the fear of potty training

DD has no interest in potty training.
DS goes to the potty at home, in the morning, before nap and sometimes before bath.
If he is busy playing he never wants to go potty.
I'm just afraid of taking him of diapers for when we go out....we are out
quite often during the day because they (and I) go insane in the house.
Should I wear pull ups when we go out? and have him on underwear at home?
I feel sooooo clueless!

 

I did pull ups for going out until they started showing me that they could stay dry while we were out & I would keep the trips out brief.

 

Once my girls were able to use the bathroom at home consistently (ie - not more than one accident every few days... this took about two weeks of potty training), we started going out in underwear. Several moms here advised doing this since it could be confusing to a small child to have underwear at home and use the potty, but to have a diaper at other times. I put a training potty in the back of our SUV and would ask the girls before heading in to stores if they needed to go. Then I'd ask them every ten minutes or so while we were out. I'm sure I was a bit annoying, but it worked... only one accident in public ever.

 

We did the three day training. So I didn't leave the house for those three days. And once we did, like the pp, we had the travel potty. So to go out, I asked them numerous times to go prior to leaving. Then I made sure they went right before we got in the car. When we got to our destination(and because I have a third child), I had them go on the potty in the car(I HIGHLY advise getting a portable toilet like this if you haven't done so already : Potty. It's the best invention ever. I would be able to do all of my errands, etc without them using the potty in public. But, if need be, I had that potty in the stroller and I used that in the beginning. Now it doesn't leave my car and we have it for when we go on long drives or to our parents house. Once done with the errands, we went back to the car, and I put them on the toilet again.

*Knock on wood* We've had no accidents in public.

And now, I try NOT to ask them when we are out and about to go! :laughing:

 

Totally agree with the travel potty in the car. So much easier and cleaner!

 

Im in the same boat...DD and DS both been going on potty (naked) since they were 2 , they are going to be 3 in April...and just starting to progress....Im shocked that DS is doing much better then DD.....As of today, DD will go on BIG potty when naked, when she has pullup or underwear or diaper, forget it, she will not tell me and just goes.....DS, has been in pullups (which I hate) and has been dry and telling me that he has to go,(most of the time).But refuses to go on BIG potty, so we had to go to a birthday party and we brought his potty and he actuallly told us and he used his Potty!!! I was so happy....by the time we got home, he had gone in his pullup....But I think I will buy the Portable potty, I t hink that would work out well ...

 

Ok I don't get the potty in the car thing... How do you do that if it's cold out? and do you just have them potty in the parking lot? It just seems so weird. How do you clean that up too?

 

Don't know if this helps you, because it sounds like you're approaching it differently, but I didn't take them out of diapers (anywhere) until I was pretty sure they could stay dry. The first several times we went out, I just brought lots of changes of clothes. But the few accidents they had were always at home.

We have used pull-ups (even when they were well past PT) for unusual situations like air travel or long car rides, especially for Sarah. She stressed about having to go potty and it was just easier for all of us if she wore a pull-up. We did this until she was over 4. My point is just that kids can adapt to different rules for different situations.

 

I never had an SUV so I never bought a travel potty - my kids have always gone in public and in fact laugh at the automatic flushers

 

The travel potty I posted, has bags that go with the potty. The bag has a little pad like thing that soaks up some of the pee, or what have you. I have a mini van, so it works for us. Otherwise ya, I think it would be rather difficult.

If it's warm out, I just have them go in the car and I stand in the doorway. They are in the third row, so I block everything and they sit. If it's really cold out, I will jump in the van in the back and close the door and they go. Or, I've had them go really quick and pull their pants up quickly. It's literally less than a minute when they go. I don't do it often. The only time *I* do it like this in the car, is when I am alone, and say we are going out to lunch. I am not taking three kids to the bathroom with me! :laughing: Annabella alone needs her own adult! :faint:

 

the potette plus potty that the pp showed is awesome! it can be a free standing potty or a seat for the top of a toilet. for cleanup, it's easy you use the bags it comes with and throw them away... or I just used grocery bags w/ a large sanitary pad in the bottom. worked perfect! there is no cleanup, you just tie the bag and toss it.

I highly recommend it. I have even brought it to the park when I can't realistically coral both kids as easy and just get them to pee wherever we are ...

we also ended up doing the 3day program and spent the first bit at home. some of our first trips out were for church and at least the toilets were the same toilets each week, kind of got them used to public toilets.

good luck!

 

I did pullups over their underwear when we went out, so if they wet they would feel it and know but it also would not make a huge mess of everything. ALong with that I made sure they went to the bathroom before we left and I was constantly asking them if they had to go while we were out (just used public toilets). It was a PITA for awhile but it didn't last long. Good luck!

 

I found that my kids were even better at staying dry when we were out - in the beginning if we were at home sometimes they'd just forget to go to the potty and then look down and tell me they had to go as they were going but when we went out to stores, parks, etc., they were so excited to see the bathroom that they'd always tell me when they had to go. Maybe it's because we made a big deal about how "magical" some of the potties are with self flushing toilets or automatic sink/soap/paper towels...they always want to see them! So I keep a travel potette potty in my diaper bag and we check out EVERY public bathroom around, lol. So since peeing when we're out is an adventure, they hardly ever have a problem.

ETA: I do still throw on a pull up if we're going somewhere where an accident would be horrific - we went to a bouncy place (filled with bounce house type things to crawl through and climb on) and the idea of an accident in the middle of that was just too much - so I put underpants on first with pull ups over them so they still feel like it's just underpants but I'm covered if there's a problem. Both stayed completely dry (yay!) but I didn't have to be a mental case!