All Aboard ... The Potty Train
The weekend was spent researching thee fundamental toddler milestone. Potty training.
Our 18 month old has started to show a wee bit of interest (a lot of wee, a little interest). He tells us when he goes and is oddly fascinated with the toilet.
I've read countless articles and reviews and am left with 1 question. Since you helped me immensely with your toddler traveling tips, I must ask my peeps.
DOES the chair really matter? Chair? No chair? Toilet ring?
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| The Über Potty | The Par-tay Pot-tay | The Tar-ghetto Pee-n-Go |
Any and all advice is appreciated. What works for you?
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2 of mine are past the potty seat stages and then we are just getting back into it with our 3rd (19 months). I think simpler is better. Look for one thats easy to clean and stable. Don't look for one that will later fit on the real toilet (because the ones meant to fit on the toilet only are better when you get to that stage). My two boys liked the stand alone potty we have (its a musical one without batteries in it) and when they mastered that we switched to a cushy seat that fits on the real toilet and a step stool.
* our boys never liked the pee guard, it can hurt their boy parts so we took those off all our potty seats.
I just had a simple, no frills one for my little girl. She did well and was fairly easy. I hear boys are more difficult. I'm interested in hearing other commentors experiences as we are going to be facing these questions within the year.
Good luck!
The only advice I have is to not get frustrated, be patient and don't push it if you find out he's not ready.
My oldest wasn't trained until 3.5! My younger son says he'll go "potty" when he's 3, which will be next month...we shall see.
Good luck!
I let my daughter pick hers out. Good thing because she was very insistent on which one she wanted but she was so excited to go in it when we got home and that's the point! Luckily, she picked out the cheapest Target brand one.
Our kids just weren't impressed with potties. (pottys?) They wanted to use the big potty like mommy and daddy did. It made it easy for us.
I'm pretty sure it doesn't make a difference. If there are certain features -- like music or flushing sounds -- that you think would add incentive, that might affect your decision. I had a plain old boring potty for one girl and a fancy, Winnie-the-Pooh flusher for the other one, and both decided to train themselves outside where mom didn't care when and where it happened! (it's the relatively unexplored redneck method...)
Hmm . . . I'll be interested to see what peeps say. I'm considering skipping the little potty chair all together, but it's not like we've been doing much work on the topic lately.
i wouldn't invest much money in it, as i discarded the old one and bought a new one for my second child. i would go with something pretty simple.
as for training.... my advice is that when a child is truly ready, he/she will train his/her self. for both my sons, it went very quickly once they were ready.
If he likes it, he'll use it.
would a hole in the floor work? No? Hell.
Both of my kids trained better on the actual toilet than the little pottys. I think this also works since if we are out or at church or a friend's house...they can still go potty without freaking out. With #3, I don't even plan on using the little ones at all.
Honestly, I think potty chairs are used about 2 months. Go cheap and simple is my advice. For a boy, one that has a bit of a guard or lip in front to block the unavoidable p*nis sticking straight out spraying whatever is in front of the lad. I liked the bjorn potty for this. He could sit easily and comfortably and it never sprayed me while I cheered on.
KEEP BELIEVING
Neither one of mine used a chair. I just got one of those super sturdy rings (not the cheap A ones at Walmart either)...that go directly on the toilet. I did have to get a stepstool though as well. I taught Will to go sitting down at first. I figured until he got the aim thing down, he was sitting. Once he got a hang of it, we threw cheerios in the toilet and he had to "sink" them! I know another mom that painted a bulleye on the bottom of her toilet. But she had four boys! I couldn't imagine having to clean up all those spills....anyway, the only time we used a seat was on roadtrips.
Dang that was long...I guess I have strong feelings about it!
To be honest I hate potty chairs. Hate them. Hate the pee spillage. Hate cleaning them. Hate all of it. We used a couple of them with our first boy and then learned from our mistakes and went straight to the toilet seat with our second. It was so much easier. And he loved feeling like a big boy on the big potty.
If you can, have him pee standing up right away. Those little boys think that is the coolest.
They have really great potty seats that fit right onto the toilet. Our boys liked the ones with handles the best cause they felt a little safer.
The pee guard always seemed to make a bigger mess, and sometimes hurt their little legs. Eventually we just learned to take a big wad of toliet paper and tuck their weiners down with it. Works much better.
Both of my older boys were completely potty trained around 2 years old. It is just consistancy. Once they know that this is how it is now they adapt really quickly. They were scared of pooping though. So we bribed them. hehe They got a Hot Wheel each time they pooped (for the first 4 or 5 days) and a sticker for each pee. Worked really well.
Sheesh! Sorry I wrote a book here.
Good luck!
That middle one with the handle and all is not something that was around (even 5 years ago) with my kids - that is very cool. I only ever found that the potty's came in handy on trips - otherwise, I didn't find that it encouraged any of them to go potty - that was just my 4! Stars and charts did help with ALL of them though. Good luck - it is not that much fun!
I'm sorry to hear that I was mistaken about you going to SF. Someone told me, but they must have heard wrong. I wish you were!
Take care - Kellan
i have to tell you, i never used a separate chair. i just used the seat insert. because i didn't want to have to go through two separate stages of training....
and i agree, the pee guards can hurt.
I'd keep it simple and go with something easy to clean, as someone said. My little guy refused to use a potty chair because he wanted to use the big potty like Big Sis does. So, I got him the one that fits over the toilet. When-big when-he goes, he uses it.
I - well, Matt has something like the first pic (with cover). But I think I made a mistake when I bought it. Because when I bought it, Matt became too fascinated of it -and if I'm not mistaken thinks of it as a toy. He actually didn't use it for its purpose. I bought a simpler one (and smaller) -which is his current "tool."
We did the Bjorn chair for awhile (and for traveling) - but if you can do the big potty - do the big potty - LESS TO CLEAN!
I am still working on it, and my son will be 3 in September. I bought the seat that goes on top of the toilet. It seems to work since he sees us (his daddy and I) go to the big potty.
Three down and one to go, I don't think it matters. Grab a bunch of books and he won't be paying attention to the seat at all.
Good for you for attempting. And if it doesn't work yet, put it away for a few months and try again.
Wow. If he's ready, you're lucky. My son is 2 1/2 -- and he is adamantly anti potty. I'm hoping he warms up to it by his early teens.
We got a good potty for our daughter at Target for less than $15 -- considering how much it gets peed on, I'm glad we didn't spend more. Easy to clean and works fine. Look for one that has a seat that goes on the little potty or on the big one. I like that feature.
The best piece of advice I can give you is to follow his lead. Potty training is a delicate thing. Everyone achieves it at their own rate. And when they do, it is AWESOME! I think the biggest mistake parents make is getting themselves invested in the outcome. Kids sense that and it backfires. My son was 3 years 2 months when we really started. He had shown signs of readiness, was peeing in the potty some of the time. At that point we just put him in underwear and I was open to him having accidents. He had very few and got it, including poop, within 10 days. He was just ready. He started out with a Target brand simple nondescript potty. He was scared of the toilet. Then we got a cushy insert and he used that. Then he progressed to standing. It all came together. So, much for a short comment...
Congrats on the interest shown! That is very exciting. Having the potty be a "friendly" place is key. My kids also watched that silly video a lot called "It's Potty Time" put out by Duke University. They loved it.
Um. Naked from the waist down for a week in the house. Just put lots of towels on your furniture. I used a potty seat on the toliet and a step stool. (Boys sit facing the tank, girls sit normally forward.)
Yep, it's a tough week but when it's over, you're done! :)
Hey, I came over from KEEP BELIEVING. Nice to meet you. I like your blog, your haikus, and your photos!
um...potty training. My girl didn't make it official til she was three, my boy was nearly four. :0) I'd say don't stress, when he's ready he'll really get into it. We just used a cheap one, or put them on the little seat that goes on top of the pot.
Good luck!!
We only did the toilet seat insert. Your guy is pretty young though...you'll need a stool if you go with the big toilet.
