7 Best Travel Potty Seats and Chairs for Toilet-Trained Tots
Even if your little one has been successfully potty training for a while, it might be a shock to your super-duper pooper when they venture out of the house and suddenly, urgently, have to go. Holding it—especially for long stretches—is not a realistic option for young toilet trainers. Plus, using a bathroom that’s not their own can feel pretty intimidating or uncomfortable—and those automatic flushers can be scary! That’s why having a travel potty at the ready can be so crucial for those on-the-go bathroom breaks. Below, we’ve detailed the types of travel-friendly toddler potties out there and what you should look for when shopping. Plus, check out our list of the best travel potty options on the market.
If you’ve been potty training your little one, you’re probably well-versed in the world of potty chairs and potty seats. Travel potties more or less come in the same styles but are made easier to tote around and dispose of or pack up in a pinch. There are three main categories of travel potties on the market today: travel potty chairs, travel potty seats and portable urinals. All of them let your child relieve themselves when a restroom isn’t accessible or when said restroom is available but not what your little mini had in mind to do their business. Below, check out the pros and cons of each:
Travel potty chairs
A potty chair is often the first type of toilet your sweetpea will take for a spin. This standalone setup sits on the floor, is easy to lift and can be moved from one room to another with little issues. The “traditional” potty chairs you’ll use at home come with a removable basin (and affixed splash guard) that you can pop out to empty the contents into your larger toilet once your little one finishes up. These can be rinsed with water and wiped clean afterward. A travel potty chair is more lightweight and usually features legs that can be folded away for compact portability. It also replaces the traditional basin with a disposable bag that attaches or clips onto the seat. After your child relieves themselves, you can grab the baggie, tie it up and throw it in the nearest trash. One potential drawback: It isn’t functional without a plastic bag to insert—so be sure to remember those bags when you leave the house!
Travel potty seats
Travel potty seats are designed to sit on top of regular toilets, providing a smaller “shelf” for your tiny one’s tush. Most are made of hard plastic (which is simple to wipe clean), but others are crafted with foam for a more ergonomic and comfortable feel. What’s more, a number of these travel potty seats come equipped with special grips or suction cups to stabilize the seat and prevent it from shifting around. You’ll also appreciate how they’re often ultra compact and portable; many versions can be folded up and slipped seamlessly into a travel bag or Ziploc.
However, there are also a few downsides to consider. Newly trained toddlers who haven’t yet “graduated” from the potty chair to the potty seat might not feel comfortable sitting on a standard toilet. And, even if they are newly-minted potty chair users, you’ll have to help lift your little one and keep them steady. Finally, the seat can get dirty and germy in no time, so you’ll need to keep sanitizing wipes handy for quick post-bathroom cleans.
Portable urinals
Travel urinals for toddlers are much simpler, and—apart from being a reservoir to collect pee—look nothing like their public restroom porcelain predecessors (or even the at-home toddler options like the viral Frog Potty Training Urinal. The toddler travel version is basically a large plastic cup with a soft funneled opening that your child can pee into when needed. These also work for toddlers no matter their sex: Boys and girls have different funnel attachments to align with their unique anatomy (a circular opening for boys and a heart-shaped opening for girls). On the downside, if it’s been a while since your toddler last peed, they could potentially overfill the cup. And, of course, portable urinals are only suitable for number ones—so they aren’t the most versatile.
When you’re shopping for the best travel potty, there are several important factors to keep in mind: portability, ease of use, ease of cleaning up and—perhaps most importantly—your child’s comfort. If your toddler refuses to use the travel potty, then it won’t be much use—so give careful thought to your toddler’s preferences and which type of potty is most likely to have them relaxed enough to “let go.”
Next, think about your travel needs. If you’re buying a travel potty to have on hand whenever your tot needs to go and there’s no bathroom in sight—for example, to stash in your car trunk for when you need to pull over stat, or stow in your stroller for lengthy excursions—a travel potty chair is probably the way to go. On the other hand, if your destination is a hotel room or Grandma’s house, a travel potty seat enables your kiddo to make use of the existing toilet.
There’s also something to be said for waste. Travel potty seats are the most sustainable option since you don’t have to throw anything out; as long as you have a toilet to put the seat on, everything will be flushed away. Travel potty chairs that use disposable plastic bags to catch number ones and twos need to be deposited in the trash, so you’ll always need plastic bags or liners to use these types of toilets.
Ready to shop for a portable travel potty? Here, browse the just-in-case commodes we’ve used and loved with our own kids and ones parents say they couldn’t survive on-the-go adventures without.
Overall best travel potty chair
- Small, lightweight design
- Straightforward to set up and break down
- Comes with three disposable bags with absorbent pads and a carry bag
- May rock slightly when placed on a standard toilet
- Some parents say splash guard doesn’t work well
- Must be used with a plastic bag
When it comes to naming the best travel potty chair, this completely versatile option from OXO Tot is seriously the best pot for your tot. Thanks to the sturdy legs that pop out quickly and easily, it can be used as a standalone potty chair. When your little one needs to go, just slip a plastic bag into the center (using the flexible flaps to hold the bag in place) and let your child do their business. Then dispose of the bag, fold the legs back up and slip it into the included carry bag. Another highlight: This 2-in-1 option can also be used as a travel potty seat—the legs extend flat and lock in place to balance on standard toilet seats. No wonder our product tester’s feedback earned this potty a place in our Best of The Bump roundup—you get the best of both worlds with this pick!
Dimensions: 11” (L) x 11” (W) x 2.5” (H) | Weight: 1.5 lbs.
