Potty Seats
Berkeley Parents Network >
Reviews >
What/Where to Buy >
Potty Seats
June 2007
I'm thinking about starting potty training with my 18-month-old
son, who is showing some interest, and I'm wondering what kind of
potty would be best -- a stand-alone model, or one that fits over
the toilet. It seems to me that each has pros and cons -- a
stand-alone would give him the pride of ownership and allow him
to sit on the potty while I'm on the toilet (which would be
companionable even if nothing happened), and would allow him to
brace himself on the floor. He's small for his age so if he sits
on the grownup toilet his legs will just dangle even if I put a
step-stool below (unless someone knows of a higher step-stool
than the basic ones you find at Target). Then again, the thought
of being able to just flush his poop away is very appealing, and
also it seems to me that if you start the kid on a stand-alone
model then you have the additional step of transitioning him to a
grown-up toilet later on, no?
I've noticed that the potty training board books all seem to
feature stand-alone potties -- are there any that feature the kid
sitting on the toilet? If we go that route I'd like to have a
book I can read to my son.
Also, any thoughts about whether we should start him out standing
up or sitting down to pee? Sorry to be asking so many (and such
basic) questions, but I feel rather at sea!
Want to make this go smoothly if possible! :-)
We trained at 1.5 too and here is what we did. We got the small
baby bjorn potty that is all one piece, no little cup, no pretend
toilet tank. The really cheap dollar store ones are also like
this but I don't know if they are as stable. We just left this
around for our child to practice sitting on. We also got the
book, ''The potty book for girls'', there is also one for boys. It
shows this kind of potty and is just a little story book about
learning to use the potty. The big advantage of the little potty
is the child being able to sit on it himself. Climbing up on a
step stool is really too much at 18 months. You can also take the
small potty everywhere with you. Dumping the pee or poo in the
toilet is still better than changing diapers. Once the potty
routine is really in place, then get a little fold up seat for
when you are out and about and a flip up one for your home
toilet. The really cheap one is the best, it just fits on top of
your normal seat so it is always there but not annoying to
adults. All this gear is available at babies r us or rockridge
kids, baby world, etc.
go potty!
June 2006
Within the next couple of weeks, I would like to start potty-training my 19-month-old
daughter (she is showing signs that she is interested). I would like to get
recommendations on good potty seats for children of her age.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Sabrina
By far our favorite (tried about 5 different types, including
on-the-toilet-seats and plastic on-the-floor) was the Baby Bjorn
2-pc. w/back and sides. The inner 'pot' is easy to clean, so is
the seat part. We bought our 2 at Rockridge Kids on College Ave.
Baby Bjorn fan
I much prefer the Baby Bjorn potty chairs to all others. Most
other potty chairs have numerous seams and nooks and crannies
that get gross after a period of time. The sleek, simple design
of the BB chairs is so easy to keep clean. I would start with
the Baby Bjorn Little Potty Chair
(http://www.babybungalow.com/babbjorlitpo.html) for a younger
child, since they can usually get on and off it by themselves
and it fosters a natural squatting position. My son started
peeing on this one (off and on) when he was about 18 months.
When he got older and bigger and more serious about peeing in
the potty, we got the regular sized Baby Bjorn Potty Chair
(http://www.babybungalow.com/babbjorpotch.html). Again, the
design made it so easy to keep clean. Both boys and girls have
used it at our house with ease. Both styles are available at
Rockridge Kids
June 2006
This may seem like a pretty dumb question, but now that our son
has shown interest in the potty, I'm wondering how I am supposed
to clean the thing. So far he's just enjoying sitting on it every
now and then and there are no actual messes to deal with.
I'm thinking it's kind of nasty to just tip the pee into the
toilet and rinse, and way more nasty to plop the poop in the
toilet and rinse. But I can't imagine running the potty insert
through the dishwasher (!) or dousing it in bleach every time he
uses it.
Do I rinse and then somehow wash it routinely, and is this
something to just get used to, like the way we have a diaper bin
full of old, used diapers in our home, which I would have thought
was just horrible once upon a time?! I've read about putting
toilet tissue in before the child uses it, but this doesn't seem
like it would do much. Or is there something else I'm missing or
should use?
BTW, we have the Baby Bjorn potty with white insert as well as
the toddler-sized toilet seat that sits on the toilet proper.
Thanks!
