Potty training - what do you use when you're not home?

[Momto1]

What do you use when you're out and about and your LO has to use the potty? The potette? That foldable toilet seat? Do you just use the regular toilet seat covers and hold them over the toilet?

Should I just plan to keep DD in diapers for outings after she's PT'd at home?

[Snow mom]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't have any more problem with public toilet seats than the toilet seat at home. DD first learned to potty on the real but miniature potties at daycare and for a long time wouldn't use anything like the bjorn potty. We got the bjorn potty ring for her but she prefers to use the big potty without it. The one tricky thing is she has to sit very wide in order to not fall into the big potty (hasn't happened yet ) so she has to have her pants off. We use the big potty at stores and just wash our hands afterward. I wouldn't put her on one of those paper toilet set liners because I think it would throw off her balance. We now also have a bjorn potty in the back of our car for when we are out and about and there isn't a restroom around. She's still little enough that I don't feel back about letting her use the potty in the back of the car (we have a station wagon).

[ThreeofUs]

My DS2 is fully trained - but ONLY on his red potty. He hates all potty seats.

So the red Baby Bjorn seat travels with us everywhere we go. He's only 2, so we're hoping he grows out of this!

The nice thing about this seat is that we can set it up in the car, in someone's house, or in a hotel room and he's in business. So to speak.

[mnosky1]

Regular potty and good handwashing. I feel I am the second person who is the minority big time but I think it's also gross to carry something in the diaper bag (and I dont even carry a diaper bag anymore) that has sat on a public toilet seat. I'd rather wash our hands and leave the germs down the drain. The first few times, I had to put my hads under her bum to supprt her because she was afraid but she was only 2.5 and is small to begin with - she just sits up on the front of the seat.

ETA: I vote no to leave in diapers when out - I couldn't be stuck at home when potty training and DD was insistent on undies so we just started using potties everywhere - her first week she used many public potties, including 3 porta johns (gross!) thanks to older DDs sports.

[Momto1]

Regular potty and good handwashing. I feel I am the second person who is the minority big time but I think it's also gross to carry something in the diaper bag (and I dont even carry a diaper bag anymore) that has sat on a public toilet seat. I'd rather wash our hands and leave the germs down the drain. The first few times, I had to put my hads under her bum to supprt her because she was afraid but she was only 2.5 and is small to begin with - she just sits up on the front of the seat.

ETA: I vote no to leave in diapers when out - I couldn't be stuck at home when potty training and DD was insistent on undies so we just started using potties everywhere - her first week she used many public potties, including 3 porta johns (gross!) thanks to older DDs sports.

I hadn't even thought about it that way. Good to know. I think I'll be bringing the little Ikea potty for car rides and using the regular public toilet when we're out (say, at the zoo for example).

[newg]

I just plop DD1 down on a reg. toilet seat. Like PP mentioned, we just wash hands really well when we're all done. I still carry a diaper bag, so I have some of these in it for when the store doesn't have any of their own: http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/...oductId=123761
I also have an extra pair of panties stashed in the bag too, just in case we don't make it to the potty in time.

For in the car I have this and I love it: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=3055781 Very easy to stash when not needed, but still comfortable for DD to sit on.

[Katigre]

We just use the regular toilet seat. With DS, he liked having a seat cover so I trecked around with the elmo potty seat in a little backpack for a few months before he outgrew it. DD decided from the beginning of PT that she liked sitting on the big potty solo so it hasn't been a problem when we're out.

[RunnerDuck]

I don't have any germaphobe issues with the public toilet - I actually want to strangle people who hover and pee all over it and then walk away. The vast majority of us do not have anything scary on the backs of our thighs. Think about it, THAT is why touches the seat. It's not like you're rubbing your genitals on the seat. I read once - the only way to gets AIDS from a toilet seat is to sit down before the last guy stands up. Ha! ANYWAY that said - my son was afraid of the big potty so we carried an insert for a while. He had to poop for the first time in public with no insert in the houston airport bathroom... I made a BIG deal of telling him what a great job he was doing - and all the other women in the bathroom applauded. It was awesome.

I tried one of those fold up inserts for a while but they were so flimsy he hated them. So we carried a full sized soft insert for a while. It JUST fit in my bag. I guess I will do the same with my girls if we ever make it to that point LOL

[LMPC]

We did the Ikea potty since being the car for a long time was an issue (we live 25 minutes away from anything)...but also worked on transitioning to the big potty along the way. I, too, have no issues with public toilets....DH on the other hand lines the seat with about a roll of paper for DD. It's kind of cute, when you think about it. He's uber-protective!

[Momto1]

You know, when I posted this, I wasn't even really thinking about germs. My main concern is that DD is teeny-tiny. I just bought her some Gerber training pants in size 18 months and I think they might be too big for her.

If I have her use the regular potty, I'd have to squat down and hold her up so she doesn't fall in (!). I guess I'd prefer doing that to lugging around a little potty. I guess we'll see how it goes (we're not ready to go diaper-less yet) and I'll figure out whatever solution works best for us.