What would you do if on your next long car ride your partner asked you to don a pair of Depends briefs because he or she wasn’t about to pull into a rest stop whenever nature called? Sound cruel? Well, parents potty training their kids might be unwittingly subjecting them to this treatment when they slip their tots into training pants in situations where a bathroom stop is not convenient. Thankfully, Poteez offers an eco-friendly solution: a disposable potty.
The Poteez story goes like this: “When we were potty training our daughter we used to confuse her by putting her back into training pants or nappies for car journeys. She would get upset and tell us that she was a big girl now and didn’t want to wear nappies any more. However, it was easier for us. It occurred to us that we needed a potty for when were out of the home – one with the convenience of a disposable nappy and one that was kind to the environment too. So, we set about inventing one.”
The product they invented ironically resembles a trapezoidal fast-food take-out box, and ships flat with assembly instructions printed on the underside. Yet those instructions do not include answers to the all-important questions of disposal. Do you simply toss it in the trash? Bury it if you’re camping out? And how exactly does a folded biodegradable cardboard box store #1? (Note: The Poteez website offers no answers and contacting the makers reaped no response).
David & Maree Macey consider their enterprise a family run business and operate under the motto “Happy Child, Happy Parent, Happy Planet.” Poteez is offered in 4 different variations and retails for £6.48 for a 5-pack at the Poteez website.
Sorry, but I really don’t get it. Why would you want to buy disposable potties when you can use a reusable one?
You have so many options… You can carry a small potty and empty it on the side of the street or in a manhole, wash it once you get to destination. You can also carry some kind of plastic container with a lid, like a Ziploc lunch bowl, and put the lid on until you get to a restroom where you can empty and rinse it. You could also use a potty with a plastic bag in which you place a flat diaper that you can throw in the washing machine once you get home – just put all your soiled diapers in a diaper bag if you’re out for a long time. Or you could put some paper towels or napkins in the plastic bag, in the potty, to absorb the pee – less environment-friendly, but maybe you don’t feel like washing diapers for some reason.
I also have a wonderful portable potty that I keep in the car, I use it with either a plastic bowl or plastic bag (I don’t buy the liner refills they sell with it). It folds flat and we keep it in the mesh thing behind the passenger’s seat. It’s called On the Go potty, you can see it here: http://www.kalencom.com/main/page.asp?id=8&s_cate_id=02&tid=&bt=&cs=.
And last but not least, a pee on the curbside, under a tree, in a bush, on the grass anywhere, is still a good option. Dogs do it, so I don’t see why a baby’s pee wouldn’t be acceptable…
Julie