If you need to leave home for an extended period of time for any reason, know that traveling makes potty training much more challenging. While you shouldn’t schedule any long vacations during your expected training period, sometimes things come up and you must travel.

Perhaps your toddler is taking a long time getting used to the idea of using the potty all the time and they aren’t completely trained when you need to travel. That’s where this section would apply as well.

Have your child leave home empty. That means to go potty before leaving and no liquids on the road – well, minimal liquids. Resist the urge to put them in a pull up. He or she is a big kid now. Putting a diaper on him or her now can only confuse.

Take along the potty chair or adapter seat. Little bladders can require frequent pit stops and you want to be prepared. Anywhere you go, look for the bathrooms first. Make note of rest areas along the way where you may be able to stop for a potty break.

Carry extra tissues and sanitizing gel for strange bathrooms. You don’t want to be caught short. I always liked to have an extra roll of toilet paper in my purse along with a huge bottle of Germ-X. You never can be too sure what type of situation you’ll be getting into.

Always choose the handicap or family bathroom. You’ll have extra room if you use the stall for people with disabilities, but the seat may be elevated and your child will need more help.

Shopping malls and many other places are now building unisex family bathrooms specifically designed for parents. These bathrooms are as large as handicap bathrooms, private, and can be stocked with needed toiletries like Kleenex and wipes.

Teach children to line public toilets with strips of toilet paper as an added barrier of protection if toilet seat liners are not available.

Always, always accompany your child into public restrooms. Safety is nothing to take for granted – even while potty training. Never, ever let your child go into a public restroom alone. Don’t even let them go with an older sibling. Have them accompanied by a trusted adult – at all times!

Pack a waterproof sheet, small plastic tablecloth, or heavy plastic bag to cover mattresses, or a rubber-backed bathroom rug that rolls ups easily for travel. Hotel staff will be just as appreciative as relatives and friends.

Don’t be surprised or upset if your child starts to have accidents. Revert to training pants for now; relax and enjoy your trip. Don’t make your trip a battleground. Worry about training or retraining when you get back home.

Watch your child’s diet while on the road. A change in diet during family vacations is likely to bring about a change in bowel habits, either constipation or diarrhea, and a corresponding slump in training progress.
I know this from experience. While potty training my dear daughter, she showed interest in the potty just prior to a trip to Florida with my in-laws. She was doing quite well – and then the road trip began.

The whole entire trip, she was unable to make it to the bathroom in time because she had diarrhea nearly the whole time we were gone. She was completely frustrated and mad at herself for not being able to continue what she had started at home.

Of course, once we got home, it was only a day before she was back in the old routine and completely using the potty consistently. I still wonder if, at that time in her life, she wonders why she couldn’t be a big girl in Florida!

NOTE: If you will be potty training on the road, be sure to read our review of the Potette Portable Potty Seat.

What about that child who just won’t go no matter what you try?

This was something that my own mother struggled with during my own toilet training phase so many years ago. I was a chronic bed wetter, but my problem was medical. Some children will have physical problems, so if bed wetting becomes a real struggle after a certain period of time, you may want to consult with your doctor.

Start by limiting fluid intake right before bed. While some people don’t feel like this should be done, the reality is that if there’s nothing in their little body to expel, they won’t go. If you haven’t ended night bottles, now is probably the time to do so.

Don’t deny a thirsty child a drink of water. Some say that going to bed thirsty just fixes a child’s mind on water and increases the chances of nighttime wetting.

Keep bedtime calm. The risk of bedwetting can be increased if your child engages in lots of rough housing or even an exciting television program close to bedtime. When kids are excited, they tend to produce more urine. Keep her/him calm by having a quiet conversation or reading a story to her/him.
Before your child goes to bed, have her try to go to the bathroom one more time. Even if she says she doesn’t, try anyway. Your child might SAY one thing but when they sit on the potty they GO!

Consider not using training pants at night. Although you did not intend it, continuing to put your child in training pants for bedtime and expecting her not to have “accidents” may be sending her a mixed message. Initially, you should probably start with a diaper at night with praise in morning for a dry diaper, but soon after that, put them in regular underwear at bedtime.
Be alert for unexpected nightly visits. While your child gets used to underwear at night, s/he may have an accident and then wake up before you do. S/He will be uncomfortable and will either call out to you or get out of bed and pay you a visit.

Make sure the way to the bathroom is lit, even if only with night-lights. Draw a map with your child showing the way from the bed to the bathroom to help form a visual image. You may want to invest in an automatic sensor light in the bathroom that comes on automatically when someone enters the room.

Keep the house warm enough so the child won’t avoid getting up because it’s too cold. You can return to energy savings later.

Consider keeping a potty chair near your child’s bed if that will make things easier.

Practice “positive imagining” as you put your child to sleep. Help a child imagine staying dry all night and waking up dry in the morning. Talk about the pleasure of feeling dry, in control and grown-up.

Try whispering “dry” ideas into the ear of a sleeping child. This is something psychologists say children are often receptive to such “idea planting” during certain periods of sleep.

Let your child know that you know that he or she will stay dry at night II soon,” like other big kids. It is important to set up the expectation, but don’t subject your child to heavy pressure.

Remove diapers and replace them with training pants, cloth soakers, or disposable Pull-Ups only after a week or so of dry nights.

If your child does have an accident, try not to make a big deal about it. Reassure them that accidents do happen. Some psychologists recommend having the child clean up their own mess. This includes stripping the bed and placing the soiled sheets in the laundry bin as well as putting new sheets on the bed.

During this whole process, don’t focus on the accident and don’t make your child feel guilty for having an accident.

A plastic sheet under the regular sheets also will help you save the mattress.
Night time dryness does not always immediately follow day time dryness and could often take up to a few months or even years. It’s not uncommon for pre-schoolers and even some elementary schoolers to wet the bed at night. Just practice patience and be sure that there isn’t a medical reason for this problem.

Another issue during toilet training is how to maintain progress while traveling.