The idea behind this potty seat is very simple. The compact seat has two legs that flip out from the sides to create a little free-standing potty. Then, you place a plastic liner in the center that stretches over the sides and hooks around the legs.

In the center of each liner is an absorbent pad that soaks up liquid.

At first, this just struck me as weird – like scooping up after a dog with a plastic shopping bag. That was until…

…My 2 year old urgently needed to go potty when we were at the playground. There is no bathroom there, and she wouldn’t have made it all the way home without an accident.

Potette 2-in-1 On the Go Potty to the rescue. I broke out the potty seat, set it on the ground, and she was back to playing in under one minute.

After my toddler finished going tinkle, I popped out the liner bag, tied it, and tossed it into the nearest trash can.

We used the Potette 3 times that day and other moms at the playground all wanted to know where I got it.

Here Is The GENIUS Part

The Potette would be a winner with just the benefit of creating an on-the-go potty wherever you need one. But, they went one step further.

The legs of the Potette 2-in-1 On the Go Potty will flip out to the sides like wings and turns it into a potty seat for use on top of a full size toilet seat.

This one single seat gives you the benefits of both an on-the-go potty that works anywhere and also a traditional potty trainer seat.

The Potette was extremely helpful during our holiday travels. We carried one potty seat and always had a potty option for our 2 year old daughter.

To be fair, the Potette 2-in-1 On the Go Potty isn’t perfect. It can take a little effort to get the legs to snap into position. But, the simplicity of the whole thing keeps it small and light.

The Potette
also sits pretty low to the ground when used as a portable potty. Not a huge issue, but some kids may not like it (no problem for my daughter.)

If you have ever found yourself desperately looking for a bathroom while your toddler dances around shouting, “I need to go potty”, then give the Potette 2-in-1 On the Go Potty a look.

It’s perfect for people who like to camp, travel on long car trips, or just spend lots of time outdoors.

Here are a few ideas for you to think about:

• Aiming takes practice. When a little boy starts urinating in a standing position, be prepared to wipe around the toilet and on the seat – and often!
• Show the boy how to point his penis down to avoid spraying the room whether by sitting down or standing up.
• Teach the boy to aim accurately by having him sink floating objects in the basin. This can be a corner of an envelope or a piece of toilet paper, but we think it’s much more fun to float Cheerios or Froot Loops and aiming for the hole.
• Drain the water from the toilet bowl and paint a red target with fingernail polish or a red grease pencil on the porcelain toward the back. Have him aim for the bulls-eye.
• Urinating into the “blue” toilet bowel water will turn it green. (This works with girls, to, but it’s harder to see.) You can also use food coloring in this process. Red or blue food coloring will turn orange or green when the urine hits it. This can be so much fun when your boy watches his own bodily fluids perform magic tricks!
• In the summertime, and in the privacy of a backyard or woods, let a boy practice his aim. Note my above story regarding Conner “peeing on a tree”!
• Let fathers and sons have a “peeing party.”
• In the winter let a boy “write in the snow.”
• If a little boy wants to stand but needs to be a bit taller, stand behind him and let him stand on your feet.
• Be sure the toilet seat can’t fall down on a young boy in these early stages. Have your child check to be sure that the seat is up securely before he urinates.
• Start teaching your son NOW that the toilet rim needs to be placed down after he’s finished.

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?

First, when it comes to the potty chair and the removable bowl, you may want to show your child the correct way to clean it out and have them do it themselves.

Change your child’s underwear or training pants as soon as possible after soiling so s/he doesn’t become comfortable with or even enjoy, being soiled.
Soiled underwear falls into one of two categories: save or trash. When it is just urine, a run in the washing machine will make it smell like new. When it is a bowel movement, it depends. Most likely, if the BM is wet or mushy, pitch the underwear in the trash. But there may be occasions when few or no traces of BM are apparent and the underwear can be saved.

Encourage your child to wipe the seat when he or she is done. Since germs can be sprayed from the toilet flushing process and settle on the seat, teach children to wipe the toilet seat with toilet paper. Germs can be present whether the seat is wet or dry.

