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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To buy a potty, a toilet seat AND a portable potty?

36 replies

1gglePiggle · 10/08/2011 14:20

Do you think it's unnecessary? I like the look of the pourty potty for at home, already have a toilet seat and been reading about how invaluable these portable ones that turn into bags or have liners are.

Want to be fully prepared before I start of 21 month old dd.

OP posts:

pranma · 10/08/2011 14:26

I would get a 'to[o]dle loo' fold up toilet seat.It fits in a hand bag and is invaluable for public loos.
Just take normal potty out with a roll of kitchen paper and some nappy bags.If there is a loo use the seat if not have other stuff in a carrier bag.Line potty with a few sheets kp and put in nb after use.Use a wipe round the potty afterwards.I used this for dgs in a corner of the local library and it worked very well.Carrier bag with used bags can be disposed of in the bin when you get home.

worraliberty · 10/08/2011 14:27

I only ever bothered with a potty...never needed a portable one or a toilet seat

squeakytoy · 10/08/2011 14:29

Same here as Worra..

plupervert · 10/08/2011 14:29

Having a pot in each room (or a lot of rooms) is a good idea, so don't be defensive about it! WE went for a more throne-like/ chair-like effect for DS's pots, which he seemed comfortable with.

I keep the portable one (Potette) in my changing bag, and it is great for travelling, when a full-sized loo seat is just not practical to transport (or desirable - ugh, all the drips they catch...).

It all depends on how adaptable your child is, and you should probably accept that you may waste your money on one or two things, rather than getting stressed about making The Right Choice.

Has your DC you tried out the "facilities" at friends' houses/nursery?

kittensliveupstairs · 10/08/2011 14:32

YANBU, although if your DD is anything like mine she refused to go on anything other than a proper toilet. I got several potty's, a special seat to stop her skinny arse disappearing and a step. She declined all of them and often fell through the gap .
Even when we were out and about she insisted on using a proper toilet but accepted and enjoyed the squat ones which are common in Bangkok.

pranma · 10/08/2011 14:33

Just checked -the seat is called toodle loo and comes in a plastic packet.It costs £7.99 from Amazon and worth every penny.

worraliberty · 10/08/2011 14:34

Perhaps it's easier for me having 3 boys but I always held mine on the toilet if they needed a poo...they soon learnt to grip the sides with their hands.

If we were travelling and they needed a wee, we'd stop the car and they'd pee up against the wheel

Indith · 10/08/2011 14:43

I never bothered with portable potty or anything either. I have a potty at home but just held them on the loo when out, worked fine and if they are used to it then you don't get situations where you are caught out and they refuse to go on the big, scary toilet.

DogsBestFriend · 10/08/2011 14:44

Neither of my children ever used a potty in their lives yet both were toilet trained by about 2.5 years old.

Without trying to cause controversy WHY do people train their children to use a potty only to have to then start all over again in training them to use a toilet? Why not just use a toilet seat and toilet train and be done with it?

valiumredhead · 10/08/2011 15:00

Ds hated using a potty at home - dh taught him to aim and fire from 2 and a half, we used a portable potty when we were out and about for emergencies.

Indith · 10/08/2011 15:01

DBF I kind of agree really. Often makes it easier at home though, for instance our house is long with a downstairs bathroom and no other loo, it is quite a long way for a desperate chaild to get to the bathroom, I have had a fair few poos in teh middle of the kitchen floor on route to the loo! Keeping a potty upstairs in their bedroom makes a lot of sense, especially at night!

Lindax · 10/08/2011 15:07

We had potty and toilet seat, never needed anything portable as luckly ds has the bladder of a camel and trained very quickly, just had to make sure he went before we went out anywhere. when out just held him on the loo.

