never weed during his naps(since we started with potty), so i guess that's what has made our decision easier. We do occasionally hear ourselves harrassing our lovely 2.8 yr old about needing the loo, but he knows when he needs to go and has quite an inpressive bladder capacity(I like to think that's from my side,as the sonographer during my 20wk scan complimented me on my capacity to hold fluids)

I agree I can't stand the idea of wee soaked car seats and if you've driven for an hour to get there, that's an hour of darling sitting on a soggy car seat on the way back.

If you think your child can go without nappies, do it. If you're not, i don't think they'll get confused. My son and I had a giggle about the reason NAPpies got there name! I'm sure they can understand as long as you explain that sometimes they fall asleep and you're just getting them ready in case they do.