Teach your child how to wipe properly. Girls should wipe thoroughly from front to back to prevent bringing germs from the rectum to the vagina or bladder. Teach your little girl to go “pat, pat, pat” instead of wiping hard. This will help eliminate irritation or possible rashes.

Buy products that are gentle on children’s extra sensitive skin but also are strong and absorbent. For example, pre-moistened wipes are ideal for young users because they gently and effectively clean children’s delicate skin while providing the strength and absorbency to accomplish the task.

There are now tons and tons of these products on the market, so finding one shouldn’t be too difficult!

Show your child how to wash their hands. Hand washing and other hygiene practices actually do reduce the spread of disease. Use antibacterial soap and warm water. Scrub hands for about 15 seconds.

Some say that reciting the ABC song fully while washing your hands will get them clean enough. You can also teach your child to count to ten or say a rhyme while washing hands to help them gauge the right amount of time.
They should dry their hands on a towel (which should be laundered at least on a weekly basis). Hand washing should be routinely done, even if your child didn’t actually “go” in the potty. And don’t forget to wash YOUR hands, too.
Children need repeated reminders to close the toilet lid before flushing to avoid contact with germs that might spray up.

For easy potty chair clean up, place cling-wrap or a coffee-filter in the bowl before your child sits down. When they’re done, there’s minimal mess – just lift the wrap or filter out and throw it in the trash. Don’t flush the wrap and filter because it’s not biodegradable like toilet paper.

Clean the potty periodically with a bleach/water solution after each potty training session. To avoid cleaning carpets, place the potty on an easily cleaned floor or invest in a mat that can be cleaned to avoid any spillage on the carpets. One mom puts down painter’s plastic which is cheap to buy and easy to discard.

Your child may be curious and try to play with the feces. You can prevent this without making him or her feel upset by simply saying, “No. This is not something to be played with.”

While potty training, it’s a great time to teach your child (especially if a boy) to lower both the seat and the lid when they are finished as a necessary part of the ritual. Their future wives will you!

Washing hands can be difficult for your little one. They probably won’t be able to reach the bathroom sink, so that’s where the stool we talked about before can come in handy!

After your child has mastered daytime potty habits, it’s time to work on staying dry throughout the night!

Getting up on the toilet might be a problem, so invest in a stool that they can use to step up on. Stools can also help kids to be able to push with their legs when having a bowel movement.

As with regular potty chairs, there are also adapter seats that come built in with step-stools in the style of a folding ladder. If this works for your child, by all means, take advantage of this technology!

Adapters are lightweight and portable and have the additional advantage of direct flushing, so there is no extra cleanup necessary. However, adapter seats can be a nuisance for the rest of the family if there is only one bathroom and the adapter is in the way and must constantly be removed and replaced in innovative ways. Some styles have tried to overcome that complaint.

Many of these seats come with vinyl straps implying that a child is left alone on the seat and needs extra safety protection. In the early stages of training, a child should not be left alone. No child should be strapped in place and then left!

That is likely to feel like punishment to a child. Stay with your child. If you haven’t gotten the desired results within three to five minutes, you aren’t going to. As children take on the responsibility of using the toilet with an adapter, they will be on and off by themselves in no time, and the strap is unnecessary.

You may wish to consider buying an inflatable or folding adapter seat for use when traveling or shopping, regardless of the method you opt for at home.

Using an insert type potty chair can make cleanup a lot easier, since all you need do is flush the toilet and perhaps wipe off the seat. Many parents also like the fact that these inserts are portable and easily moved from place to place. One of the big drawbacks, however, is that many children are fearful of the toilet insert at first. On the plus side, these inserts are generally quite inexpensive, so it may be worth a try.

Some parents wonder why they need all of these separate devices to ultimately teach their child to actually just go on the big toilet. They may be right. Potty chairs and adapter seats give the child a sense of safety. For a little one, the adult world seems very, very big, and that can scare them.

However, you may have a child like little Conner who refused both potty chairs and adapter seats. How do you teach your child to use the big potty?