Potty On The Go

Potty Training is always a hair-raising experience. And from our experience, you might think your child is potty trained until you are on that long road trip in the middle of the desert. Our kids just can’t seem to give us enough notice to make it to the potty. We found a few life-savers that we always bring in the car, especially on road trips. And we’re confident that once you try them, you’ll be thankful for these items as well.

TravelJohn Disposable Urinal

OK we admit it, the Travel John looks and sounds funny. And it’s even hilarious to see used in person. But we always have a few in the car. For those times when you can’t find a place to stop with a restroom (or you don’t have enough time to make it), you can just pull to the side of the road and solve your child’s pee-pee problem. Dwarf Dad admits to liking this item as well as he has an aversion to public restrooms, especially those found in gas stations! These Travel Johns get an A+ review from us.

The Travel John is basically a long skinny bag that is sealed and rolled up for use. When you need it, you unravel and do your business. It’s filled with liquid absorbing polymer (kind of like what diapers are stuffed with) which solidifies your liquid into a gel in about 30 seconds or so. Just be sure to not try standing it up on the ground (or in your car) until it’s solidifed, otherwise you will have a mess! Once it’s in gel form, you can save it for another use or toss it in the trash. The gel also absorbs odors so it won’t be offensive sitting in your car. The standard version does hold a decent amount of liquid, as Dwarf Dad and Dwarf Son have both used one before disposing it. Yes, it’s a little gross thinking of both using it, but on the road you gotta make do. The TravelJohn is also useful for children and adults that are not able to reach the urinal. Dwarf Dad is still shocked when he encounters public restrooms without a lowered urinal, but even that is too high for our son.

Amazon has had the 6-pack on sale for as low as $8.46 and as high as $19.96. A better bet is to buy the 18 pack of  Travel John Urinals?] which as a much cheaper per-item cost. Also available is the Free Toilet Seat Cover Alternative[/caption]

Packs of anti-bacterial wipes or gel are still great for me as an LP adult. We still can’t reach every sink, and kids are just dirty, so keep them at hand. If I use wipes, I like the Wet Ones brand because they’re less dry than the generic brands you find out there. Generally I prefer the anti-bacterial sprays and gels  because you don’t have to mess with opening a package. Dwarf Mom’s favorite is the Cleanwell All-Natural Hand Sanitizer although Dwarf Dad questions how well it cleans without any sting.

Your child may not be able to reach the toilet seat covers, or there might not even be any, so bringing along some disposable Stick-In-Place covers can be very helpful. Of course, the alternative is to cover the toilet seat with strips of toilet paper but they tend to not stay in place and fall in the bowl.

Your child can use Clorox wipes if he needs to wipe down the toilet before he uses it, but really, he’s going to get dirty either way. And he’s going to use anti-bacterial gel afterwards, so it should be fine. As LPs, things aren’t done in the most sanitary way sometimes, but they get done.  Make sure to have your child wear pants that are easy to take off and put on. Jeans tend to be tough. Try sweats, trackpants, or shorts a size bigger than they usually wear. Encourage them to do it themselves at home with small rewards like Skittles.

Do you have any other ideas for potty on the go? Let us know.