Ask a Pro – When to start potty training when you are out of the house?

Ask a Pro – When to start potty training when you are out of the house?

QUESTION:

I have a two-and-a-half-year-old. She’s potty trained, but after a month we still have some accidents. When we’re outside of the house, I carry the potty in the car. She goes before we leave the car, but when she’s playing, she doesn’t care or feel uncomfortable when she pees herself.

ANSWER:

Transcript

I think you’ve got to give her some slack. Two-year old’s are still very young. But it is the ideal potty training age.

I personally kept my kids in pull up diapers or diapers when we left the house until they were three, even three and a half, even though they were very much toilet trained because I knew that it would become something that was stressful for us. I don’t personally think that if you’re out of diapers most of the time that wearing diapers or pull up diapers sometimes detracts from it.

Kids want to stay dry once they’re dry. I don’t believe it gives them free reign to like start peeing in the diaper again or needing a diaper during the day. We had no challenge being in diapers sometimes and out of diapers other times with my own children. I’ve not seen that in practice. When we traveled or during a long car drive or on an airplane, or out and about getting groceries or something, I very regularly put my two-and-a-half-year-old in pull-on diapers. And they may not have peed in it, but I knew that if they needed it, it was there. It took away a lot of the stress of trying to get out the potty and clean the potty and go behind a tree and all that kind of stuff. So that’s an option.

How to potty train when you are out of the house
Otherwise, it’s a matter of practice and making sure that you remind your child to go regularly, because we’re all distracted. Your kids are playing, you’re out and about somewhere, or you’re at a friend’s house, all these things are very distracting. Your child’s access to the potty or the toilet is different and easier when you’re at home. At home, your child knows exactly where the potty is, how far it is and how long it takes to get there. Whereas, when you’re out and about, it could be scarier and kids will kind of delay because they don’t like the foreign potty or they don’t know where the toilet is. So, it’s easier sometimes when you have that backup.

#YouGotThis

Dr. Dina Kulik, Parent Playbook

Author, Dr. Dina Kulik

Author, Dr. Dina Kulik

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