Long Car Trip, Should Potty Trained Child Wear Pullups?

Girls are so much harder than boys when it comes to this! :) With my son, on long rides, we would pull off the side of the road and he would just go. If she won't do this, you may vote for the potty choice. Another option would be to take a potty chair if you had one for her, and throw it in the car, along with some Clorox wipes. You can set that down on the side of the road and dump out pee and wipe it out. Poop is a different issue we never had trouble with at all. He was on a very regular routine and we planned around it.
As for the pull up, I would hesitate because of the risk of regression, especially with the change in routine.

Definitely not.... and more than likely she won't want to wear one. I questioned the same thing when went on a trip right after potty training. I actually tried to put one on my son & he refused to wear it. We went to visit my husband's family over halloween weekend & its a 7 hour drive. Our son, who at the time was 2 yrs & 4 mo's had been potty trained for less than a month at the time and he did perfect! We kept to our normal schedule as far as stops we usually make, etc. We typically leave our home around 6a.m. when we make the drive, stop for a quick breakfast around 8, stop for gas around 10:30 and then drive the rest of the way. We made sure he went potty each time whether he said he needed to go or not. He never once asked to go potty at any other time & we asked him numerous times.
If your daughter does not typically have accidents, but has a fairly regular schedule.... i.e. goes potty every two hours... I would just try to stick to her normal routine & ask her occasionally between stops. I'm sure she'll do great! Have a safe trip :)

I definately would, if it is a long trip there is a chance that she could fall asleep and have an accident in the car. We did this for the first year after my daughter was potty trained. We did once trip that was only two hours away without the pull-up and she ended up peeing in the car. My car smelled like a urnial for weeks after that because it was the summer time and we did not get to clean it up right away.
My opinion is to do it and just know what when she tells you she needs to go just stop even if it is the side of the road because usually their telling you with no time to wait. Good luck and have a safe trip.

We had a 13 hour car trip when my 3-year-old daughter had only been potty trained for about a month. We considered the pull-ups too, but decided against it, partially because we didn't want her to just decide to pee in the pull-up. We didn't have any accidents. We brought along a travel potty in the car. She was good about telling us when she needed to go. We also stopped a lot anyway for our nursing baby...
Good luck on your trip!

My vote is yes. My child wore them on long trips, in case he fell asleep. He inevitably fell asleep during long car rides. He did not regress in potty training, nor feel "low self esteem."

We also take a lot of road trips and if we were driving through the night, we'd have them use pull-ups, but not during the day. Although, I have to strongly encourage an aletrnative like others suggested. We used to have a "blow-up" potty chair, but it must have sprung a leak, because we can't find it. Anyway, we now use a bucket. A plain 'ol sandbox bucket. A large coffee can would work, too, because you have a lid for it. We found that even if we try to have everyone pee when we stop, inevitabley, there was one of the kids who went, but still had to go half hour later. Line the bucket with a grocery sack (use at least 2 if you go with those), or a re-sealable bag. There wasn't always a place to stop when the urge arises- especially if you are traveling on Christmas day. Make sure you have plenty of wipes and/or tissue and sanitizer.

*Funny story I had to share...among many, actually-LOL! However, this one is appropriate for a public forum! :) A friend of ours always made fun of us for our bucket use when it came to trips. Last May, he took our 7 year old and 9 year old back to Iowa with him to visit his family (he works in the Columbus area and went home for Memorial Day weekend). We asked him if he wanted to take the bucket. He laughed at us and said no. However, as the trip progressed, he found out why we do that. The kids ate McDonalds and with that meal, had pop. It goes through them really fast and often, apparently. He had them potty when he stopped, but didn't realize he'd be stopping a whole lot more often with 2 kids and small bladders! He then apologized to us in a phone converstaion and said he'd never make fun of us again!!!
Good luck with your trip!

We did with our daughter and told her it was just in case.That we were driving and may not find a potty in time. She did very well and no accidents.

