I have a question about potty training......

We're planning to buy Alex a potty chair this summer so he'll get familiar with it in preparation for potty training next year sometime (he'll be 2 on 10/30).

My question is what to get? They have the seats that just fit over the adult seat....and then there's the little potty that's kid-size. Some of those have the seat that comes off and fits onto the adult seat.

Of course, the seat alone is the cheapest option....but which one gets the best results? I'd totally be willing to pay the extra $10 if it would make a difference. :)

I've heard (and agree with) the idea to get a kid-sized potty at least at first, because it helps with bowel movements to have their feet flat on the floor, something that doesn't happen when they're sitting on the adult toilet with their feet dangling two feet from the floor! :aok:

David loves his "little" toilet. It doubles as a stool so he can wash his hands. We have the Graco one with the removable seat.

Every kid is different and you wont know. Some train on the big potty, sitting, some stand, some use the little potty. :dunno:
We chose the Graco Soft Rewards potty. Its the 3-in-1 potty ---
*potty chair
*removable seat for big toilet (has handles that they can use for balance, especially handy for when they need to push for a BM)
*step-stool

Its also got the ever-important urine deflector that is of a decent size (our first potty chair didnt have a large enough one and pee went shooting up over it).

I've heard the same thing as Anne about getting a child-size potty rather than just an insert for the toilet--makes sense to me, although I'm not looking forward to emptying and cleaning it!

Pee isnt too bad to clean... I keep a thing of clorox clean-ups in the bathroom to wipe it clean (since the twins are obsessed with touching the damn thing!). Aidan has only pooped in the big one, so thankfully, I've never had to clean it :dead: , but I've heard to line it with a flushable kid wipe before they poop, then its MUCH easier to clean :aok:

Every kid is different and you wont know. Some train on the big potty, sitting, some stand, some use the little potty. :dunno:
We chose the Graco Soft Rewards potty. Its the 3-in-1 potty ---
*potty chair
*removable seat for big toilet (has handles that they can use for balance, especially handy for when they need to push for a BM)
*step-stool

Its also got the ever-important urine deflector that is of a decent size (our first potty chair didnt have a large enough one and pee went shooting up over it).

This is the one we bought!!! I read Karri's review in another thread and went for it. :lol:

I usually put a little bit of water in the bottom of it and everything slides right out. Then I take a clorox clean up and wipe it down. I think we have the same one Karri is referring to.

We have this one: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000046S2Q/qid=1110921124/sr=8-12/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i12_xgl75/104-1533543-3512716?v=glance&s=baby&n=507846

I like that the top comes off and will go onto a regular toilet and the lower half becomes a step stool.

This is the one we have:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00008URU5.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008URU5/103-1460426-1722215?v=glance&s=baby&me=A1F83G8C2ARO7P&vi=pictures&img=14#more-pictures)http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/baby/B00008URU5/qid=1110925310/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/103-1460426-1722215

I originally got it because I thought it would be better to teach Ava on a potty that looks just like mine. Also, I liked that it has a flusher. She really likes it but it does have some drawbacks:

1. The lid falls down on the child's back while they are sitting on it
2. The removeable seat doesn't seem like it will fit well on a big toilet, although it says it will. I haven't tried it yet, and will most likely buy a cushy one anyway when she's ready to transition to the big toilet.
3. It doesn't convert to a stepstool-so that's another thing to buy when the time comes.
4. The flusher is a fun feature, but she is now frustrated that the potties don't really "go away" when she flushes.

You'd think that for $30 you'd be done, but nope! So, overall, I'd say it's fun, it absolutely keeps her interest--but it's not the most economical choice.

BTW-Ava is not really training yet. I bought the potty so she could be exposed to it and use it if she wants to, but I am not planning to start actively teaching until this summer at the earliest. (But yesterday she asked me to take off her diaper while I was going and she peed in the potty!!! Twice!)

We have the same one as Karri

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000056JGW.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000056JGW/002-7075030-8452023?v=glance&s=baby&me=A1F83G8C2ARO7P&vi=pictures&img=14#more-pictures)

Riley loves the soft seat and the fact that she can put the seat on the big potty as well.

We have the same one as Karri. Cameron hated sitting on the little potty, so we use the ring on the big potty and the stepstool is right in front of the potty.

I haven't seen the Graco one at Target....but I did see a Parent's one for $15! It looks pretty similar...... :aok:

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I had never heard the thing about keeping thier feet flat on the floor for pooing. That's why I started this thread....because I always find out new info here. :)

Shannon - Toys R Us sells is. And it comes with stickers, which was a BIG deal. :lol:

We also have the Graco one. Another thing that I like about having the little potty is that they can use the potty at the same time as mommy or daddy...that was a big deal in the first few months of training Isabelle (of course, we're still training, so I don't know that we're a good role model! :rolleyes: )