by Tamra Besch

Created on: June 17, 2009

One of the least pleasant aspects of potty training is potty training while on the go. Everyone has to face it, and there is no iron clad way of doing it. It can make or break a shopping trip with your child. Fortunately, with some planning, there can be several things you can do to make the experience go more smoothly.

Buying a folding potty seat can be very helpful. Public potties are way too big for little rear ends. A lot of kids have a natural fear of the public potty. The potty makes very loud sounds and the hole is really big. A child size foldable potty folds into a quarter of its full size and, when unfolded, fits nicely on top of the public toilet. It creates a smaller hole for your child's little bum as well as provide grips on the side for the child to hold onto while sitting on the potty. Children naturally want to hold onto the potty, much to the dismay of the parent. The grips on the potty seat help them feel more stable and secure while sitting down. When finished, the potty folds up nicely and will fit into a gallon size zip lock baggy. It also makes mom and dad feel better because little rear ends never have to actually touch the potty.

Some parents have had much success with the public potty tour. They take their children to visit the toilet in each new area, to check out what makes the potty special. Some are bigger, some make a different noise, some are automatic, etc. This makes your shopping trip a little bit more time consuming, but children who enjoy visiting the public restroom will be more likely to use it.

Buying training underwear is also a big help. Training underwear is cotton underwear that is thicker in the middle to help absorb a little urine. This by no means absorbs a lot of urine, but it helps your child remember to hold it until you get to a potty. It has the feel of underwear, but catches a little bit if an accident happens. It can be a really useful tool around the house as well.

Always carry extra clothes and wipes just in case. Your child could have a lot of accidents and the more prepared you are, the more smoothly the whole trip will go. If you can keep your cool, being more prepared will go a long way in a public situation.

Most importantly, always reward your child when they are successful. Whether it is with lots of praise, a piece of candy, a special trip down the toy isle, (not to buy, but they get to look because they did such a good job) or whatever your child responds to. The more happy experiences your child has while potty training, the more they are going to want to continue their good behavior. And realistically, this is a very short period of time in the life span of your child. So, if you trip is a little longer because of your potty training tactics so be it, it will lead to a faster period of potty training time and more relaxed shopping trips.

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