So, let me tell you what I have discovered on my potty training journey.
1. This little potty rocks the house.
Update 11/18/14: I do believe the above potty has been discontinued (so sad!). However, the Baby Bjorn Smart Potty is only slightly larger and also excellent. My husband actually prefers the removable pot and finds it easier to clean. The Baby Bjorn potty chair is slightly bigger still, and is probably more appropriate for a baby at least 9 months old. The closest thing I have seen to the original now discontinued Baby Bjorn little potty is IKEA's LILLA potty ($5), which is much better than the one they made a few years ago and perfectly sized for a first potty for baby. The IKEA potty is also available on Amazon, but it's much cheaper at IKEA itself.
2. This potty sucks.
This potty was supposed to save me money because of the 3-in-1 (potty chair, potty seat to put on top of toilet, plus stool) business. During one potty session, my toddler didn't sit on the potty quite right, or perhaps all of his body parts weren't where they were supposed to be, and some of the pee did not go in the little removable pot. Instead, it went inside the 3,000 nooks and crannies inside this plastic monstrosity. Then, when I tried to use just the potty seat (what you put on top of a regular toilet) part of this potty, my son nearly ruined his private parts trying to sit on it with the pee guard -- which sticks up WAY too high and is WAY too thin and could do some serious damage to the family jewels. I returned it, but first I had to completely hose it down to get off all the pee inside.
When you buy a potty chair or seat, imagine your child sitting down WHILE peeing and you cleaning up the mess. Also imagine your child sitting down on the pee guard incorrectly and the possible bodily harm that may result. Also imagine how easily the pee guard will fall off the potty seat into the toilet. My sister fished a pee guard from a potty seat out of the toilet about 20 times and finally gave up and bought a different potty seat.
3. I love this potty seat.
The Baby Bjorn potty trainer seat is a thing of beauty. It was my THIRD attempt at a seat to go on top of the toilet. It fits on any size toilet seat -- you adjust it once, and then you never have to adjust it again. It is has a handle to make it easy to take on and off the toilet, and you can use the handle to hang it up if you want. It has a little bit of rubber around the bottom to keep it from slipping. It is a single piece of plastic -- no nooks for pee to get stuck in! The pee guard is the same size as on the little potty. Remember, if your pee guard to too large, it will be tough for your kid to even sit down. Also, removable pee guards may fall into the toilet and guess who gets to fish it out? So far, only the baby uses this potty seat much, but the toddler has tried it a time or two and likes it fine.
4. These underpants catch the little drips.
And the poops too if necessary. Since my toddler continues to poop in his underpants, I wash his poopy underpants with the cloth diapers, and they are holding up well. If your toddler pees in his clothes, his pants will get wet too, but you will probably avoid a puddle on the ground. Thanks to Jito for the tip about these!
5. These training pants are good for church and other outings where wet pants will be pretty inconvenient.
Easy to pull up and down. Good fit. Someone gave me some pull-ups and I kind of hated them. The sides tore so easily when my toddler pulled them up or down. Even when *I* pulled them up or down. I like these training pants much better. Plus, pull-ups are outrageously expensive. Even if you don't cloth diaper, if your child poops predictably, you should consider a couple of these training pants. You've washed clothes with pee in them before, right? Read reviews and comparisons of additional brands of training pants here and here.
7. Books and movies
I bought many books about potty training, and then returned the duds. The best ones (according to me and my toddler): Going to the Potty, Everyone Poops, and My Big Boy Potty. Note that these books do not show your child doing anything stupid (unrolling a roll of toilet paper, for example) in the bathroom. Why give them ideas? My toddler also loved the movie Elmo's Potty Time. My toddler still poops in his underpants, but when I say "Elmo poops in the potty," he looks like he's actually considering pooping in the potty for a moment. If you want to be greener than me, check them out from the library instead of buying them.
6. Prizes
There are no taboos for potty prizes, in my opinion. Stickers, cookies, toys, TV -- I'll use anything. One surprise was that my toddler actually prefers the teeny tiny stickers to the huge ones. Bonus for me!
For more tips, tricks, and tales from our potty training adventures, CLICK HERE.
What's your favorite potty training stuff?
I am so impressed with your 9 month old!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately we are struggling with the "I have to take my clothes completely off, becasue I am so short it tis the only way to get on the potty and then I can't really get them back on by myself" problem. I was so excited to be done with the cleaning of the little potty.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't really trained about standing up, but most public toilets are too tall for that for him any way.
Sorry for the over share.
Hey, entertaining and informative! Love the makeover, by the way. I was going to offer to do one for you, but now I don't have to. This fits you perfectly. It seems that girl potty training does not have as many challenges as boy potty training. We actually bought a regular toilet seat that has a built in seat for the kids. I love it for Sophie, but after reading this, I'm thinking it might not be as great for Landon (no guard). Glad I get to learn from you. I'm going to start making note of Landon's poops so I can get him on the potty!
ReplyDeleteNisha, so glad you like my new template. Boy potty training does have that pee guard issue, although boys have the advantage that they don't pee all over themselves every time they go #1 (I personally don't feel the need to wipe him at all after pee).
ReplyDeleteTeaching Money to Kids, I'm pretty sure I started the over-sharing by talking about potty training in detail at all. One problem with the potty seat (on top of the toilet) is definitely how hard it is to stand on the stool, pull down the pants, turn around and sit down while keeping pants around the ankles. And then stand up again. Kind of why I don't push it. I am so much happier cleaning the little potty than the poopy diapers (I use cloth), that cleaning the little potty doesn't phase me one iota yet. I plan to teach him to stand to pee when he's tall enough to do so without a stool -- although my sister says her boys have decided on their own when to start (with some not-so-fun cleaning tasks as a result).
Great ideas!! And that's awesome about your 9-month-old! My two-year-old wants no part in the potty. She loves pulling her pants down, wiping, flushing and washing her hands...she just refuses to get ON the pot...for anything, poop or pee.
ReplyDeleteOh well, in her own time I guess!
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Visiting from TILT!
Kelli @ SustainingCreativity
Love that seat too. I agree about the hated seat. I stored that seat between kid #1 and kid #2 and, even though I scrubbed and wiped every inch, it had nasty pee in it when I took it out...oh, that's hard to admit.
ReplyDeleteI love the movie Potty Power (I used it for Things I Love Thursday a few weeks ago). It has brain washing effects!
Visiting from TILT
Wow, thanks for the tip. I'm going to check for Potty Power at my library.
ReplyDeleteNine months? I can't even really comprehend that!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter loved the Elmo Potty movie. In the first week or so of potty training, I would sing the song that Elmo's daddy sings - and she loved it! Now she's over it and wants me to just be quiet while she goes. :)
My 2 girls practically potty trained themselves and we just did everything on the big potty. I have a seat that permanently attaches to the seat. I can't remember who makes it but it is lovely. I am dreading training my boy. UGH!!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing funnier than potty training. The Elmo Potty Time DVD is a blast. But nothing works as well as the little potty trainer. Now this one totally followed the KISS principle.
ReplyDeleteThat Mr Rogers potty book looks interesting. I wish Amazon let me see more pages. I borrowed the Elmo video from the library but it was scratched. :( I totally want to buy Everyone Poops. lol.
ReplyDeleteSo I did elimination communication with my son and we started when he was two weeks old, but when he was 3 months old he could sit on the Little Potty with assistance, and by 7 months he could sit on it unassisted. It's such a great potty. I like Baby Bjorn's bigger potty chair, too. And their toilet insert is the best--I wouldn't bother with any other brand. Although my son has just decided that he doesn't need it anymore (he's a small barely two-year-old) because he wants to hold himself up on the toilet. Oh, well, whatever works.
I am cracking up at "this potty sucks." I'm pregnant for the first time and this is a whole new world for me, but your blog is making it hi-larious and informative. I know this is an old post but I had to comment. I'm definitely sticking your blog at the top of my rss feeds.
ReplyDeleteI think that great potty is discontinued now. Having a hard time finding it anywhere besides e-bay.
ReplyDelete