Maybe involve him in the choice...might make the whole thing that much more fun for him master.
Heidi
This is definitely a topic that I'm keen on these days. Can't wait to read all the comments you'll get.
I'm thinking simple is better, too. When they transition to the big potty, it isn't going to serenade them when they "pee pee in the potty."
I never used a potty chair for any of mine. I use a ring that fits on the toilet.
No complaints here.
My biggest advice is to be patient. You can't force 'em to go...they will when they're ready.
Good Luck!
Oh I had to come back to mention my "car potty". Its just a very basic potty that I bought that fits neatly between the driver and passenger seats of my mininvan. There is a tray there between the seats so the potty is hidden under it but you could keep it in the trunk or where ever you have room. when I am out with 3 kids and one of them has to go its so EASY. My oldest is 5 and he still occasionally needs to use it and I'm much happier to use that than to rush back into a store or school and its great for at the park where there is no potty.
We got a potty-training chair for our daughter and she never used it. She would sit on it and play for hours, but never did her business in there. We just bought seats for the toilet and she did just fine.
I think potty chair are good. If you buy one that he picks out he may like to use it more.
I do not know if anyone else had this problem but after using the potty chair it was hard for me to get my son to use the real toilet. Which caused a problem when we were in public. So after that I have always used the seat that fits inside the toilet with my other kids. That way the got use to the height of a real potty. But do not take advise from me, my first child has always presently me with problems no one elses kids have ever had.
Good luck!!!!
Just be warned he may be interested now but then lose interest, do not be discouragd, he will get it, eventually. Or you may be lucky and he will train early.
Okay, here is my two cents....The potty chairs are great when they are first starting out, but I hate cleaning them out. As soon as you can, get them on the toilet and get the little potties that you can use the pieces to make a big potty. My sister just went right for the rings that they have and a step stool- just depends on how coordinated your kid is.
Start out with him sitting- wait for the standing. Then when the standing comes, check behind your toilet and all around the base. They tend to not pay attention and that stuff can get funky if it isn't taken care of... :) If ya know what I mean- ewwwwww...boys :)
Don't ask me. We got the one in the middle (par tay chair) & it there was mild interest before REFUSAL. WE are STILL at REFUSAL. I want to kill. He's nearly three.
Somehow I think all moms end up writing about their experiences with the wonders of potty training. I've got a few tips and frustrations here
http://www.killlashandra.org/wordpress/?p=110
and here
http://www.killlashandra.org/wordpress/?p=197
What the potty actually looked like really didn't seem to matter to W.W. as much as him being interested in actually doing the potty thing himself. And really I don't see him being completely potty trained until after age 3. 2 and half we're at the stage where if I remember to take him, he always goes. If you forget to take him he does not always tell you until after the accident. ;)
Lots of luck, you'll need it.
Aidan is Developmentally delayed so potty training hasnt worked, well, just started working at all at 3 1/2. He just uses a step stool to go in the big potty, the chair i bought 2 years ago ish is just a toy to him. But he does like having his very own step stoll for the potty and reaching the sink.
We have one with the catcher that slides in under the hole. I don't recommend this design for two reasons:
1) If your child unleashes a particularly torrential, um, release, there is going to be some escapage between the basin and the seat. It's inevitable.
2) If your toddler is stubbornly independent (is there any other kind?) they will want to dump the pee from the potty into the toilet ALL BY THEIR BIG SELVES! If that happens, there is going to be sloshage.
If I had to buy one again, I would just buy one of those little potty seats that goes right over your big toilet. You can take it anywhere, there is no transfer required and it gets them used to perching on the big toilet.
Escapage?
Sloshage?
For the record, I realize those aren't real words.
That is all.
Our little boys would be such fun rients. How about a play date? I live in Utah, so shouldn't be too far.. HAHA. He is also starting to show a little interest, and I rushed out a bought him a potty. He loves to sit on it, but that is it. Interesting comments here.. please keep us updated!!! I have missed so much while I was away!
i tried a bunch of different potties. the ones i had the most success with...with all 3 of my kids...was the one that you put right on to the toilet seat. my youngest...he loved his spongebob and patrick seat! i really think that those are the easiest ones...and, you can get a little stepstool for him to use to climb up...
like heather...my boys hated the pee guard. they are removable so, we just taught the boys to push their package downwards!!
anyway...i'm ready when you are!! i need a vacation!! without my children and husband!!! just say the word!!
xoxo
whichever one you get...make sure you have the "pee pee guard" on the front. That's all I'm sayin'...
Get the movie Potty Power. Its way corny but the kids love it. We used a flip down potty seat instead of a separate. Just be patient too, they all are ready when they say so, not when we say so!
I am hanging on EVERY WORD with this one because we've had a hard time finding a potty for our two little boys.
We didn't have the room in our bathroom for the potty seat so we just got a step stool and the seat that sits on the toilet so they wouldn't fall in. It seemed to make life easier when we were somewhere other than home, also, because the big potty wasn't so threatening...
I am subscribing to this thread as it is near to my heart right now! THANK YOU for asking this. Very interesting.
I have nothing. Good luck. *laughing*
The one we used could be attached to the real toilet as well as sit on the ground. I found it helpful when they were trained and mostly going on the potty, as it helped to avoid little tushies falling in the water.
Lizzy
i'm back. come by and get my gift. Play the game only if you like.
Step away from the singing potty! That's all I have to say. That darn potty sings when IT feels like it and when you bump it the slightest and if the sensors are wet at all the pee will not trip it to start singing which will lead to a big huge crying fit.
I had a simple Graco and before the seat cushion broke it was WONDERFUL. No frills, easy to clean, and it worked.
Oh and we also tried the cheapy Target knock off of the Bjorn and it was alright - no cracks and stuff to get nasty. Easy clean.
If you could though I would really try getting him to the potty so you don't have to fuss with anything. I know I'm going to do that with Evan. I don't want to mess with cleaning a mini potty anymore.
No chair! Potty ring--the Circo brand at Target has (or had a year and a half ago!)a ring with no nooks or crannies for pee to seep into and a plastic covered foam ring. Fully rinseable and bleachable. It also has a detachable peepee shield that we never used. We just used that and a stepstool. Good luck--hard times ahead!
I'm not reading through all those comments so if any of this is duplicate advice... oh, well.
The potty seat was helpful during potty training but is now essential to Princess's ability to go potty all on her own. As in Honey and I don't have to get up if she has to pee in the middle of the night.
She has the one you listed as the uber potty - she picked it out herself. We took her shopping, let her sit on the display models and pick the one she wanted. Thus no arguments when we got home!
And one time when we went on a road trip we threw the potty in the back of the van in case she had to go while we were in the middle of no where. Sure enough the mommy instinct paid off that day. We simply pulled off the road, let her sit on the potty in the van. No praying that she could hold it until we found a gas station, fast food place.
i think someone would get very injured if I tried to throw a bowling ball with my left hand.
or tried to flush that middle potty. you want simple to use and easy to clean.
I went as simple as possible.
I've heard that the potties that have all of the bells and whistles can be very distracting and even scary to some children.
The best way to teach a boy is to let him "go" outside. Girls are a little more challenging, but they tend to like copping a squat in the tub.
My vote: the potty makes no difference. They're gonna do it when they're good and ready.
Potty training, huh? Just arm yourself with lots of patience. That would help immensely...
Wow, 55 previous pieces of advice. If you post it, we will come.
Yup, we're in the throws of this issue as well. No advice, per say, just let you know what we use. Two bathrooms one up one down; upstairs, the Baby Bjorn potty chair - easy cleanup, just his size. Down stairs, Safety First potty seat for the regular toilet with a step stool (from Target). He likes this option, too.
Now if MOMMY would only be consistent.
I'm about 6 months away from this but it's never too early to start researching! Lots of helpful info! I never realized how many potty seats there were....wow!
DO NOT EVEN MENTION THE WORDS P---- T-------! I'm trying to repress those memories. Let's just say I was pretty sure Zach was going to graduate from college in Pullups.