Potty novice
''Is this just something to get used to?...'' - Yes, it is. My son
moved pretty quickly from the potty seat with the insert to the ring
that sits on the toilet, but yes, while he was using the potty seat we
would just dump it in the toilet and rinse it out, and occasionally
really thoroughly clean it. You can keep antibacterial handsoap by the
bathroom sink and use that every time if it makes you feel any better
about it. Now with the potty ring, I just clean it with bathroom
cleaner whenever I clean the toilet, or when it needs it.
anon
A toilet bowl is pretty icky too if you think about it. In fact, the
toilet chair IS a toilet bowl - it's just one that moves. Clean the
toilet chair the same way you clean your toilet. Assuming you clean
your toilet.
The tub! If it was just pee, we'd just rinse the bowl insert out quickly
in the tub with a blast of warm water. If it was poop, we'd usually use
a wipe to get any ''residuals'' out first, then pour some soap in the
bowl and stick it in teh tub to soak for a while, then rinse it out.
As for the toilet-seat topper, we just wipe it off with an anti-
bacterial wipe every now and then. By the time our kids were using it,
it almost never gets ''poopy'', but when it does, we wash it as per
above.
Seriously don't worry about cleaning the potty - it's the easiest part
of potty training!
Good luck
anon
Hey there,
Firstly, you sooo get used to the potty, so don't sweat it. I hated the
diaper champ way worse. Anyway, after my kids use the potty I tip the
crap or whatever down the loo, wipe their tush, drop that into the loo
(the toilet paper, not the tush, that would be mean), use a flushable
soft wipe (they're newish, you can get them in the diaper area in the
stores, I think huggies makes one and someone else makes another,
they're basically flushable baby wipes) to wipe the potty and then throw
that in and flush. If they've pooped I then use a disinfectant wipe to
wipe it out again and throw that in the bin, and then spray with a
disenfectant spray until the surface is wet. The disinfectant wipes
can't be flushed, as I discovered after my toilet overflowed. This
sounds like many steps, but somehow it all makes sense. Basically, tip
the potty out, clean the kid, wipe the potty, flush. Then the
disinfectant step if there has been poop, or if you're more germ phobic
than I am. Which wouldn't be hard.
Enjoy!
Abbi
We faced the same thing once upon a time -- and decided to never
actually use the potty chair. We used the insert seat (white ring) for
the
regular toilet, and got a little stool to help my son climb up, and just
plain avoided the whole issue. Other advantages: we never had to talk
him into changing from the one to the other (which preschoolers often
dislike), and he was quite amenable to using regular public toilets with
a little support from mommy for balance (we didn't have to run around
with something portable in the car) Karen
We have the baby bjorn little potty and I usually just rinse it with
water after he pees. If he has a bm in it (which he still prefers to
the big potty and I feel is fine since he is not even
2.5 yet) I wipe it out with dry toilet paper to remove the large parts
and then use a clorox easy wipe or a simplegreen wipe.
Sometimes we use the flushable wipes which are the easiest. If I think
he'll use it soon again I'll let this dry and then rinse it out with h20
to remove any residual cleaner. This works for us and usually the poop
just falls out and doesn't stick too badly.
It is better than wiping all that stuff off their little bottoms!
And you've been doing that for at least two years so it can't be that
bad, right?
If your son is older you might be able to transition him to the big
potty for the number 2... this solves the issue!
potty training is fun!
We actually do tip the pee in the toilet and rinse the potty with soapy
water, but if there is poop, I dump it in the toilet, wipe it clean with
toilet paper and then use a disinfecting wipe (premoistened cleaning
wipes that come in plastic containers)to clean it out anon
I had this exact question a couple of years ago. Yes, the potty chair
cleaning is icky, but nowhere near the diapering ickiness.
We did just rinse the pee-pee and pour the water in the potty.
Didn't see another option. For the poo poo, someone suggested that we
use the flushable bathroom cleaning wipes (there are a couple of brands,
Scrubbing Bubbles and Clorox, I think). They worked really well for us,
both on the potty chair and the potty insert. Just clean up and flush
away.
