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Although it is not realistic that you can keep your child home until they are potty trained, you wish that you could. When your child is in the middle of potty training, it is important to always be prepared. If you are prepared, when you are out shopping one day and notice your child doing the potty dance, you will know what to do. There are different situations that you may face when it comes to potty training while you are out.

Visiting Family or Friends

If you are just heading to visit friends or family, that is a fairly easy fix. Just make sure to bring your potty or potty seat (that fits on the big toilet) wherever you go. In this case, if there is something that helps the child use the potty, like storybooks, you can even bring those along. There are a few other items that are important to bring with you, no matter where you are. Always have an extra pair of clothes. Accidents can happen. Speaking of accidents, it is also a good idea to use training pants. These are still like diapers, but also like big kid underwear. It also might set the person you are visiting at ease, so they do not have to worry about accidents on their furniture as much. Also, it is important to ask your child if they need to use the bathroom. When a child is in training, the timeframe is usually 30 minutes to 45 minutes. It will mean interrupting an activity, but once your child has used the potty it is easy for them to join in the activity again.

Shopping

If you are out shopping or in some other public forum, the best idea is to make sure you know where the public restroom is. There are little seats that fit on the toilet made for travel. They fold up and fit perfectly into a diaper bag without a whole lot of hassle. The only word of caution with these is making sure your child can sit comfortably on them. The public restroom is not a great place to bring your child's favorite story books, but you can always offer words of encouragement or tell them a story if that helps. If the little potty seat does not work out for you, or for some reason you forgot to throw it in the diaper bag, you can always help by holding your child on the seat so they do not feel like they will fall in. Another important item to bring when you are going to be using a public restroom is wipes. You can use the wipes, not only on your child's bottom, but also to wipe down the handle and the toilet seat. Keeping things as disinfected as possible is a must with small children.

The best bet for handing potty training while you are out is preparation and organization. Before you walk out of the house, make sure you take a moment to allow everyone to use the potty. If your child has gone potty before leaving the house and it is going to be a short trip, they may not need to potty while they are out. It is also possible that even if they have to use the potty, they will be able to give you enough warning. As always, make sure you have your diaper bag with you. Depending on the length of your trip, bring at least one change of clothes. It is better to have too many than not enough. Also make sure you have plenty of wipes packed as you never know when that bowel movement will turn into diarrhea. And of course, you will need your potty seat or potty. Keep in mind; you need to exude the same calm and encouraging demeanor that you show at home.

Learn more about this author, Becky Robbins.
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