Packing the Perfect Daypack for a Potty Training Toddler

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August was a major milestone month in our household - potty training boot camp for my little guy. With his preschool starting right after Labor Day, it was now or never. So I stocked the house with a new potty chair, lots of paper towels, and the all-important Pull-Ups® Cool & Learn® Training Pants for those moments when I just couldn't clean up one more accident on the living room carpet. We toughed it out, and I'm happy to declare him trained!

All of this naturally meant a few week hold on my family's usual travels. Like most parents with potty training toddler, I was a bit afraid to leave the house for the first few weeks with my son for fear he'd have an accident at an inopportune moment.

Slowly but surely our first 30 minute excursions to the grocery store turned into bigger outings - like a trip to see sister in a performance and a night out at the circus. By Labor Day weekend, we were ready for a real trip. So my family packed up the car and headed out on a three day road trip to the Northern California redwoods. Since we hopped to a new hotel every night, packing the right daypack for my newly potty trained son to have on hand for the day's activities was essential.

Whether you're traveling or just near home on an adventurous family day outing, you've got to get the potty training packing done right. Here are some ideas for what to pack in your purse, diaper bag, or carry-on bag for a day out with a potty training toddler.

1. Pull-Ups

Even if your child is fully trained as our son almost is, having Pull-Ups on hand for certain times and situations is always a good idea. Fancy museum? Stuck on an airplane tarmac? Not moving in traffic and can't pull over for a bathroom break? All good situations for having training pants at the ready.

We started our trip with a long drive before bedtime where traffic was going to be hit or miss. We put my little guy in Pull-Ups for that stretch of the trip. He was dry when we got to our destination (what a champ!), but I also had the peace of mind of knowing we wouldn't start our trip with a wet car seat.

What I love about the Pull-Ups Cool & Learn Training Pants especially is that they are the only training pants that get cool when wet, so they remind my son when wears them if he's had an accident. They also have easy open sides for quick changes on-the-go. My son, of course, just loves the Mickey Mouse characters.

2. Change of clothes

No matter how well your toddler is trained, accidents are pretty much inevitable, especially when a child's routine is changed. Pack a full change of clothes in your daypack that you can access easily wherever you are. And by full change of clothes, I mean everything - down to the socks and shoes!

• Undies
• Pants/shorts
• Shirt
• Socks
• Shoes

3. Flushable wipes

Wipes are essential for cleaning up accidents on the go. I prefer flushable wipes so I don't have to deal with bagging up the mess and throwing it away like I did during the diaper days.

4. Antibacterial Wipes

Helpful for wiping little hands when sinks are out of soap. You can also use them to clean up dirty public toilets when necessary or wiping up an accident on the floor.

5. Piddle Pad

These little waterproof pads are a life saver for certain situations. Simply place them under where your child is sitting for an extra layer of protection against leaks. We've use them in my son's car seat on occasion. You can even use them between your kiddos and upholstery they are sitting on at a restaurant or theater.

6. Travel Potty

If your day outing is by car, bringing along a travel potty in the trunk is never a bad idea. We had quite a few stops on our road trip where the bathrooms were of questionable cleanliness, so our son had the cleanest bathroom experiences of all using his travel potty when we were out for the day! For air travel, consider a foldable toilet seat you can just put into your diaper bag or carry-on bag.

7. Zip-top Bags

Plastic zippered bags have a million and one uses when traveling with young kids, but they are key at the potty training stage. Use them to keep a set of dry clothes or a few Pull-Ups clean in your bag. And then use them to hold wet clothes if there is an accident. Some travel potties even use them as liners, so they can do double and triple duty.

8. Toilet Seat Covers

Germy public toilets can be especially gross when you have a little one who can't balance very well. Toilet seat covers can give you an extra layer of protection when your child needs to use a public restroom.

Thanks to Pull-Ups for sponsoring this post! We bought my son's Pull-Ups® Cool & Learn® Training Pants at Walmart, which offers amazing prices starting as low as $8.97 per pack. If you are starting to train your kiddo too, Walmart and Pull-Ups have put together a really cute system detailing kids’ potty training personalities to help you identify where you child might struggle and where he or she can best succeed. (Find out which type potty training character your child is at this link.) Plus, from 8/28/16-10/8/16, save $2 off one package of Pull-Ups at Walmart with this coupon.