L
it is not that hard to do. do you clean cloth diapers or disposables?
i guess if disposables, then you are not used to dumping your toddler's
feces into the toilet before throwing away the diaper. just dump the
pee or poop into the toilet and wash the potty in your bathroom sink or
outside sink, with soap and water. maybe get one of those sprays that
you can attach to your toilet so that you can spray the potty while it's
over the toilet. i wouldn't wash your potty in the dishwasher! that's
gross and not safe for your health. other option is to just use one of
those potties that you place on top of your toilet seat rather than use
a portable one like the baby bjorn (my toddler used this from the start
and never had to use a portable potty) anon
April 2003
Hi,
I am considering to potty train my son. I would like to know any
tips or advice on how to clean the potty bowl (from the poop) in
the easiest but the cleanest way.
Do you dump most of it into the adult toilet and wipe clean the
remaining? How do you minimize the splashing of the water if the
poop is the hard one? [I am sorry for being too blunt, but I do
not know any other way to describe my ''dilemma'']. How about if
it's the soft one which then it will not fall so freely into the
toilet?
Or you pick the poop and wipe clean the potty with the wipes? Or
you use some sort of plastic bag to ''receive'' the poop?
I think you get my point here. What is the easiest way to clean
the potty bowl?
Thank you for all your tips.
PS: Maybe I should mention that I am kind of obsessed with the
thoroughness of the cleaning after pooping. Most of the time I
soap my son's bottom after changing his soiled diaper. And I
hate it if he moves around and make the changing pad soiled (and
that the reason why I bought an air-filled plastic changing pad,
from Ikea, and not the regular foam pad, which would have been
impossible to deep clean)
Johanna
Free yourself of your obsession: Get a little step stool and a
a potty seat that fits onto the adult toilet. That way your son
can poop straight into the adult toilet and you won't have to
worry about ANY of this.
Judith
Well, for the hard poo-poo you might want to try putting the
potty bowl pretty close to the water so that it doesn't splash
on you. That's the only thing I can think of that would
minimize the mess and contact. I usually use a wipe for the
soft stool ones, and then swish it with soap and water to
cleanse.
Dr. Sears' book on raising children encourages parents to try
not make too big a big deal about their child's poop. One
helpful suggestion that stuck with me was to be conscience of
one's facial expression while cleaning the poop, because the
child is usually looking right at the parent. We should have a
positive (even happy) expression so that they don't get the
impression that their poop is a bad stinky thing. Hope this
helps.
anon
If your child isn't comfortable using a step stool to climb on the toilet (use
a plastic ring that fits over the opening so he can sit without you having to
hold him up), you can insert a piece of doubled-over tiolet paper into the
potty and then add a little water to the potty after he uses it if it a "poop
only". Most of the poop will end up on the paper and slide right out. River
Hi,
What I did was keep a bottle of a liquid cleanser with bleach (I
use Soft Scrub with Bleach) next to the bathroom sink. I emptied
what I could into the toilet bowl, using toilet paper to get most
of the ''big stuff'' if it didn't go right in.
Note: don't put baby wipes down the toilet; they can clog your
pipes.
Then I washed the potty bowl in the sink, with the Soft Scrub,
and followed up by washing the sink with the Soft Scrub too. I
did it so often it didn't seem like a big deal, and I felt like
it was sanitary when I was done.
I gradually encouraged my daughter to switch to the soft vinyl
potty seat on the adult toilet (which is more comfortable for
her, but was a little intimidating at first), which she did
quickly, after 3 weeks or so...
About the splash factor, just keep the bucket low while you're
''making your deposit''; the only time I had a spash problem was
when my daughter wanted to help, and swooped the bucket up high &
tipped it before I could stop her...ugh.
Good luck!
Another Clean-Freak Parent
Oct 2004
Looking for recommendations where (online or offline) to
inexpensively buy
1. a simple one-piece potty chair
2. a travel potty (those rings on legs you can put over a
regular container with lid)
3. a simple padded toilet seat (ring with handles that sits on
top of adult toilets)
We currently have a $5 European-bought one-piece at home, but
might need additional ones for daycare and on the road.
Online places I found mostly carry fancy music/cartoon/multi-
piece thingies over $20, or the simpler ones around $10+S&H.
Would love to hear which items you recommend, which stores -
and maybe you even have a used but clean one to pass on?