I worked in day care with toddlers for several years and did lots of potty training. We didn't have any special chair- just a little toilet the right size for a toddler.
But- I would think if you maybe let your toddler pick out a chair he might be more excited to use it. Not sure though- let me know how it works since Hailey will soon be joining the potty training fun.
Hey! I tagged you for a fun meme...check it out!
Obviously, this is on my mind. But ours hasn't shown the slightest bit of interest. I'm dreading it all, honestly, so I'm very curious to know your experience.
Oh, and how do you feel about this. First time I saw it, I laughed. Now, I'm wondering if I should take it seriously.
Forget the potty chair. Potty ring! Potty ring! Go..... Dora!
The Bjorn is easy to clean and fits in the dishwasher.
we used a potty chair only because I could really talk it up...
Like...
Look YOUR own little potty just for your pees and poops...who's a big boy now???
ha. The ring is NICE too for when they get out of the "i need my own potty, I wanna pee like you mommy" stage. :D
good luck.
Mama of three here...posted my Favorite Seat of all time over here:
http://stretchmarkmama.blogspot.com/2007/09/works-for-me-wednesday-baby-bjorn.html
Neither of my sons used a potty chair. I did buy one for my youngest son and he wouldn't sit on it.
Good luck!
Bowling with engineers . . . hee hee. My engineer hubby is a bowler. I went with him once to watch his league play. I went once . . . only once. That's all I needed.
I am so thrilled you asked this. I have read all your comments (there are SO many) so that I am in the know come J's time to "pee pee in the potty."
Tha urge matters.
Identifying the urge matters.
Identifying the urge and getting to the potty on time matters.
The make or design of the potty doesn't matter.
I'm qualified to speak. I have three kids. I just KNOW these things!!
wow!
I just taught mine on the real toilet.
who knew?
wow!
I just taught mine on the real toilet.
who knew?
We started with a fisher-price potty, but after gagging every time I emptied it, I got the Primo freedom trainer. It's a ring and step all in one and it folds away easily!
It made potty training (almost) fun.
http://www.amazon.com/PRIMO-Freedom-Trainer-Toilet-White/dp/B00081L334
Do you care what your toilet looks like...
Well...I don't :)
Sammy has a little Elmo potty...it is a start :)
Same as you...lots of wee...little interest...
Bradley
The Egel Nest
Doesn't matter. When he is truly ready, he'll train in a week. Don't push it.
Well, I didn't have a fancy seat for my crew but I looked for ease of cleaning and the little guard for the boys. It wasn't until they were a little older than I got them the ring for the big toilet.
I think a little potty is best because they can also run to it anytime they want and get on it by themselves where they can't do that on the big toilet.
I am so ashamed. We have the Tar-ghetto pee-and-go.
Never used it though so can't offer advice.
Just so very ashamed.
T used the chair... um, but that was a long time ago. I remember though, when it came down to it, the main thing that worked was asking him if he had to go.... about 8 million times a day.
I do not like Toilet Rings or whatever they are called. Children need to learn how to use the toilet with a child's size toilet. It's been said (and I really don't remember where) that children MUST be able to rest their feet firmly on the floor in able to use the toilet. Now, whether or not that's true is a different story all together.
In my opinion; go with a very simple one. Not one with bells and whistles. It's just a waste of money.
Definitely do not push it. My son is almost 4yrs old and is JUST now getting to the point of know when he's GOING. Not when he needs to go, but when he's in the middle of going.
For our son, we've got the Elmo potty insert (that thingy that sits right on your own toilet). He's just too tall for the kiddie potties. Our daughter is a little bitty thing so she is perfectly happy to go on the kiddy potty we originally bought for her brother. It's a great one that makes a flushing sound and lets you record your own message. Ours cheers them on when they flush.
We got a potty video too and I am not kidding when I tell you that as soon as the video was over our daughter stripped naked and went potty. I thought, well, that was easy!
Needless to say, it wasn't that easy after that. But the video works. Of course, who has time to pop a video on everytime we want them to go.
