But, our potty training story -- Serafina's school did all the work. They prepped her by talking about it in class, they prepped us by talking with us and giving us advice, tips, etc. We were to take all diapers away (except sleep) on a Friday and work with our Peanut over the weekend, then come Monday, school would continue.... Each week a new kiddo gets a turn to be potty trained, they take the kid to the bathroom frequently and have big celebrations when kiddos succeed! Serafina saw others potty train, got massive praise and it caught on super fast -- and I wouldn't know how to potty train a kid any other way (ha)!
And now that our sweet girl is potty trained, we have the added challenge of traveling in Europe -- where public bathrooms are few and far between and often not the most toddler friendly places (no toilet seats, no toilet paper, usually very dirty... the list goes on). And don't get me started about airplane bathrooms!
So -- when we spent close to ten full days in France in summer, we learned a few tips and tricks (and found a few great products) to help traveling with a potty trained toddler just a little easier.
Training Pants/Pull Ups -- we called them her "special underwear" and used them almost daily when we were traveling. She still let us know when she had to go to the bathroom, but if she fell asleep in her stroller or car seat, we were safe from accidents. Because we didn't call them diapers, it really seemed to help with her telling us when she had to go.
Travel Potty -- we use this one and I cannot say enough good things about it! It worked great in the hotel or at public restrooms as a toilet seat and even better as a standalone potty whenever and wherever we needed it! It fit perfectly in a larger backpack or the bottom of our stroller. We usually had it ready to go with a bag so it was easy to grab and get ready the minute our Peanut said she had to go potty.
Travel Potty #2 -- we have friends who whose this travel potty for boys and they love it. They have a girl version too, but we could never get it to work for Serafina (although she does think it is a really fun toy!)
Training Pants Underwear -- we don't have these but I have heard wonderful things about them and have heard they can hold most accidents without even having to change pants! So if you want to avoid the pull up route but still need something to contain accidents, these are perfect for you.
Baby Wipes -- these are my favorite wipes and perfect for travel because they have a great flip lid so the wipes stay wet. We are lucky enough to live sort of close (an hour and a half away) to a Costco, so I stock up every few months. Wipes come in handy for everything -- wiping hands after your toddler touches every single surface in the gross public restroom, toilet paper, etc. -- I will probably always travel with wipes now!
Hand Sanitizer -- also comes in handy as most public restrooms (and even many at tourist places) don't have soap. Usually Trevor and I would use this and we would use wipes for the Peanut, but she started using the spray after she saw use it and it was easy for her to use and we knew she was at least sort of washing her hands
Other tips: attempt to get your toddler to go potty whenever you see a restroom available -- tourist sights, museums, etc, since they are often free and fairly clean (everyone should try and take advantage of these toilets!). We did a pull up for the airplane and I am really happy we did. Our sweet girl told us she had to go potty, but then she flushed the toilet before I even got a chance to lock the door and it scared her so so bad -- "no pee pee potty, NO pee pee potty," so I was happy we had a back up plan for the airplane! And of course carry extra clothes (we usually had two outfits with us at all times).
And just be flexible -- we had a wonderful time traveling and our potty trained toddler did great using the potty wherever and whenever!
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