Which Potty Seat?

Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Which kind of potty seat for 18-month-old?

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!

Good potty seat for 19-month-old

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

Cleaning the potty chair

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

Where to buy a good potty seat

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

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

What kind of potty seat should I get?

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...

Low-to-the-ground potty seat for 12-month-old

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!

Do you have a potty chair you're happy with?

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

Potty seat that goes directly on the toilet?

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

What's a good potty seat that's easy to clean?

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 [at] 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

What features should I look for in a potty seat?

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