Maybe we should install a personal dvd player in the bathroom. oy!
Damn. Looks like you have a *ton* of great advice to sort through. So it's irrelevant but...
No. Potty doesn't matter.
But keep the potty chair after it's brief use in the house. It's great for the car later.
Sound gross? Yeah, well, better than a gas station.
I think it's good to pick up an inexpensive potty chair, as well as a potty ring. Some of my kids have preferred the ring, and some the potty seat.
Good luck!
If you get a potty seat, you don't have to clean it between each freaking use. If you get a white potty chair, it collects dust in the bowl and makes your bathroom look disgusting.
The Baby Bjorn potties are all the rage, but it's difficult to pour the pee into the toilet without dribbles, because there's no spout or anything. I really like the Baby Bjorn potty seat.
I'm going to fully agree with "LifeAsIKnowIt": Wait until they are fully ready to train them. We put out the potty seat (just a basic one by Safety1st) and didn't push the issue. When they told me they wanted to use the potty, it only took a day or 2 to train them. Each of them only used the potty chair for a little while and then moved to the ring on the big potty.
Another tip.. from day one teach THEM to empty the pot as part of the process. It will make your job MUCH easier. Here is a link to our method if you are interested.. http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2007/09/where-have-you-been.html
So to answer your question, I don't think the potty seat will make all that much of a difference. IMO, buy the cheapest one because they might not use it for very long! ;)
Best of luck to you!
If you do go with a potty chair, get one with as few seams as possible. Crevices on an item meant to be pooped on? No thank you.
We got a fancy potty seat the first time around. That was a mistake. It made a flushing noise, and it freaked my daughter out.
We had more luck with a no-frills model. That, and having Grandma do the potty-training for us. :)
We took the boys to the store and let them pick one out. They both picked the very dull blue and green potty because it came with stickers. That and they said the other ones were too girly. I say they have to use it, why not let them pick it- however I think I would have changed my mind if they had chosen something super fancy and trimmed in gold. They made reasonable choices, so that is what they got.
I only used the potty chair with my oldest. She did great potty training with it but when we would go in public and she had to use the BIG toilet she was scared to death. I used the toilet seat thing with my son and he did fine. With the last one she just hopped up on the toilet and did not care if she fell through. LOL!
Good luck!
Linda
My oldest (girl) used a chair (no bells and whistles, just a plain potty chair) for a little while. We found it was easier to just use the regular potty since they have to use that when you are out anyway. We did use the little potty in the van, for long rides. Here's a trick from my friend---put a diaper in the bottom of the potty to absorb the pee pee---no messes in the car.
Also, the more parts the potty has, the more places to clean pee pee out of!
Definitely don't force it! It's much easier when they are ready.
You don't need a chair that's fancy, just a plain one will do. I liked using them when trainign my girls because I'd put it int he living room and they'd have no problem sitting for a few minutes while watchign their favorite tv show. Every so many days I'd move the potty closer to the bathroom. Worked great for me:) Good luck!
My son showed interest around the same time, but it took some time. We started by just sitting him on the potty at the same times every day (after waking, before bed, etc.) Sometimes he'd go, sometimes not. We also let him go bare bottomed at home and that seemed to help. He pee trained before poop, but has recently caught on to that too. Now, I'd say he's completely day trained at 27 months. Good luck!
My only advice would be...keep it simple. I prefer a little seat on the ground (instead of the ring you put on the normal toilet) because it's easier for them to sit on. And my kids would sit for a few second, hop up and look in there, sit some more, hop up and check, sit, hop, sit, etc. It was satisfiying and rewarding for them to be able to see what was going on in there.
Take it for what it's worth...but it worked for me;)
Daiquiri
We used the potty chair. I think the big potty is just to intimidating to little ones. Plus, you can take it with you when you travel. Then they always have their potty. Eventually, your child will adjust to the big potty.
We've tried both. I'd go with the seat that goes on the real potty. Think about cleaning up the little potty. Not pretty. The step stool is a pain but it's worth it. Also, if they only go on the little potty. traveling outside the house may be a problem.