Hoping to be diaper-free soon
We found the perfect one piece potties at the dollar store on
San Pablo Avenue just south of the Target in Richmond (it's in
the same shopping center as Marshall's). They are small enough
that they fit in a stroller basket or in a car easily. You can't
beat the price, and our kids actually prefer them to the larger
more expensive potties we had purchased previously. A bonus for
us (since we have twins) is that they stack on top of each
other, so 2 take up no more space than one. We found no need to
bother with a portable potty. The dollar store doesn't always
have the potties in stock--if you don't see them, ask when
they'll be getting more.
Julie
We have the Graco soft seat one -- I think it is called Training
Rewards because it comes with stickers, but it does not have
lights or music. It is not a one-piece seat, but for that very
reason it may serve all three of your purposes in one product.
The padded seat lifts out of the potty and can be used atop a
regular toilet -- at home or away -- and the potty itself, with
lid down, can be used as a stepstool. Our son was never very
interested in using the little potty and preferred to sit on the
same toilet Mommy and Daddy used, so I'm glad we didn't get a
one-piece version. He hasn't used the seat in quite a while now
but still uses the potty as a stepstool for hand washing and
tooth brushing.
It's widely available both online and off. Try Babies R
Us/Amazon and Target. Rockridge Kids carries a selection of
potty stuff; I don't know if they have the Graco one but they'll
have what you need if you still want two or three separate
products.
Holly
April 2004
I was interested in potty seat thoughts- better to
get the kind that sits on the big toilet or the stand alone
kind? Are the gimmiks ones worth it- like the Royal Throne that
plays music when they go or better to go with the ones that are
a little more straight forward? Also any thoughts on books and
videos- archives seemed to like Everyone Poops- any others that
really helped? Thanks.
Juliette
I never understood those stand-alone potties. The kid goes on
there and then you're left with a pot of poo to clean up.
What's the point of getting them out of diapers? I prefer a
nice comfortable seat you put on top of the toilet so they don't
feel like they're going to fall in. And a good stool so that
they can get up on the toilet themselves and they're feet don't
dangle.
As for books, my kids liked ''Once Upon a Potty''. A friend's son
saw the Bear in the Big Blue House potty time video and was all
set to sit on the potty.
Finally, don't sweat the nighttime potty training. That has
little to do with 'training' and alot to do with their body's
maturity.
Good luck!
We never got around to reading any potty books, but as far as
the potty seat is concerned, I would just pick up a cheap one at
Target. Ours has three parts - a seat with handles, a base, and
a cup. This is probably pretty standard. My son *never* wanted
to sit on the actual seat - whether it was on the base or on the
actual toilet. We use the base to stand on and that is it. I
think there is just no knowing what your child's preference may
be, so I'd just go for a cheap one. If you have a girl,
this may require further investigation because you might
want something that is more portable for public toileting
needs. Not such a big deal with boys who can pee standing
up. Good Luck!
anon
I found ''Once Upon a Potty'' (the video; I think there's a book
too) to be incredibly helpful with my now-4 year old. She
watched it over and over again, and we put the potty in the
living room so she could watch the TV while sitting on the potty.
My 2 year old is now fascinated with it too. There's a girl's
and a boy's version; I found mine at Toy Go Round on Solano,
used. As for potties, we have both the plastic, stand-alone
kind (we started with that one) with removable bucket, and the
foam-filled seat that goes on the adult one (which she used later
on). We also have a one-piece Baby Bjorn potty that we keep in
the car--that's been VERY useful. Have fun!
Heidi
We had a cushioned kid-sized seat that fit on our toilet seat but
she just sat and played with the seat. We tried the folding seat
but it can easily pinch the child's bottom.
I found it easier to let her squat over the tiolet (feet on the
tiolet seat). This also proved useful when in public places
because she didn't have to sit on public toilets nor mess with
the paper seat protector.
We recently discovered something that put us over the ''accidents''
hump. We were at the hardware store and went down the aisle that
had toilet seat diplayed. Our child (almost 3yo) was very keen on
getting a new seat. (She often complained that the toilet seat
was cold and didn't want to sit on it.) So, we let her pick one
out. She picked a pink cushoined seat (we bought the white
version of it). She immediately took up the potty training slack,
running through the house ''I have to go potty!''.
A routine proved helpful, ''First thing we do when we get up is go
to the potty.'' or ''We always go potty before we leave the house.
(or ''before we go to bed''.)''
