Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Potty training

Is your child ready for potty training at nursery? Here's the place for all your toilet training questions.

Flip

Original poster

So... I am clueless. How do you manage going out when potty training??

20 replies

meandjoe · 08/08/2009 14:53

DS is 2 and seems to be quite happy using the potty around the house. Runs to it himself saying 'POTTY!!!!' and all is going well. He's loving the praise!

My main question is how the heck do you manage to go anywhere, even a trip to the park or to grandparents house etc? Do you have to take the potty with you?? Or do you just use nappies and hope they don't need to go?? Or just use normal toilet (I have a feeling ds would find this a bit daunting as he's only ever used a potty).

My friend just used to put her ds is nappies whenever she went anywhere but surelythis sends mixed mssages with regards to using potty and telling people when they need to go etc. I really have no idea so please share your experiences! Ta

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

alarkaspree · 08/08/2009 15:04

If going to grandparents' house, yes, take potty with you or buy a spare for use at their house.

If the park, you can either take the potty or just let him wee under a tree/poo in a plastic bag, whichever you feel more comfortable with.

Definitely not nappies!

MaggieBeauVirgo · 08/08/2009 15:08

Bring at least four changes of clothes!!?

I started it two weeks ago today. After a very sloppy first week, things are 90% under control now!

Agree, no nappies! you just have to go cold turkey and mop up the messes.

BitOfFun · 08/08/2009 15:11

If you take a potty out, just don't ever use it in a cafe, ok? (MN memories of AIBU)

MaggieBeauVirgo · 08/08/2009 15:12

ha ha ha!

that was a great thread!

Shows how mums can lose their mind all perspective!

BitOfFun · 08/08/2009 15:22

There you go!

Habbibu · 08/08/2009 15:25

We used pull-ups when out and about - we told her they were another kind of big girl pants (they had a dolphin on them, so we called them dolphin pants). DD never got confused, and after a while was dry in them too, so I just forgot to put them on. I think it depends on the child (and the parent) - I wasn't up for the cold turkey idea, and this worked really well for us.

MaggieBeauVirgo · 08/08/2009 15:26

#Who needs a good book with threads like that!

BitOfFun · 08/08/2009 15:30

Hehehe, I may have another look at it

Niddlynono · 08/08/2009 15:32

I try and get DS to go to the toilet before we leave the house and then I take a small empty Evian bottle in my bag (as well as spare pants & trousers) so if he's busting and there isn't time to find a toilet we can nip somewhere and get the job done quite discreetly.
You can also get foldable plastic toilet seats which are good if you don't want to take a bulky potty with you.
Good luck.

MaggieBeauVirgo · 08/08/2009 15:35

I laughed out loud at hecate's post

"what were you planning to do with the potty if he did perform?" leave it til you finished eating, or get up and carry the full potty and two kids throught the cafe anyway to get to the toilets!!, or just leg it at the end of the meal?"

BitOfFun · 08/08/2009 15:41

I think she also suggested the OP could ask the waiter to take it away...

Horton · 08/08/2009 18:56

I've found Bright Bots training pants brilliant for containing slight accidents until a loo can be reached. They are sufficiently waterproof not to need a full change of clothing if it's just a case of letting a bit of wee escape before you get to the loo. DD is nearly three and recently potty trained and it took about two or three weeks in total to get to the point where she will tell me in enough time to get to a loo in a café or whatever. She doesn't mind going on a grown up loo, btw, as long as I hold her - I think she rather likes it.

I take a potty to the park for wees and try to avoid going anywhere without an easily accessible loo if there's a poo on the way! We did once have to resort to behind a bush but I reason that dogs wee on bushes in the park so it's not that terrible.

I have put her in pull-ups occasionally, eg when we were going on an aeroplane a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't be desperate for a wee just as we were taking off. She is absolutely not confused by them and on the odd occasion when she's needed to wee and no loo has been available she has done it in her nappy after checking that that's okay with me first. If a loo was available, I would obviously take her and pull the pull-ups down like pants.

lljkk · 08/08/2009 19:31

I never took a potty with me, well, maybe to Granny's, but not just to the park/whatever. Madness to lug one around, imho. I used to ask tot to go every time we were close to a toilet, and I made sure we were close to a toilet at least once an hour. If they can't go at least an hour without a wee, I don't feel that they are ready for toilet-training, anyway.

Bowel movements are trickier, lead to more accidents ime, but they are tricky no matter what you do. In toddler groups, I have observed lots of toddlers lately managing to wee themselves well in spite of parent having a portable potty to hand, lugging it around doesn't seem to make things easier in the least.

Horton · 09/08/2009 11:23

I think an hour without a wee is perfectly manageable, too, lljkk. But children at the start of potty training can find it very hard to produce a wee on demand and we often spend a couple of hours at the park. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that we might set off at 10, when DD will have recently done a wee (some time between 8 and 9am) and not want to go right then and stay for two hours or even more on a nice day. She would probably want another wee at 11 or 11.30. None of our nearby parks have loos, sadly. Much easier to take a potty and empty the wee down a drain or behind a bush.

I wouldn't take a potty on shopping trips etc. If there are shops, there's usually somewhere with a loo.

Alishanty · 10/08/2009 21:38

Hi, we are halfway through potty training our 3 yr old ds for the second time. The first time I used to put him in nappies/pull ups when we went out but I have come to the conclusion that it was confusing for him and made him lazy as we weren't getting anywhere. Maybe once in a blue moon/emergency it's ok but if you go out quite a bit as we do, they end up spending alot of time in nappies, especially if they also wear a nappy for naps. this time we have gone 'cold turkey' and maybe it's because he's more ready this time but he's 'getting it' alot quicker. I didn't bother taking the potty out (only if he's going to nana's), just take him to public loos periodically and sometimes he would do one. I just hold him up at the toilet and now he's started saying so it's getting easier. If we are not near a toilet I just let him go outside in a discreet corner. Most people turn a blind eye to a toddler having a wee in public.

erin99 · 11/08/2009 09:46

Sounds like I'm the only one lugging the potty around everywhere then. DD is a sensitive little soul and she has trouble 'letting go' on big loos. She's happy to sit on them but usually nothing actually happens! So we take her favourite potty everywhere. I have one of those big jute bags and it fits potty, spare clothes and all the stuff for baby too.

Also I usually have baby in one arm and only have 1 hand free to sort toddler & potty out. Potties are easier than big loos one handed, I think.

lucasnorth · 11/08/2009 11:00

DD has been dry for 3 months now but we still carry the travel potty with us whenever we're out.

lucasnorth · 11/08/2009 11:00

DD has been dry for 3 months now but we still carry the travel potty with us whenever we're out.

Horton · 11/08/2009 20:16

Oh god, yes, if I was juggling a baby too, I'd definitely be taking the potty, erin. When DD goes on a big loo, I have to clasp her tightly round the middle, lest she fall down and be flushed away!

needsomesleepplease · 11/08/2009 22:09

Buy a portable potty - lifesaver!!

It is a potty that folds down flat (you can also use as a toilet seat) and you put on disposable liners on it - once they have used it you just tie it up and bin it like a nappy. comes with a bag to keep it all in. you can get them in boots and mothercare about £12

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread