Children with eager-to-please personalities may need some extra encouragement or reminders to stay on track when faced with new situations. On the plus side, they will enjoy the special time spent with you while you prepare for an excursion. And these highly social personalities love showing off their new skills to friends and family. Here are some tips for when you’re on the go.
When you’re prepping to go, be sure to pack your homemade potty book in your diaper bag. You can read the book together when trying out all the new potties on your journey. When you arrive at a new destination, always find the nearest potty, so that when it’s time to go, your eager-to-please toddler will feel confident knowing the location of the nearest loo.
Potty Talk:
Potty Talk:
- “We are going out later today so you can continue to use the potty if you want to. Do you want to help me pack our potty bag for when we go out later today? We will have our special potty time just like at home. Which Pull-Ups® should we use? Which character do you think wants to come on our adventure today?” Your agreeable toddler will enjoy the time together in preparation for your trip, so give them some responsibility.
- Take the opportunity to prep your child for what to expect when out and about. “When we go to Grandma’s (the store, restaurant, shopping center, etc.), we’ll bring our bag of Pull-Ups and new underwear. Right when we arrive we will find the bathroom and spend some time together, OK? Maybe Grandma will want to join us. You can teach them all you learned about putting pee and poop in the potty."
- When in the bathroom, take new opportunities to bond. “Let’s see what kind of soap they have. I wonder if it’s creamy like at home, or foamy like at school. What do you think?”
- Your cooperative child is likely to become excited if you are, so make the most of every opportunity. Notice the differences in equipment with “Wow, this bathroom has an automatic flusher…how cool — it’s like magic. Let’s see if we can make it flush if you try to go in it!”
- Some eager-to-please children may be scared of the automatic flusher because it’s loud and unpredictable. Carry some sticky notes in your bag and place one over the sensor while your little one is on the potty. When they finish, they can take the sticky note off and have control over the flusher. For Longer Trips
- “We will be in the car/plane for a long time today. Will you feel more comfortable in your Pull-Ups or in the underwear you’ve been wearing?”
- “We’ll use the Time to Potty app to make sure we get our potty times together. If you start to feel like you have to go, tell me right away because it may take us a little longer than usual to find a bathroom. As soon as you tell me, we can do our best to get to the potty in time. It’s OK if we don’t make it, though — you have your Pull-Ups on. Sometimes, kids don’t make it to the potty on time during long trips and that’s OK.”
- “What do you think an airplane potty looks like? Do you think it is the same as at home? If you have to go potty while we are on the plane, tell me right away so we can explore it together. I wonder if they have soap in there. What do you think?”
When you are on longer trips, give your child the option to wear Pull-Ups even if they are regularly in underpants. A child who is sometimes in underwear but who will be going on a long trip might do best wearing Pull-Ups. Explain by saying, “Things are going to be different today and sometimes we won’t be able to get to a potty fast enough.” However, a child who regularly wears undies might feel insulted by having to wear Pull-Ups again. For these children, you might bring some Pull-Ups along and have them handy just in case they are needed during the trip. Regardless of your child’s choice and the stress of travel, try to keep your potty times as nice bonding experiences that your eager-to-please child can look forward to.
Potty Talk:
