When traveling with a small child, the toilet issue becomes a big problem, since it is difficult for a child to use a public toilet, and in some cases it is even difficult to find one. An ordinary home pot could be taken with you, but often it is too large and heavy, uncomfortable in field conditions.
If adults are sure that such a purchase will be used regularly, you should definitely choose a travel pot for travel for your baby. Today there are several types of such a solution.
Basic requirements on the road
In some cases, parents do not bother buying a special travel pot, but simply choose the most suitable common model in the store. In theory, such a solution may also be appropriate, however, you should choose only the pot that best meets a number of criteria.
- Compactness. Even in the case of traveling by private car, the trunk space may not be enough if the family travels far and for a long time. Accordingly, the advantage must be given to those models that either can fold or do not take up much space in any form.
- Ease. Since the object will have to be constantly moved, it is desirable that it weighs not so much. Considering that caring for a child largely rests on fragile female shoulders, it is necessary to relieve the mother of responsibility for moving heavy pots.
- Simplicity and convenience. If it is not so difficult to keep a child's potty clean at home, then on the road this task can bring many problems. The contents of the pot must be thrown away somewhere, and for washing it, the necessary conditions are needed, which will not always be encountered along the way. When buying a model for the road, you need to understand how the process of servicing the device will be organized.
- Stability. It should also be remembered that in road conditions, when the baby wants to use the toilet, there is not always a place with a perfectly flat surface to install the pot as it was at home. It is easy to guess that if the baby falls from the pot, there will be no problems on the road, so parents should be sure that he will not tip over even on a somewhat uneven roadside surface.
As a rule, "ordinary" pots meet all these criteria only partially. Fortunately, special options have been developed, each of which deserves a separate mention.
Inflatable models
Since there are inflatable water mattresses that can support the weight of an adult, why not make a baby potty from the same material, such as PocketPotty. When deflated, such an accessory takes up very little space, and it weighs nothing at all, which makes it possible, if necessary, to put it even in an ordinary bag.
The surface of the material is easy to wash and clean, and for the road situation it is quite possible to buy replaceable disposable bags, which are simply thrown away immediately after use, leaving the device clean. The cost is also far from shocking; if you wish, you can purchase it by spending no more than 1,000 rubles.
And although the reviews about such a solution are generally quite good, nevertheless, parents, choosing this type of pot, should understand that it also has disadvantages, and in some places they can negate the advantages. In short, the crux of the problem is that it is advisable to use such a toilet accessory for children at least one and a half years of age.
The main disadvantage is that the inflatable structure cannot be a priori too stable, therefore only those children can use it, whose vestibular apparatus is already more or less in order. In addition, such a pot still needs to be inflated before use, and although in general it takes no more than 15–20 seconds to inflate or deflate, in the case of a small child who is not used to communicating his needs in time, even such a delay can become critical.
Folding seat
It would be wrong to call such a solution a baby potty, since it is rather a universal insert with a soft silicone insert. The purchase of such an accessory still forces parents to look for an ordinary toilet, but any toilet that has a toilet is now suitable for a baby. The folding concept when folded takes up very little space and weighs no more than an ordinary toilet lid, however, it allows you to narrow the seat down to such a size that it is convenient even for a small child. It is not difficult to wash such a product.
The main drawback is that the product does not completely solve the problem of travel itself. In an open field, such an accessory will be completely useless, because to use it, you need a full-fledged toilet bowl, and it is not a fact that the product will fit perfectly on the toilet lid in a public place or on a train.
The hygiene of the model installed on the lids of public toilet bowls raises significant doubts. Finally, the price is higher than that of the inflatable models. It can exceed one and a half thousand rubles, although there are options up to a thousand. A somewhat supplemented version is offered by the Roxy Kids pad, the design of which also assumes the presence of a step.
On the one hand, such a solution is very convenient for the baby, on the other hand, the very presence of a step and connections to it increases weight and space.
Folding models
Folding pots made of plastic, such as Potette Plus, HandyPotty, Idea Disney, are rightly considered one of the best travel solutions. The "trick" of such models is that only the base is made of plastic in the form of a seat and legs, which folds down to the size of a flat part, which naturally weighs not so much. Some of the models have a special silicone liner that acts as a reservoir for bio-waste, however, the use of disposable bags is the norm for such products.
Again, it all depends on the manufacturer - one makes it possible to use even ordinary "T-shirts" from chain supermarkets in its models, the other recommends buying branded disposable bags that have certain signs of a diaper, so they will definitely not tear, reliably dispose of their contents.
Some models also offer a removable cover, like the Handy Potty, thanks to which the product can partially be used even when the child is already gradually switching to using a real adult toilet. Such a pad is very similar to the one described in the previous part of the article, only it does not fold to a more compact size, and although you cannot take it with you on the road, it will come in handy at home.
