Easy pee-sy? Lowdown on the mobile toilet for your car
17.8.2023
Translation: Julia Graham
When kids need to go… they need to go. So, before our long car ride south, I arm myself with an emergency toilet for children. But it has its pitfalls.
One of the questions parents most frequently ask their kids before leaving the house is, «Have you been to the loo?» With good reason. Because when your little ones need to go, one thing’s for sure: they need to go immediately. Sayings things like «We’re almost there» and «Hold on a bit longer» only make it worse.
A resourceful entrepreneur has developed Minimus for dicey moments just like these. Basically, it’s for times when your little one needs the loo but there’s none around. In effect, it’s a collapsible, disposable toilet that you seal and put in the bin once you’ve done your business. If the product sounds familiar, you may have seen the brand win its pitch on Germany’s version of Dragon’s Den, a TV show for start-ups, in 2014.
«Thank goodness you don’t need to stop»
So, Minimus isn’t new. But seemingly perfect for our trip to the Adriatic. In fact, it should be incredibly practical for long car trips with children. To the extent that the packaging features two cars stuck in a traffic jam. With suitcases on the roof and kids in the back seat. I also find the following story on the Swiss distributor’s website (in German). Whether it’s real or not remains unclear:
«Two hours on the motorway and we’ve only gone 10 km. It’s starting to get frustrating. Up to this point, the kids were keeping quiet in the back. But after the first soft drink, the calm is over. A cry from the back rings louder and louder in my ears: 'Daaaaaaad... I need to pee!?!' Service station? None in sight. What were we going to do? That’s when Minimus falls out of the glove compartment and into my hands. Thank goodness. We didn’t need to stop, but fortunately, the yelling did. And there are still three packs left.»
Sounds easy pee-sy, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about the procedure that went on in the back seat. So before we head off to Italy, I want to test whether this pocket toilet for kids works and if so, how. When my mini me needs to go, I have to be able to rely on Minimus.
To be clear: I’m doing a dry run; it’s not as if I’m testing the product in real-world conditions. If something goes wrong, I don’t want to muck up the back seat just before the start off the holidays. Instead, we try out Minimus in our safe space: at home in the bathroom. When I say we, I mean my seven-year-old and me. I don’t even need a field experiment to know the four-year-old wouldn’t manage it on her own.
Wet dry run reveals shortcomings
I peel off the sticker, flip open the dark blue packet and unroll a tube-like plastic bag about 36 cm long with a round opening.
Source: Katja Fischer
Boys can now pee directly into the ring above. Or as the manufacturer puts it, «Little heroes holding it in big time – just let it flow from now on».
Source: Katja Fischer
It’s not quite so easy for girls, on the other hand. I slide a kind of cardboard funnel into the top of the bag for my daughter. Or Pippi Lissi, as the attachment is called.
Source: Katja Fischer
You now need to keep a good hold of Minimus and Pippi Lissi in order to do your business. The device doesn’t hold together itself. It’s too unstable for my daughter, so I have to help her – or rather, hold the peeing aid. She can’t manage it on her own. Not without standing up anyway.
Honestly, how is that going to work while she’s sitting in the back seat of a moving car? A boy might manage it in a pinch. But a girl? I can’t imagine it working.
Interestingly, it explicitly says on the Minimus website under girls and women that it should work «in a squatting or seated position». The cardboard funnel, on the other hand, is emblazoned with the slogan «With Pippi Lissi, women can stand up too».
OK for in the car; even better for trips
Anyway, with my help it works just fine, standing as well as squatting. No drops escape or end up on my hands. I can even turn the Minimus without any liquid leaking out. Something known as a super absorber turns up to 750 ml of urine into a gel in just a few seconds and also prevents smells.
Once they’ve relieved themselves, I fold the bag into a packet, seal it and dispose of it. Theoretically, I could also put it in my handbag if there aren’t any bins nearby. Or in the glove compartment.
By all means, Minimus is suitable for use in a car, but only if you have the possibility to get out briefly. Depending on the situation, you can also pee outdoors instead of using a plastic bag. However, the best strategy is still to stop for a pee at service stations regularly. That way, you don’t have a dicey situation on your hands in the first place.
However, the pocket loo is suitable for loads of other situations, including the beach, playground or on excursions, such as city trips. Basically, anywhere that you can’t find a (clean) toilet. Minimus is easy for folk of any gender and age to use. You don’t need to buy Evamus and Adamus, the companion devices for men and women.
Verdict: practical, but hopefully never necessary
So, the question is, will I be taking Minimus on our summer holiday? Yes. But not in the glove compartment. I’ll put one in my bum bag, beach bag and backpack. It’s really handy for trips.
However, at just under six francs per piece, it’s also costly. Even the glossy shiny loos at Zurich’s main train station are cheaper. And the five-pack, which is cheaper per piece, isn’t available at the moment. However, Minimus is part of a group of gadgets we hopefully won’t need to use at all.
Source: Katja Fischer
Katja Fischer
Senior Editor
Katja.Fischer@digitecgalaxus.chMom of Anna and Elsa, aperitif expert, group fitness fanatic, aspiring dancer and gossip lover. Often a multitasker and a person who wants it all, sometimes a chocolate chef and queen of the couch.
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