Gearhead Mom

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

GHM Fave: Missy’s Favorite Travel Item of the Year

Posted by Missy W. @ 5:41 AM

As I mentioned on Monday, the Munchie Mug is my pick for Best in Show for 2008. But I also have a few faves within more specific categories, so today’s pick is my favorite piece of travel gear - the Potty-On-the-Go by Fisher-Price.

When I reviewed it back in April, I only gave it 3 stars based on the wastefulness of the bags. While I still agree that it is indeed wasteful, we also couldn’t travel without this. Sy is absolutely petrified of loud and/or public toilets. Refuses to step foot in most public bathrooms, and really, who could blame her? They are loud and dirty, two things that drive Sy absolutely around the bend. Add an automatic flush to the set up and you have a three year old with a nervous breakdown on your hands.

So what did I do about the bags?

I still haven’t done the compost bag experiment, I haven’t had the nerve. I think I need to let her use it in the house with that bag and let it sit in the bathtub or something to see how quickly it breaks down. I promise to do that this year. Instead, I got the smallest bags I could find that fit the potty (4 gallons) and I keep them in the trunk. You can also recycle a larger plastic shopping bag (as long as you do a thorough check for holes!). We use this potty at least twice a week. Why is it that all of our favorite parks have no bathrooms?? It was a lifesaver on a recent road trip when Sy refused to even leave the car at a particularly bright and messy gas station. After using the facilities, I wished the Potty-On-the-Go came in adult sizes, too!

The potty is easy to fold up and down for easy access/storage. It’s easy to slide back into the little carrying case and pop in between the seats of the car. We only use it in the car because even though it’s compact, it’s certainly not petite. My daughter is about 41 inches tall and she can still use this no problem. We can even put it on the front seat of the car if we are trying not to wake up her sleeping brother in the backseat.

So yeah, even though this thing is not exactly green, it’s such a lifesaver. We’d have been in some seriously dire potty straits without it.

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