Traveling - Philadelphia,PA

S.:

No. I would NOT put pull ups on my 4 year old who just became potty trained. I would stop frequently...like every two hours.

This isn't about being easier on you...the child can easily revert by putting her in pull ups...it's best on ALL involved in long travel to take breaks every 2 hours anyway....my ex-husband wanted to do this when we traveled from South Dakota to Pennsylvania....I said NO WAY...we stopped every 2 to 3 hours and it made the trip much more pleasant as she could get out and run anyway...they need that.

good luck. safe travels.

3 moms found this helpful

My family did a lot of traveling.. Bring a coffee can for your kid to go in in case you have to stop where there is no bathroom or a yucky one.

You can put the kid in pullups, but you might untrain what you just did.

Good luck and safe travles.

2 moms found this helpful

No! Do you still have the little potty? I would just take that with you. We took our 4 year old on a trip shortly after he was potty trained. I was so nervous, but he did great. We took the potty with us, but he was ok just stopping on the side of the road (like father, like son).

I would definitely not use pullups. That will only confuse him. Just pack extra clothes and underwear jsut in case. Have fun!

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No, no and no. What are you thinking? You are parents now and need to put you children's needs first. They need frequent stops to run around as well as use the bathroom. Adjust your plans to their needs, even if that means an overnight stay somewhere.

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If you want to put a trained child in pullups and tell them to go ahead and pee in it, then wear a Depend adult diaper yourself and see if you enjoy that,, Not being mean or nasty to you, just pointing out that it might not be the best thing for a childs potty training progress or self esteem to be put in a diaper again. Its also not good for anyone to sit in the same spot, same position for hours on end. You can develop blood clots in your legs and it makes your back hurt. Kids will be a lot happier if you take an exit every couple hours and find a gas station or fast food place to run on the ground a few minutes and go potty, get a snack, and hop back on the freeway. How many minutes can it add to the trip? maybe 30? Even an extra hour of travel will not be horrible but a pull up might be a big mistake for a young child. We did 10 hours with a 3 yr old last spring and stopped 4 times for her to try to go potty. She did twice but had no accidents. She needed the time out of her car seat to stretch and get out some excess energy and was more than happy to get back in the carseat and settle down each time. We still got to Disneyland 2 hours sooner than we had planned and she was in a great mood to go when we arrived.

1 mom found this helpful

I think if you're only going to stop once or twice on a 10 hour drive, you're going to have 2 miserable kids on your hands. I'd just make more frequent stops or bring a travel potty for roadside use.

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No I would not. Amazon sells Traveljohns. Greatest invention. Adults as
well as kids can use. Piddle into the bag. Turns to gel. Dispose. Well
worth it.

1 mom found this helpful

Dont do a pull up. That could be really traumatizing for a child. Think of the experience for yourself. We travel alot and bring a potty in the car. It works out really well. We just pull over to a safe spot on the highway and let our daughter go. Then she's back in her car seat and we're on our way.

Well unlike other responders I think it depends. I did not put my 3 year old in a pull up on the way home from the shore this summer(it was mid afternoon), he has been PT for well over a year now with no accidents in as long. I didn't even think about it. He fell asleep and peed in the carseat which leaked through onto the cars actual seat and I can tell you it stank and I wish I had used a pull up. It was crazy hard to clean and get the stink out. My 6 year old still sleeps with a pull up on, and though I would not consider putting her in a pull up for a trip she was awake for(even a long one), if I thought she might fall asleep, I would put her in one. And from now on my son will be in a pull up for a long trip where he too might fall asleep. So I would say if he never needs a pullup at night then it won't likely matter if he falls asleep, you can skip the pullups. But if he still has accidents at night or uses them at night I would put one on him, especially during times he might sleep. And this may horrify some of the other responders here, but in March when my daughter was still 5, we were in Disney World, and on a train ride that took over 30 mins and of course it was a ride so couldn't stop or get off to pee, and I put one of my son's pullups on her when she had to go, and she peed in it after some coaxing, and she felt so much better and was able to relax and enjoy the ride. Sometimes we just do what we need to do.

I would not put him in pull-ups. We do the same trip every year and make stops as needed. I know I need to get out and stretch as well as the kids. I am not a big fan of eating at McDonalds but when I plan a long drive we stop at the ones with play places in them. This way(if the weather is not nice) they can get some exercise. Trips do take longer now that we have kids but we make it a fun adventure instead of a "lets just get this over with" type of thing. This will be our first year doing the drive with 2 potty trained kids.

Make stops on the hour or 2 for pee breaks and watch how much everyone drinks.

We do essentially the same drive (PA to western NC) and have been doing it with my son in underwear since he was 2. I would NOT put your son back in pull ups - it would likely be stressful and confusing. And seriously - my 5 year old has a much tougher bladder than either DH or myself. He can easily sleep 11 -12 hours without the need for the bathroom. You will likely need to stop a few times to let the kids out to run around and let off some steam. Otherwise, they may drive you completely insane before you reach your destination.

Seriously? Absolutely not. Would you wear a Depends to save time driving on a trip? When your child is complaining that they have to go potty are you seriously going to tell your child to just pee themselves? LOL Ah no. We've done a lot of traveling with kids over the last 24 years with our 5 kids, most of which while we were in the military, and as much as you want to keep pushing along you must stop for your children's needs. It's 5 or 10 minutes to let them potty and run on some grass to stretch their legs. A 10 hour trip with a child who needs to potty takes 4-6 stops depending on the child. Just stop for the poor kid when you need to.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

Make some extra stops or bring a little portable potty! Would you want to use a pull-up for yourself? Probably not.

It depends on your kid. My 5 year old is big for his age and can go up to 3-4 hours between breaks. We stop at least that often for breaks, to eat, change drivers, etc.

Definitely no for a pull up. I would just make more frequent stops. Your kids will need to get out and burn off some energy or you will be crazy by the time you get to SC. I would also try to travel at night and hope the kids sleep most of the way there.

You seriously want to let your kid pee in his pants because it is more convenient?

We did a 16 hour drive this past summer with my 3 year old and 1 year old. 3 year old trained early, and she only needed to stop to go pee a few times. It really wasn't that bad. We drove at night. If you want to make good time without stops, I highly recommend driving at night. Leave around dinner time, drive for 30-60 minutes, eat, drive another 30 minutes, get them in their PJs, and then do the rest of the drive. Two happy kids, two parents that have silence and no distractions.

Obviously, no, Pull Ups are a horrible idea. If your kids are boys and would think it is cool, you could keep an empty pop bottle in the car for an emergency urinal, but you will have to stop every 2-3 hours. You all will be miserable otherwise. Find all of the rest areas along the highways, pack snacks and lunch. Stop every 2-3 hours and let the kids get out and run for 15 minutes.

If you are taking I-95, here's a great website of every rest stop and exit on 95... http://www.i95exitguide.com/ Other interstates have similar information... just google it.