“I would for sure recommend this to anyone that’s potty training. This type of seat is the best in my opinion because it’s perfect for at home, public restrooms, the car—literally anywhere! The size is great and it’s easy to keep it clean.”
Best travel potty seat
- Folds up into itself with the “dirty” side inside
- Made from BPA-free materials
- Travel bag fits into diaper bags or purses
- Some parents say it’s difficult to remove from public toilet seats
- No built-in splash guard
With thousands of positive ratings to back it up, the Jool folding travel potty seat really stacks up. The versatile design fits most standard and public toilets and is equipped with eight strong suction cup grips on its underside to keep your child balanced. The lightweight toilet topper folds easily and packs away into the travel bag it comes with. Plus, once your toddler finishes their tinkle, you’ll appreciate that the the soft, smooth surface is a cinch to clean. Our product tester raved about how easy this chair was to use, wash and move from room to room. It’s no wonder this pick was featured in our Best of The Bump roundup of the best potty chairs!
Dimensions: 10” (L) x 7.2” (W) | Weight: 9.9 oz.
“This potty has significantly helped with potty training and it’s very easy to move from room to room. It’s also very easy to fit in a diaper bag or even a purse in some cases. It was completely painless to set up away from home.”
Best travel potty for the car
- Nesting design easily stows away
- Smooth surface for easy cleaning
- The plastic bag is secured under the seat
- Disposable bags not included
- No handles to hold or suction cups to keep it sturdy
Road trips with kids can be a lot, to say the least. And when you’ve got newly potty-trained tikes in tow, driving long distances can be even more challenging. At least with the Skip Hop travel potty for the car, you can keep things moving smoothly. The clever design triples as a standalone potty chair (it’s got a removable basin and pour spout), a potty seat (that fits most standard size toilets) and a travel potty when you’re out and about (with a disposable plastic bag). We love the bonus “nesting design” for space-saving portability, and also how easy it is to clean. While it’s not small enough to toss into a diaper bag, it’s perfectly sized for the trunk of your car.
Dimensions: 11.7” (L) x 5.9” (W) x 13.7” (H) | Weight: 2.2 lbs.
Best simple travel potty for toddlers
- Signature splash guard is free from gaps
- Includes a carrying bag and three leakproof disposable liners
- Available in a number of gender-neutral colorways
- Legs must “click” when you set it up, to prevent collapsing
- Too short for a tall toddler to use regularly
- Disposable bags stretch out over the potty, which can be slippery
Potty training can be a long process, so simpler potties may work better for younger toddlers while they’re still figuring things out. That’s why we love the Potette Plus 2-in-1 travel potty and training seat. It can either be placed on top of standard toilets or on the ground as a standalone travel potty with fold-out legs. We especially love the rubberized legs that provide stability and prevent slipping. It’s approved for toddlers as young as 15 months and up to 50 lbs, so it’s definitely one that can grow with your family—from one potty-training tot to another.
Dimensions: 10.5” (L) x 9.7” (W) x 2.9” (H) | Weight: 13.6 oz.
Best fun travel potty for toddlers
- Secure, water-tight seal
- Convenient carry handle
- Available in several fun designs
- Some reviewers say it can be tricky to open at times
Does your little one get anxious using toilets away from home? Then this fun travel potty for toddlers is sure to brighten their day. The cute penguin design looks like a backpack, thanks to its convenient top carry handle. But, inside, you’ll find a portable potty chair, complete with a large, comfy seat and a tall splash guard. Other standout features include the secure locking mechanism, the water-tight seal and the non-slip feet—all of which make this a great travel option. What’s more, it’s available in several other sweet designs, like a dinosaur, a ladybug and a cow, as well as solid colors.
Dimensions: 10.2” (L) x 9.3” (W) x 4.3” (H) | Weight: 1.9 lbs.
Best portable urinal for toddlers
- Small size makes for easy portability
- Quick and convenient to use
- Affordable price point
- Only suitable for number ones
The most portable option on our list, this potty urinal is lightweight and easy to take with you wherever you go. Its design looks like a cup, but its top-notch sealing—which holds urine securely until you’re able to dispose of it—is what sets it apart from the crowd. The lid that your little one pees into comes in multiple animal-themed options that’ll make potty time away from home much more fun and comforting. Between both the convenience and cuteness of this portable potty, it’s a surefire winner in our books!
Dimensions: 11” (L) x 7” (H) | Weight: 2.4 oz.
Best disposable travel potty
- Small, portable design
- Comes in convenient multipacks
- High weight capacity
- Not the most environmentally friendly option
Yes, disposable travel potties exist! Our top pick is this option from Nuby, which is super portable and easy to use. The special construction is lightweight, doesn’t easily tear or squish and can accommodate children up to 60 pounds—so in an emergency situation, even your toddler’s older sibling can take a turn. You’ll just want to toss this one out as soon as you find a garbage can, as having a bag filled with waste can get messy really easily, of course.
Dimensions: 4” (L) x 1” (W) x 7” (H) | Weight: 5.3 oz.
We get it—parenting requires a lot of gear, from infancy to toddlerhood. To help you find the best travel potty for your kiddo, we browsed dozens of options from leading retailers, so you don’t have to spend hours scrolling. When choosing which products to feature in our roundup, we considered several factors, like ease of use, quality, comfort, size and how simple they were to clean, to name a few. We also read user reviews to get the lowdown on how these products work for real families, and didn’t consider anything with less than an average four-star rating. What’s more, some of these travel potties were reviewed by our team of independent product testers, providing additional insight for our roundup.
Interested in learning more about our editorial process? Read about how our team develops and reviews all articles here.
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