Potty Training Outside the House

I didn't have time to read all the other suggestions...but what we did with DD when we were out and about (and I sure wasn't willing to tear apart that carseat any time there was an accident)...
Put a pull-up on him when you go out...BUT, have him wear underpants under it. That way, he feels that he is wet if he has an accident, but it doesn't make a huge mess. It worked like a charm for us!
Good luck!

Whatever you're doing at home needs to be consistent outside of the home. When we've potty trained our kids and made the move to underwear or panties, we stuck with it. The only exception would be long car trips, when we'd use a pull-up just in case it was hard to find a bathroom (couldn't risk a soaked car seat), or at night time.

Hello, I did Licensed Daycare for about 15 years. You Daycare provider should be willing to continue the "training" when your son is in her care. It's part of the job. I would leave him in the pullups all of the time whether he is at home or not. I personally didn't use pullups. I used little boy and girl underwear. That way when they had an accident they felt it. They really didn't like the way it felt. By the way, it took one day to train my children and grandchildren mostly because I waited until they were ready. It sounds like your son is doing well with it.
Good luck with your precious little boy.
K. K.

Does he let you know that he needs to use the potty before he goes; or are you using a timer and having him go when it is time? If HE is telling YOU that he has to go, then he can tell his daycare provider or other care providers as well, as long as he is comfortable with that. If he is not willing to have someone other than you help him, then he should probably stay in the diapers in those situations. If he can do the pull-up thing pretty well with minimal help, (pulling down clothing and the pull-up, cleaning himself up, and putting everything back together again) then you might encourage him to try letting his daycare giver help him use the potty, and give it a shot. But I would limit the other "extraneous" sitters/ family/friends from being responsible with that for awhile. I never let anyone "help" my kids with the potty, (me or my hubby) except for my mother. I was a SAHM though, so it was easier to do that. But it made it easier for my kids to know exactly what to expect in the way of help/instruction, and I think, it gave them a comfort level that helped them train, instead of creating anxiety.

Hi S., First i want to say, it is great that you are training him, and not waiting till he is 3 or older. In my experience potty training my own and 13 years of potty training other peoples children, diapers while potty training can be confussing to children, your day care and your family members who spend time with your son all need to be on the same page, so your son has stability while potty training. I have always had a van so if we had to be away from home i put the potty chair in the van and too it with us. As a daycare provider I always make sure that the parents are on the same page with me, because their children are with me between 8 and 10 hours a day or longer. Yes pull ups are nothing less than a diaper without tape. I personally have no problem washer out training pants and underwear, some don't want to bother with it, but in my opinion it's all a part of potty training children. This should be a bonding time with your son and not a battle, he sounds like he's going to do just fine. I do believe in reward and discipline many don't, but I have many many years of experience. J.

Get a "car potty." These are life savers!
Go to Amazon, and put in the search words "on the go potty." And many will come up and the reviews.
We have had one since my daughter was that age, and all my friends have one too. It is SO great... and for when there is no toilet, if stuck in traffic, at parks, or anywhere.
I HIGHLY recommend getting one!

For outside pottying... don't rush it. They have to master indoor training... and then their ability for their body to at least 'hold' their pee impulse long enough to get to a toilet. Which in a mall, can take awhile to walk to a bathroom and then wait in line if need be. For example.

Your son, is only in the beginning stages of pottying. He is only just learning. He does NOT have it mastered yet.... so don't force it, nor hurry it. It is a process.... which goes in stages.
He is not yet... at the stage where he 'can' control his bladder outside the home....

I use(d) the 'Potty Scotty" padded underwear, which you can get on sale from Amazon or E-bay.

Pull-ups/padded underwear will NOT confuse the child.... it is a process.... that goes in stages....

When at Daycare... what do THEY suggest? Some have 'rules' on that.