Lastly, a great way to motivate them is to let them see other
kids (of similar age) doing what you want them to do. My child's
potty training advanced a little each time she saw her cousins
going potty. We didn't use any videos, but we did cheer each time
she used the potty.
good luck
We received a potty chair as a gift and it just didn't work out
for my little girl. she would pick it up and walk around with
it because it was light and she does that with some plastic
chairs she plays with at grandma's.
I purchased a padded seat from target in the baby section
(around 6-7 bucks) and it just goes right on top of the
toilet. She liked it immediately and knew what to do when she
sat on it. She's 18 months and has been sitting on it for a
month or so (sometimes she doesn't want to though, and other
times she wants to several times). She's done both number one
and number two in the toilet and likes to pretend to wipe a lot!
I think it was logical for her to go where mommy goes and not
much explanation had to happen. Other kids may prefer a
separate chair, but i'd suggest trying this seat and getting a
chair only if they don't like it - no pots or cups to clean
either!
Other suggestion is to say Psssss! to encourage peeing and we
talk about poo poo and say Ungha! (learned it from my mom,
koreans out there know what i'm talking about!) or some other
grunting type noise that encourages pushing for number 2.
good luck!
laid back potty trainer...
March 2004
I'm looking for recommendations on a potty seat that's low to
the ground -- I got one for my daughter at Target but it's too
tall for her to sit down on by herself. She's 12 months, but
she's been running into the bathroom for a while now, likes to
flush, likes to watch me go...hey, if the kid's got an interest,
I want to encourage it...which the too-tall potty definitely
*doesn't....
Sara
Ikea has very small potty seats.
HTH!
Nov 2003
I am going to be
buying my son's first potty chair, he's 15 months and becoming
very interested in what we're doing on the ''potty'' so we thought
it was time to put one in our bathroom. I would really
appreciate any feedback from people who have been happy with the
ones they've purchased, there seems to be a lot to choose from.
Thanks much!
With my older son we bought the Graco Training Rewards Softseat
Potty and Stepstool. Here are the things we liked: it is easy to
take the seat off, take out the bowl and dump it; it has a lid
just like the potty so our son got to do everything we did; It
was a high enough stepstool that our son could reach the sink
when standing on it. Here are the things we didn't like: the
bowl was red, so it was easy to mistake urine for water if there
wasn't much, and if we weren't sure if the potty had been
emptied yet; it had a lid so we didn't always know that it had
been used until after it had sat for a while; the cushion
portion of the seat came unglued before we were done with potty
training; the potty was a little big for our bathroom; once he
was using it regularly it got quite nasty because and was hard
to keep clean.
We decided to try a different seat for my second son. When we
went to the store there was only one other option in stock...
the Royal Potty by FisherPrice. We thought it might be better,
but have found that it has it's own problems. The hole is too
small for my son who is still too new at this to center himself
to aim his front and back properly. I also don't like it because
the bowl slides out, making it necessary for me to bend down
close to get it in and out... not somewhere I want my nose. The
other thing I don't like is that now we have to have both a
potty and a stepstool in the room.
Instead I believe I will be getting a totally different item. At
one point I saw a potty ring that attaches to the toilet lid
hinges. It fits over the regular seat so that the seat is
smaller and the child doesn't fall into the bowl. It was fairly
thin so that we could still close the toilet and also fold it up
inorder to use the regular seat. I know that my little one would
have to use a step stool to seat himself, but it would certainly
solve both the space and the cleanliness issues. I just need to
find it again...
another potty challenged mom
I found the potty seat/toilet attachment I had previously
recommended. It is the Flip N' Flush and I found it on the Right
Start Store Website. It is $12.95. I don't know if it is the
ideal potty seat, but it seems like it could be.
another potty challenged mom
Graco soft seat. That's what we have, and it's what nearly
everyone I know recommends. Easy to clean, comfortable for
kiddo to sit on, useful as a stepstool for brushing teeth etc.
Of course, our son doesn't actually use it as a potty. It seems
to me that most kids end up preferring to use the regular toilet
just like their parents do. shrug One nice feature is that
the seat part can be easily removed from the potty and used on
top of a regular toilet seat.
Holly
Nov 2003
we are in the process of potty training our son. i want to get
a seat that attaches directly to our toilet so he can sit and do
his thing. any suggestions of where i can find this product
and/or brands that are good?
We use the Baby Bjorn potty seat. It's very easy to use and it
comes off easily so that adults can still use the toilet without
a lot of trouble. We purchased the potty seat at The Nuture
Center on Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette. Good luck!
