If you’re getting ready to potty train your child in the near future, you’ve probably been looking for potty training chairs.
You have many options, right?
Stylish, simple, one-piece, hand-painted, multi-purpose, gender-specific, and portable just to get you started.
Since you’ve probably ruled out buying one of each, how do you decide which one or two will work best for your child?
That’s a great question. Let’s take a look at various types of urinals and see what the main benefits of using each one are.
– Potty training chair or potty seat.
The first is the first; You’ll need to decide whether you prefer a potty chair (a child-sized toilet that sits firmly on the floor) or a potty seat (a child-sized toilet seat that fits on top of an adult-sized toilet) .
A potty chair means you never have to clean the potty bowl (that sounds good), but know that many toddlers aren’t comfortable climbing onto an adult-sized toilet right out of the box.
Multi-use urinals refer to urinals that can be separated and converted into urinals as well. Pretty smart, huh? Some of these can also be flipped over to make a stool. Just make sure you look for a snug fit for the potty when on the adult toilet and that there are no sharp edges when the potty comes apart.
– Gender specific – or not.
Most potties will work well for both boys and girls, but some are designed specifically for use by only one gender.
Frankly, while these potties work well, if you plan on having more than one child, you run the risk of needing a different potty next time. Things to look out for are splash guards that are tall enough to do their job for little kids, yet easy to mount for both boys and girls. Some splash guards are removable for girls, but be careful of sharp edges when removing the guard.
– One piece or removable bowl.
The simplest urinals are one-piece, easy-to-clean wonders. They’re sleek and rounded, with no edges to pinch little thighs.
However, many parents, myself included, prefer a removable potty chair. That means a little more potty cleaning, but it’s worth it when you flush the potty several times a day for months.
Look for a bowl that is also easy to remove. If you can do it with one hand, all the better. Eventually, you’ll want your child to do this task for themselves, so you don’t want anything complicated or easy spilling out.
– Travel and portable potties.
After potty training my four children, I can tell you that you will at least want to consider buying a travel chair or portable potty chair to take in your car.
So no matter how dirty the public bathroom is (or if it’s not available), potty training keeps going. You can get potties that fold up, have disposable liners, or even the entire potty is disposable.
You can also get collapsible potties to place on top of adult public restrooms to help your child feel safe and comfortable.
– Special urinals.
These are the funny potties. You can get musical potties (some make music when a sensor detects moisture, others just have a button your child can press to play a song), character potties, and hand-painted potties that turn into cute rocking chairs when your preschooler finish learning to go to the bathroom.
– Summarizing.
When shopping for potty training chairs, consider how you want to further train your child’s personality. Remember that you are going to be cleaning this A LOT and your child needs to feel comfortable and motivated while using it.
There are no right or wrong choices between these potties. You may need one in each of the bathrooms in your home and one in your car. Or you may decide that the best option for your family is a simple potty that can accompany you wherever you go.
That’s all good. The main point is to keep potty training positive and upbeat as you and your child go through this important growth milestone together.