Next, do NOT expect him to potty train for daytime and night time at the same time. NIGHT time 'dryness' is a whole DIFFERENT time-line and process. Night time dryness, is NOT even attained until 7 years old.... because is it a physiological and biological process of the body's organs maturing... and this is NORMAL. For naps and bedtime.... a diaper is still needed.... and no, a child will NOT get 'confused" about that. You simply explain it to him.

Next, pooping in a toilet.... is often a later 'stage' of potty training. So don't force this either. Otherwise, a child can get constipated and the ensuing medical problems from it.

Next, Remember... that even if potty trained during the day time... a child WILL have relapses or accidents in bed. Normal. This is childhood. My daughter wore a night time diaper even at 5 years old, for naps and sleep. NORMAL. AND for accidents... I simply bought 'waterproof bed pads" to put directly under my kids.... which I got from Amazon. It makes clean up REAL easy and I never have to wash the entire bedding/sheets, if/when my kids have accidents during sleep or night time.

My son who is 4 years old, still wears a night time diaper for naps and sleep... because he still wets during sleep. Normal. And per his age.

Don't expect your son, to get it all at once. Pottying goes in stages....

all the best,
Susan

When we potty trained our 2 year old, it was actually a cooperative effort with my daughter's daycare. She was just over 2 and they were starting the next "group" (it's easier to take them all to the potty at the same time) and they said she was ready since she pottied when asked and didn't wet her diaper when sleeping there or at home and she was already poop trained. They told me to throw away the diapers at home and they'd throw away her diapers there and put her in underwear and leave behind a few spare changes of clothes and a jar of potty treats. She got 1 if she went when someone else asked her to, and 2 treats if she asked and went on her own. Sure enough, it only took a few days of messups before she was fully trained. We used a piddle pad in the car seats in case of accidents and actually still keep them their in case she spills her water.

That is what worked for us and the other kids at daycare (the boys took a little longer). I'm not sure I see the point in pull ups, but since I have never used them I can't really pass judgment. I do think that you should use consistent methods at home and at daycare, though, to yield the most effective results no matter what method you use.

First congrats on the starting potty training. Second your husband is right, it will confuse him by putting him in diapers. Don't use pull-ups either. We used the 3 Day Potty Training Method and it worked great for us. The author has a lot of great ideas and helpful suggests. If you email me your email address I can send you the ebook. My email address is ____@____.com.

When my son is at a home, I continue to potty train. But, when he was first starting out and a little younger, if went out to a restaurant, shopping, long car rides... I would put him in the diaper, and it has never been a mixed signal...

I just explained that when he can be a little more balanced on the potty, then he could use public ones. He's little, so even at 4 years old we still hold him over the seat, but he wears underwear now. There is no way I can hold 2 kids in a tiny dirty public bathroom! I get a panic attack just thinking of it. Maybe, if it was just one kid, I could do it, but not with two.

Your questions were my questions a short while ago... We have just gone through this in the last month with my two year old daughter. It's a bit scary for parents, thinking that their child will just "go" in the car seat, on the sofa in someone's house etc. My advice is stick with it, get rid of the diapers. Yes you will be sending a confused message that they can do it in their diaper right now, but not in half an hour when you take it off. Keep putting him on the toilet, a lot. Put him on as soon as he wakes up, periodically throughout the day (or tell someone else who's looking after him - like in our case), put him on the potty/toilet before you leave the house and as soon as you get in. Verbalize what you are doing, teach him to tell you he needs to go. We haven't had any accidents when we're out, only when we're home- ha ha (which is easier to clean). Accidents are part of the learning process, they don't like to feel wet so it will teach them not to do it. Get a portable toilet seat that folds up for when you're out or at people's houses, put a trash bag in the car seat (I did this in the beginning). Last of all, put them on the potty/toilet at night before bed (a cushy kid's seat for regular toilets means less cleaning for you), and if they get up because they can't sleep put him on. We potty trained my daughter for day and night at the same time. It's quite liberating to get rid of those diapers once and for all, probably for her too, oh and it's a great savings on your grocery bill. So, go for it! Do not stop! Good luck.
PS. If he tells you he doesn't need to go and you know he does- put him on!