Other unusual solutions include models that do not involve the use of packages. They have a built-in waste storage tank, which ideally should be hermetically sealed.
The cost of models of this type is relatively low - they can cost parents even a modest half thousand rubles, and if any packages fit, then serious additional costs for maintaining the pot are not expected. However, many foldable models are criticized for the fact that they take up a lot of space and are not always convenient for transportation on the road.
It must be said that such models are fundamentally different, so you just need to carefully choose the pot.
2 in 1 designs
There are also such pots, which are originally produced in the form of an ordinary home pot, but at the same time they are equipped with an additional removable plate by analogy with the above. In deep childhood, such a device is unlikely to be convenient on the road, but over time, when the child grows up, the pad will become convenient in teaching him to use a regular toilet, and it can also be used on the road - wherever there are public toilets. Such models include, for example, the Babyton 2 in 1 and Happy Baby Mini.
Not so much can be said about the actual road use of such models, however, it is worth buying them if only because many parents leave positive reviews about the removable pad, which seems very convenient to the child.
Manufacturers in this case do not really care about compactness, so they can afford to make a really high-quality and convenient product, and the pad separately does not take up so much space, making it easy to transport it in the trunk.
Additional usage tips
A travel pot should be extremely simple and convenient to use, and yet some parents and their babies have problems while using such a device. Some families refuse such acquisitions altogether, preferring to simply refuse long travels in his company for the first few years of a child's life.
However, child development experts believe that it is necessary to buy a travel pot even for those families whose list of hobbies travels and trips have never been included... The fact is that not a single child can be locked up for several years of his life - he will still have to go out when his parents want to go to visit or just take a walk on the street for a long time. Going to the dacha or visiting can also put parents before a choice - either someone does not go at all, staying with the child at home, or still buy a travel pot.
Many parents are wrong to think that the problem will be solved soon enough. The fact is that preschoolers, even those accustomed to using the toilet, cannot always fully use it. The growth of such a child is rather small, and if a home toilet can meet the needs of a toddler, then at a party or in a public place, caring for the needs of children can be ignored.
It turns out that using a travel pot can be appropriate up to 3-4 years, and a special seat pad can be useful even longer.
At the same time, you should not think that buying a travel pot of any model is an instant solution to all problems. Practice shows that a child does not always immediately understand the purpose of an unfamiliar object, and the replacement of one pot with another can even be perceived by the child as a stressful situation. In some cases, parents face an unexpected problem when they seem to have a pot with them, however, the child refuses to use it for its intended purpose even when he clearly wants to go to the toilet.
For obvious reasons, it is not recommended to hesitate in this case - and the baby may not wait, and the very conditions of travel may require a hurry from the parents.
For this reason, experts recommend immediately after purchasing to accustom the child to confident use of the travel pot, so that he does not perceive it as a foreign body on the way, and only then go on a trip.
Criticism
There are parents whose experience of using such products has left certain negative impressions. The size of the travel device is most often criticized. Here it should be understood that, although the pots are designed for road conditions, they cannot be completely weightless and too small. In the end, the safety of the baby and the reliability of waste storage depend on the thickness of their walls.
Many manufacturers, in pursuit of consumer attention, write that their product will almost fit into a woman's handbag, but this is an obvious exaggeration. At the same time, such a clarification applies only to the most compact models, and there are also such travel pots, which even in an ordinary travel bag will take up a lot of space. So such a solution can be considered suitable for traveling by private car or going on a visit, but using public transport with them is not so easy.
If we talk about overlays that could be used for more convenience in using the toilet in a public place, then problems associated with the lack of versatility of the gadget are also possible with them. In old carriages and at many gas stations, toilets can be designed for obese people rather than toddlers, and in some cases even a pad will be useless.
In some cases, the diameter of the toilet bowl is so large that installing the cover over the lid itself seems unrealistic. There is a risk that the device will fall inside even before the child sits on it.
The problem can be partially solved by purchasing a pad with a larger diameter, however, then it will no longer meet another important criterion - it will cease to be compact and lightweight, which will complicate its transportation along the way.
Finally, many foldable devices are also criticized for leaking design. This, of course, is not about a tank, otherwise the advisability of buying such a product would be completely reduced to zero, however, if the fit is incorrect, waste can flow into the gaps between the main part and the seat pad, falling on the floor.
To be honest, in the comments posted on various thematic sites, it was not possible to find an adequate solution to this problem. Someone advises just choosing a pot of a different type, someone recommends not to make a problem out of it.
For information on which pot to choose for travel, see the next video.