I would not. When you make stops, take her potty. How long can she normally go between potty breaks? You're not going to be driving non-stop for 8 hours.

We drive 5 hours with no issues. We just make sure to take her potty when we stop for a snack or gas. Trust yourself and your daughter. Pull ups will just make her lazy at this point.

She may look at it as a diaper and not try to stay dry. I'd get a couple pairs of vinyl pants (Gerber makes them, you should be able to find them a Target or BRU. Or get a "Piddle Pad" that you put in the car seat. I also suggest taking a potty seat. We stopped on the side of the road more than once with our son - just popped him down on his potty in the grass.

I would agree with everyone who says no. Our son is about at the same stage, and we're going to be taking a 6+ hour trip in a few days. I'd just make sure to stop a little more frequently (which I HATE doing) and consistently ask if they need to go to the bathroom. Our son always says, "No", but somehow, we always find him actually going when we force him to try.

Good luck. I'd just keep a spare set of clothes in the car in an accessible place in case you find there's been an accident.
GOOD LUCK!

Don't do pull-ups! Not needed and it's a major blow to the self-esteem. An 8 hour car ride isn't that long, she'll probably only need to go a few times. Just stop every 60-90 minutes for a quick (less than 10 minutes) stop and have her sit on the toilet to try each time. Take along an extra set of clothes (or 2) within easy grabbing distance in large ziplock bags (put wet clothes in the bags) in case they are needed.

If it makes you feel better, put a small plastic potty in the trunk of the car. Line it with a large ziplock bag and put a few paper towels in it to soak up the pee. If you have do a roadside stop, have her use it, put in more papertowel to soak it up, zip it shut and toss in nearest trash can.

We're getting ready for a 15 hour drive with a 2 year old that's in the middle of potty training. She will wear pullups for the trip but we just started training a few days ago... by the return trip she'll probably be done. Right now she has too many accidents a day to try it. But because your daughter has gone for so long with no accidents I wouldn't make her do that.

I read so many that said no, but I am the opposite. I say yes. Let her wear one for just in case you can't make it. My parents live in Iowa and we drive there from Ohio 2 times a year and my daughter wears a pull up for just in case every time. Especially driving on the turnpike stops are few and far between. Just stress to her to try and hold it. Limiting foods and drinks on a long ride can be difficult when you just want everyone to be calm and happy for that length of time. Plus if she wears a pull up you won't have a mess to clean up if she can't hold it. My daughter never had problems going back to being potty trained. Good luck and have a great trip.

If she is good about telling you when she needs to go, or if she will go when you stop for regular breaks, I wouldn't put her in a pull-up. It could confuse her, and if she's like my daughter, she would just use the pull-up anyways!

You may be surprised at how well she does. On our last looong drive, my daughter surprised us and wouldn't "go" for hours!! We kept stopping to take her to a bathroom but she wouldn't go! haha No accidents in the car either. :)

Hi L.,
I wouldn't do pull ups. Just make sure she doesn't drink alot and stop often. My daughter had diarreah (sp) and I tried putting a pullup on her and she wouldn't have it. She told me she was not a baby and was not wearing a diaper. I think it does something to their self esteem. Your daughter may do better than you think. Good luck and Merry Christmas to you and your family.

No. Make frequent stops (1 -1 1/2 hours) and she should be fine. Limit the amount of fluids and take her to the bathroom and have her try. But be prepared for accidents. But if you don't normally make her wear a pull-ups don't degrade her buy making her were one.

No way! With my daughter, we went on a 7 hour trip shortly after she was potty trained. I just made sure I stopped about once every hour and even if she said she didn't have to go, I'd make her try. She did totally fine.

A word of caution.......we did it with our son and he regressed for over a year!!!

So, imo, I would just keep the routine the same as if you were at home. Don't give her extra drinks that you wouldn't at home. Stop at the same intervals as you would at home to go potty.

Every child is different. You know your child better than any of us.