Patty
June 2003
My 2-year old is interested in sitting on the potty, and I was wondering if anyone has recommendations, good or bad, for what potty seat to get (or avoid). We'd like one that's easy to clean and that can also go over a regular toilet. Any other important features? Thanks.
''Mom, I want to sit on the potty!''
The Bjorn has 2 potty seats that worked really well for us. The
first is one that rests on the toilet, and it's easy to clean.
The other is a 2-piece potty. We keep it in the car for park
trips or potty stops before going into a store. Both can be
purchased at The Nurture Center in Lafayette at
http://www.nurturecenter.com
am
There is no question here in my mind. We are on our third
potty chair (due to functionality issues with the first two).
Finally, we are all happy and using the potty during non-sleep
times!! My husband and I actually use it all the time...
The potty you want is the ''GRACO Training Rewards Soft Seat
Potty and Step Stool.'' This item runs around $20. We bought
it at Toys R' Us in Emeryville. Here is why it worked better
than the others for us:
1. Easy to clean, lift out bowl (no sliding the bowl in and out
or confusing locking mechanism) Just lift out and dump from one
of the pour spouts into your toilet.
2. PADDED seat with handles that can also go to the top of the
regular toilet as an adapter seat (this is what my daughter
uses now). Sometimes it takes her a while to make a poop and
she really has trouble without the padded seat.
3. When the lid to the potty is closed, it doubles as a step-
stool. My 34'' daughter can't quite reach the sink while
standing on this one, but really likes to plant her feet on it
when she's sitting on the big toilet. I guess it's hard to go
(especially poop) when your feet are dangling. The lid can be
closed so the potty can be used this way even when the adapter
seat is being used on top of the regular potty.
4. Lastly, we like that it has a lid (unlike the Baby Bjorn
that our friends have) This way if I don't have time to help
her wash the bowl, she can close the lid until I can get there.
5. While it wasn't important to us, this potty also came with
some stickers and suggestions for rewards. We made a homemade
sticker chart for rewards/progress before purchasing the GRACO,
so we already had that covered.
The other two potty chairs we tried were by Safety 1st and
Cosco. Both were difficult to clean, neither had a padded seat
and for some reason, even when using the deflector, pee kept
shooting out a seam in the front of the potty. My friend's
little girl was using the ''Musical Flush Potty'' and it kept
leaking from somewhere mysterious. I can't remember who makes
that one. Anyhow, the GRACO has worked great for us. Happy
shopping and ''pottying!''
Tiffany Aske tifaske@mindspring.com
We have the Graco soft seat one, which has all the ''features''
(comfy for kid, easy to clean, can be used as separate potty or
put seat on top of regular toilet, functions as footstool when
lid is closed) and is relatively inexpensive.
We took our toddler to Babies R Us in Dublin (we had some other
reason for being out that way) to check out several potties and
let him try sitting on a variety of different ones. :-) It
really helped us see what was likely to be easier/harder to use.
Holly
We have a regular white cushion-y seat that you put on top of a
regular toilet seat and I would NOT recommend it because I find
that it smells after a while. It seems as though the urine has
somehow gotten into it? I am not sure, but it is messy to clean-
always leaves a ring of urine on the toilet seat-and has many
crevices under the cushion (between the plastic part that fits
on the toilet) where urine can hide. I am not sure what else is
out there, but I will be looking for a new one soon.
MK
We used the Playskool potty with my first son. It seems to have
the features you asked for. The seat is removable and will fit
inside a larger toilet. The bowl is set in the base and is both
easily removed and simple to clean. the potty is fairly large
(something to consider in your bathroom) and could also be used
with it's top down as a step stool. It was just the right height
for my son to reach the sink for brushing his teeth. The
drawback was that the cushion on the seat-ring on ours came
unglued before our son was really done with the potty and ready
to transition so once in a while it would end up in the bowl
when he stood up. We got rid of ours, but will probably buy it
again when our second son is ready.
Rose
Our son LOVED the ''Children on the Go'' (ha ha) potty seat found at
Rockridge Kids... it makes a great step stool too, and the soft seat easily transfers to the real potty. Easy to clean, good product. (Come to think of it, I will post ours for sale after the 28th... drop me a note if you are interested. It's like new.)
