Regular potty vs. the piece you put on top of the toilet?

mimivan

Sun, Apr 06 2008, 9:30 pm

I think it really depends on the child rather than on what's popular...also, I think it depends on the age.

My eldest really couldn't stand the thing with the 2 steps to put on the potty, but he trained later (2 1/2). He preferred making in a small potty and then making the transition to the big potty.

I think the step thing would be good for training a smaller child who needs the steps. Some children are afraid of the big potty without the insert. On the other hand, I have a feeling my toddler will prefer his own little potty (the trouble is, it has to be cleaned out...)

Tehilla

Sun, Apr 06 2008, 9:45 pm

I have both. I wanted DD to be comfortable with both, because we only have one bathroom--in order to make sure if the main one was occupied she would be able to go on the "little potty."

chaylizi

Sun, Apr 06 2008, 9:55 pm

I vote hands down for my (really I didn't make the name up) cushie tushie. It's made by mommy's helper- I think it comes in contoured and not & it has a little handle on the end to hang it up. It also comes with an adhesive backed hook to hang it on the side of your cabinet so your kid can reach it him/herself to put it down. Awesome product. At kidsurplus.com for $8.99 (no they didn't hire me to do any advertising)

ChavieK

Sun, Apr 06 2008, 11:29 pm

Try what you want first. see if it works for you.You can encourage with the type of seat you want & if that is all she is exposed to it will be fine.Some of my kids didn't want potty. My ds is turning 3 this week (having his upsherin) He is tiny only weighs 26 lbs & he wants to be like the other kids. Even asks to stand. At school he will sometimes use the seat. He can't get on himself as s/o mentioned, the step thing is good for that but mine won't use it.

mom7270

Sun, Apr 06 2008, 11:32 pm

I used the peice that you put on top of the seat for dd and it was so funny cause she got so used tp it that we had to take it with us wherever we went. she called it "my toilet" it was a bit of a pain but now she doesnt use it anymore, hmmmm wonder what we'll do for ds, but hey boys are a whole nother parshah.... Wink

louche

Mon, Apr 07 2008, 12:49 am

potty, definitely, unless your bathroom is so teeny it can't accommodate one. no climbing, no fear of falling in, kid can use it without help, and in an emergency you can have two kids taking their comfort at once. (think stomach flu epidemic. or too many sugar-free candies. ) and, if you have a van or minivan, you can use it in an emergency if you're stuck dead in traffic and there's no side-of-the-road foliage for cover. Just bring along a supply of thick plastic bags to line the pot, tie securely and double or triple-bag after the kid's done his thing, and disaster has been averted.

you'll kind of miss the security of the potty-as-backup for long road trips once they outgrow it. Hey, there've been times I wished I had one big enough to use myself.

GAMZu

Mon, Apr 07 2008, 1:16 am

I start out with a potty and switch to insert later on.
I think a potty is great, because like others have mentioned, a bathroom can be occupied, and a toilet insert doesn't allow the child to be totally independent. (Well, depends when you train. I start training before age 2, so they really can't put the seat on and climb on in time.)

My current woe is that our trusty, beloved potty broke Crying

and I couldn't get a replacement. It was an off brand, but my kids LOVED it. So I got a Baby Bjorn, which is good, but my 2 y.o. didn't take to it much. So while he was ALMOST trained on the other potty, he totally stopped going on this one. Sad

yo'ma

Mon, Apr 07 2008, 7:33 am

I don't understand how anyone uses a potty. To clean it out...yuck, yuck, yuck!!! It's bad enough I have to wipe 3 tushies (pardon my language), but also a toilet, yuck! (Don't compare it to a regular toilet.)

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Apr 07 2008, 9:41 am

I am using an insert. No mess to clean. And my kid is short -- read, VERY short. And he has no trouble getting on there himself. And he knows how to put the insert in all by himself (he figured it out before me!) He takes it off when he's done and hangs it up. We do have a stool for him to climb with, but I don't think it makes matters worse (truth is that he's had excellent self-control for a while so he can probably hold it in longer than kids starting to be trained), but then again he needs the stool as well for washing hands.

greenfire

Mon, Apr 07 2008, 10:01 am

louche wrote:

if you have a van or minivan, you can use it in an emergency if you're stuck dead in traffic and there's no side-of-the-road foliage for cover.

do you seatbelt in the potty ... Rolling Eyes

so bagged poop is this a new luxury ... I prefer mine in the sewer system ... you leave a little water with clorox in the potty and clean it out with a wipe after each use - same work as wiping a "tushie" ...

GAMZu

Mon, Apr 07 2008, 10:09 am

Quote:

And my kid is short -- read, VERY short. And he has no trouble getting on there himself. And he knows how to put the insert in all by himself (he figured it out before me!) He takes it off when he's done and hangs it up.

Well, how old is he? My 2 year old is as tall as his brother's classmates who are 4, but he's still young and doesn't have such motor skills yet.

Quote:

you leave a little water with clorox in the potty and clean it out with a wipe after each use

Do NOT

put chlorine in the potty. When it mixes with the ammonia in urine, it produces toxic fumes. And even if not that, I wouldn't risk leaving a dangerous chemical sitting around where kids can reach it.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Apr 07 2008, 10:16 am

GAMZu wrote:

Quote:

Well, how old is he? My 2 year old is as tall as his brother's classmates who are 4, but he's still young and doesn't have such motor skills yet.

Before 2.5 he was climbing on there by himself.

louche

Mon, Apr 07 2008, 10:17 am

greenfire wrote:

louche wrote:

if you have a van or minivan, you can use it in an emergency if you're stuck dead in traffic and there's no side-of-the-road foliage for cover.

do you seatbelt in the potty ... Rolling Eyes

no, love, you put it on the floor of the minivan. This is not something you do just stam when you don't want to be bothered stopping at the rest area. You use it only in direst emergency, when you're 12 miles past the previous rest area and 13 miles before the next one, the nearest exit is 7 miles past the rest area, there's a five-car pileup 2 miles ahead of you, traffic is one giant parking lot in both directions for 5 miles on either side of the accident, and you and everyone else around you is sitting at a dead stop right in the middle. What are you going to do, let your 3 year old go in his pants? leave the car so you can take the kid to the side of the road where he can pee in full view of all the other motorists? Expect a 3-year-old to be able to control his urge for another hour or two till the accident is cleared, traffic gets moving again, and you reach the rest area?