Road pot: which model to choose for travel?

When traveling with a small child, the toilet question 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 camping conditions.

If adults are confident that such a purchase will be used regularly, you should definitely choose a travel pot for your kid. Today there are several types of such solutions.

In some cases, parents do not bother to buy a special travel pot, but simply choose the most appropriate regular model in the store. Theoretically, such a decision may be appropriate, however, you should choose only the pot that best meets a number of criteria.

• Compactness. Even in the case of traveling in a private car, there may not be enough space in the trunk if the family drives away for a long time. Accordingly, the advantage must be given to those models that either can be folded 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 child care is largely on the fragile female shoulders, it is necessary to remove the responsibility for the movement of heavy pots from the mother.
• Simplicity and convenience. If at home to keep the children's pot clean is not too difficult, then on the road this task can bring a lot of problems. The contents of the pot must be thrown away somewhere, and for its washing necessary conditions are necessary, which will not always occur along the way. When buying a model for the road, you need to understand how the maintenance process of the device will be organized.
• Sustainability. It should also be remembered that in the conditions of the road, when the baby wants to go to 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 a child falls from a pot of problems on the road, you won’t be sure that your parents must be sure that they will not tip over even on the somewhat uneven surface of the curb.

As a rule, "ordinary" pots meet all these criteria only partially. Fortunately, special options have been developed, each of which deserves a separate mention.

Since there are inflatable water mattresses that can support the weight of an adult, why not make a children's pot, such as PocketPotty, from a similar material. In an empty form, such an accessory takes up very little space, and it weighs nothing at all, which makes it possible, if necessary, to pack it even in an ordinary bag.

The surface of the material is easy to clean and clean, and for the traffic situation it is quite possible to purchase replacement disposable bags, which are immediately thrown away after use, leaving the device clean. The cost is also far from shocking, if desired, it can be purchased by spending no more than 1 thousand rubles.

And although the reviews about such a decision are generally quite good, all the same, parents, choosing this type of pot, should understand that he also has disadvantages, and in some places they can cross out the advantages. In short, the essence of the problem is that It is desirable to use such toilet accessory for children not younger than one and a half year old.

The main disadvantage is that the inflatable structure cannot be too stable a priori, so only children who have a vestibular apparatus are more or less in order can use it. 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 blow off, in the case of a small child who is not used to communicating his needs in time, even such a delay can become critical.

Such a solution would be incorrectly called a baby pot, since it represents a rather universal tab with a soft silicone insert. Buying such an accessory makes parents look for an ordinary toilet anyway, but any toilet that has a toilet in the toilet is now suitable for the 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 to such a size that it is convenient even for a small child. Wash this product is not difficult.

The main disadvantage is that the product does not quite solve the problem of the actual travel. In the open field, such an accessory will be completely useless, because to use it you need a full toilet, and it’s not yet a fact that the product fits perfectly on the toilet lid in a public place or train.

The hygienic nature of the model that is mounted on the lids of public toilets raises significant doubts. Finally, the price is higher than that of inflatable models. It can exceed one and a half thousand rubles, although there are options and up to a thousand. A slightly enhanced version is offered by the Roxy Kids pad, the design of which also implies the presence of a step.

One of the best road solutions is considered to be folding plastic pots, such as Potette Plus, HandyPotty, Idea Disney. The “trick” of such models lies in the fact that only the base in the form of a seat and legs is made of plastic, which is folded to the size of a flat piece, weighing, naturally, not so much. Some of the models have a special silicone liner that acts as a tank for bio-waste, however, the use of disposable bags is the norm for such products.

Again, it all depends on the manufacturer - one in their models makes it possible to use even ordinary T-shirts from supermarket chains, the other recommends buying branded disposable bags that have certain signs of a diaper, so they don’t tear apart, reliably recycle their contents.

Some models also suggest a removable cover, like the Handy Potty, due to which the product can be partially used even when the child is already gradually switching to using a real adult toilet bowl. Such an overlay very much resembles the one described in the previous part of the article, but it does not add up to a more compact size, and although you will not take it with you on the road, it will come in handy at home.

Of the other unusual solutions can also be found models that do not involve the use of packages. They have an integrated waste storage tank, which ideally should be hermetically closed.

The cost of this type of model is relatively low - they can cost parents a modest half thousand rubles, and if any packages are suitable, then there will not be any serious additional costs for servicing the pot.Nevertheless, many folding models are criticized for taking up quite a lot of space and are not always convenient for transportation on the road.

There are also such pots, which are initially produced in the form of an ordinary household pot, but at the same time they are equipped with an additional removable cover, by analogy with the ones described above. In deep childhood, such a device can hardly be comfortable on the road, but over time, when the child grows up, the pad will become comfortable in teaching him to the usual toilet, and can also be used on the road - wherever there are public toilets. Such models include, for example, the Babyton 2 in 1 and the Happy Baby Mini.

One can say not so much about the actual use of such models on the road, however, it is worth buying them, if only because many parents leave positive feedback about the removable cover, which the child seems very comfortable.

Road pot should be extremely simple and convenient to use, and yet some parents and their children have problems in the operation of such a device. Some families refuse such acquisitions altogether, preferring for the first few years of a child’s life simply to give up long journeys in his company.

At the same time, child development experts believe that you need to buy a traveling pot even for those families whose hobbies and journeys have never included. The fact is that not a single child can be locked up for several years of his life - he will still have to leave when his parents want to visit or just take a long walk on the street. Hike to the cottage or to visit, too, can put parents in front of a choice - either they don’t go at all while staying with their children at home, or they can still buy a travel pot.

Many parents in vain believe that the problem will be solved pretty soon. The fact is that preschoolers, even accustomed to using the toilet, can not always fully use it. The growth of such a child is quite small, and if the toilet bowl can meet the needs of the baby, then at a party or in a public place, care about the needs of children can be ignored.

You should not think that buying a travel pot for any model is an instant solution to all problems. Practice shows that the child does not always immediately understand the purpose of an unfamiliar object, and replacing one pot with another can be perceived by the child as a stressful situation. In some cases, parents are faced with an unexpected problem when the pot seems to be with them, however, the child refuses to use it for its intended purpose, even when it clearly wants to use the toilet.

To delay this, for obvious reasons, is not recommended - and the kid may not wait, and the travel conditions themselves may require parents to hurry.

There are parents who have experience of using such products left a certain negative impression. Most often criticize the size of the device for travel.It should be understood here that pots, although designed for road conditions, 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 fits almost in a woman's handbag, but this is an obvious exaggeration. In this case, this clarification applies only to the most compact models, and there are after all such road pots, which even in an ordinary travel bag will take a lot of space. So this solution can be considered suitable for traveling by car or visiting, but it is not so easy to travel with them by public transport.

If we talk about the lining, which could be used for greater ease of operation of the toilet in a public place, then they are also possible problems associated with the lack of versatility of the gadget. In older cars and in many gas stations, toilets can be designed more for obese people than for kids, and in some cases even the pad will be useless.

In some cases, the diameter of the toilet bowl is so large that the installation of the lining on top of the lid itself seems like an unrealistic task. There is a risk that the device will fall inside before the child sits on it.

Finally, many folding devices are also criticized for the fact that their design allows for the possibility of leakage. This, of course, is not about the tank, otherwise the expediency of buying such a product would be completely reduced to zero, however, if improperly seated, the waste may flow into the gap between the main part and the seat pad, falling to 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 to simply choose a different type of pot, someone recommends not to make this a problem.

For information on which pot to choose for travel, see the following video.