Sooz
Sept 1999
My son of 2yrs. has been showing some clues that he might consider
using
the potty. I have seen such a wide variety of potty seats available,
I am
a bit befuddled about what "features" to look for. Any experienced
parents out there who can comment on what I might be looking for (for
example, do I really need one that is portable? How do kids feel
about
getting on the "big potty" rather than having one of their own? How
bad is
the clean up? Are there features that work better for boys? etc..)
Book
and video recommendations are also welcome.
Laura
I would like to know the experience of others regarding types of baby
pottys-- for both a boy and a girl. Which styles/ brands worked well/
poorly, and why? My toddler is sitting down on the bathroom scale
and
carefully peeing on it so, though I feel no urgency about toilet
training, I'd like to provide a mini-potty to look at/ get used to/
use
when she feels like it. Thanks.
The one we got at Toys-R-us came with a detachable splashcup for
boys. I don't
think we used it for our son.
Good feature: Its lid folds down to turn it into a step stool, which
we still
use (my son to reach the wall mirror, me to sit on while reading to
him while
he bathes).
Bad feature: Poor cleanability--the part under the seat that holds
the
removable catch basin is hard to clean and it gets all the splashes.
If I were
to buy another, I'd look at cleanability.
I've seen potties with built-in toilet paper holders and magazine
racks. I
never saw the need.
Fran
After buying a different potty seat, I saw one I liked better at a
friend's
house. I believe it isby Graco and she said she got it at Sears in
Hilltop. I like the fact that the toilet seat is cushioned and
removable.
I think my son would prefer a more comfy seat and my friend says she
just
stuffs the toilet seat in a plastic bag and takes it with her to
restaurants etc to place on top of toilets when they're out. Also
the pink
bowl underneath the seat is easy to handle for dumping the waste down
your
toilet.
Patricia
For my children, we used a book called 'Potty Training in Less than a
Day'.
Perhaps someone else will remember the author's name. It involves an
assessment on your part to determine whether the child is really
ready.
Then you go through a day where you provide training pants and a
potty (we
used a plastic, portable one called Baby Bjorn), lots of 'practice'
running
to the potty from various rooms in the house, treats, and rewards.
And lots
and lots of drinks, so they need to go! And a doll that wets. Best to
organize it so that other household members are gone during this time
-
then you can concentrate on the work with your child. (We were
distracted
by my husband's unexpected return to the house at a crucial moment!)
The
training is amazing, and really worked with my older daughter and
then with
my son. As I recall, they never wore diapers after that day, not
even at
night.
I must say that everything we did with my third child, a girl, was
more
casual...she took it upon herself to learn sort of 'ahead of time,'
since
she was imitating the others, but never took her 'mistakes' very
seriously.
So neither did we. The book helped us to treat accidents
matter-of-factly. It was useful for us to have one of these
low-to-the-ground, easy-to-empty potties both upstairs and
downstairs, and
even in the car. Very important item on long car trips! I've still
got one
in the garage, waiting for young visitors or grandchildren, someday!
Bonnie
I just went through this search and
found some surprising considerations none of the books (or
salespeople)
mentioned. The first ones I bought and took back immediately (by
First
Years I think) simply had too wide of a front on the seat so that my
toddlers (22 months when we first bought these) couldn't position
their
little bottoms over the opening properly. They were sitting too far
forward to possibly get anything into the pot! Also, many had a
non-removable deflector that bothered me (we have taken off the ones
that
came on ours they bugged the kids when trying to sit down). When I
looked
around many other brands had the same shaped seat and I bought the
Gerry
softseat model just for the seat shape that is like an adult one.
It's
worked great and an added bonus is the easy conversion to a step
stool
(just close the lid) so they use them for hand washing and
toothbrushing
all by themselves. A few more bucks but worth it for us. P.S. It's
not
too early if the kid wants to use it! Mine are liking and using the
potty
everyday, though certainly not every time yet, and they're not yet
two,
Good lUck.
I recently responded to a request for recommendations on potty seats
and
I mistakenly said we bought and liked the "Gerry soft
seat" when I meant a "Graco soft seat". I know the Graco can be found
at Rockridge Kids and I also saw it (on sale) in a "Toys R Us" ad. --
CK
this page was last updated: May 3, 2009
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.
Copyright © 1996-2013 Berkeley Parents Network