We recently posted a call out on social media asking parents to share their potty training travel tips.  Here are some of the responses:

(1) Ask every hour, on the hour, and use favorite rewards.

Rebecca commented that her daughter loved M&Ms so she was able to bring along the special treat for car rides.  In some cases it might even be beneficial to really bring out the big guns and offer up items that are otherwise not always allowed.

(2) Trust your child

Eventually, it came down to trusting her when she said she didn’t have to go.  That’s a really hard one because you…don’t want them to have an accident, but eventually they will tell you when they have to go.  Even if it seems like it’s been a long time, forcing them to go and not believing them undermines trust – R. Wise

(3) Use Pull-Ups for long travel but make it clear that it’s only for accidents.

We made it clear Pull-Ups were only for accidents so she still used toilets when she had to go.  She ended up peeing in the pull-up once or twice but never pooped.  Once we got to the destination the Pull-Up came off.  We were away for a week and never regressed – N. Denham

(4) Buy a special travel potty but use it at home at times

Trying to convince a toddler to use a public or foreign restroom may not go over well.  If you have a special travel potty that’s compact, you can transform any space into familiar territory.

When we first got our travel potty we used it sporadically so our daughter would get used to it.  We always called it the “special toilet” and made a huge deal out of it at home. When we were on our first flight and unfolded it, she was so excited that it just seemed to work out ok for us – L. Carmandy

(5) Plan your Potty Experience

Parents should know their plan when kids have to “go” while out of the house.  That might mean scoping out the restaurant or zoo bathroom before your child actually needs to go.

We have four kids, two who are newly toilet-trained, and everytime we go somewhere new, one of us [mom or dad] takes a quick minute to check out the bathroom so we know what we’re dealing with.  There’s nothing worse than your kid telling you, last minute, that she has to go, and then you’re scrambling around trying to make it happen, in a new space – JJ Best

(6) Relax

Most people hate being told to relax because it seems condescending, but when it comes to potty training, the best thing a parent can do is take a deep breath.  For some people, relaxing means taking away from of the anxiety.

Use training pants [like Pull-Ups] on longer rides if it reduces your stress.  There’s nothing wrong with it.

Let us know how you’ve coped with travel and training by sending us an email or leaving a comment.

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Safe travels!