When Your Child Won't Use the Potty

What can I do when my child refuses to use the bathroom before we leave the house?

Your child is expressing a desire to control her bathroom use, no matter what. Your best response is to allow her to experience the consequences of her actions.

If she is already regularly using a potty or the toilet, she will not enjoy the accident that occurs while on the road. By packing cleaning supplies and a change of clothes (and covering the car seat with plastic if necessary), you will have made learning through experience as painless as possible for both of you while avoiding the extended problems a power struggle would cause.