We also had a step which helped ds to get up and down from toliet and also made him more stable. It also gave him something to push against when moving bowels (sorry if tmi).

howabout · 10/08/2011 15:08

I have 2 DDs and never used a potty and both trained at 2.5 years. Never used a child toilet seat either. Did use a children's footstool for them to put feet on though. I just couldn't get my head round cleaning potties and messy toilet seat attachments. I never had to fish anyone out of the bowl and I never held anyone over the seat. I only have 18 months between my 2 so didn't devote loads of time and effort to the endeavour either and they were both dry day and night within a fortnight. Also you want to teach them right from the start to use the bathroom and wash their hands properly and I think potties all over the house inhibit this. I think the secret is to wait until they are properly ready and remember to remind them to go for a pee regularly. So just from my own perhaps extremely fortunate personal experience YABcompletelyU.

MyMamaToldMe · 10/08/2011 15:10

We had a normal potty (in the lounge), a throne like potty upstairs and a portable (polette) potty, and my DD used all 3 all the time while potty training. We still carry the pollete as actually its quite usful for when she needs a wee and there isn't a loo in sight (like when we were walking in a forest the other day!) Oh and when we were out and she had to go to a public loo, she quite happily let hold her on one. She still uses her potty at home, but is equally happy using a toilet too.

MyMamaToldMe · 10/08/2011 15:10

*excuse typos - should really check before I post!

TheseThingsAreGoodThings · 10/08/2011 15:17

pottete travel potty is potentially useful for years if you do a lot of emmmm .... travel.

Ours just lives permanently in the car boot.

We just went on a long driving holiday and it was useful for poos when we had to stop urgently at the road side and no toilet in sight.

I have to confess to having used it myself when we were stuck in a two hour motorway pile-up

DogsBestFriend · 10/08/2011 15:51

howabout, I also have 2 DDs with just a month in age more between them than your two and like yours, as I said, trained at 2.5 -ish within a couple of weeks.

There the coincidences and similarities end as I do remember DD1 falling bottom first into the toilet with her legs sticking up! :o

howabout · 10/08/2011 15:53

DogsBestFriend told you I was just lucky

Firawla · 10/08/2011 15:59

i bought all of those things but the portable potty never got used other than as a toilet seat for public toilets, to make it like a child seat. i found that quite useful as it folds small and then you can take it out with you under the buggy and makes it easy for them to use public toilets on that seat, but the bags and everything to use it as a potty are just hanging around unused.

beanandspud · 10/08/2011 15:59

We didn't use a potty, just had a toilet seat and some steps. DS was using a child-sized toilet at nursery so it made sense to do the same.

Saying that, we have a downstairs and upstairs loo so no last-minute dashes up flights of stairs.

sparkle1977 · 10/08/2011 16:05

I think its best to have all options available and ready as all children are different and prefer different things. DS1 used the potty, then soon after the toilet and also a potette (portable potty) when out and about at first.

However DS2 totally refused the potty point blank and went straight to using the toilet. I haven't even bothered with the portable this time round and have just taken him into normal public loos when necessary.

Both of mine also switched between using the toddler toilet seat and just gripping onto the normal one.

Best to be prepared for all eventualities.

Zimbah · 10/08/2011 16:21

We use all three. Potty useful for initial training as we could have one in every room, and DD liked the independence of rushing over and using it on her own - which she couldn't do with the loo as she's too small to safely climb on by herself. We now use a toilet seat mostly although I still have to help lift her up even with a step (she's 2.9 but on the short side). The potty is still out in the bathroom and sometimes DD prefers to use it, has been very handy on occasion when I'm busy with the baby and DD needs the loo. We used a potette a lot when we were out at e.g. the park, now she can usually wait till we get home. DD has only recently been happy with me holding her on a normal loo when out, previously we used the potette on top of the loo. So it really depends on your child.

Mare11bp · 10/08/2011 17:01

I had all 3. All are great. DS chooses whether he wants potty or seat, and the portable ones are pricey but FANTASTIC. It's the liners that cost butit is so worth it.

gastrognome · 10/08/2011 17:47

We have all three, and they all get used a lot. Potty is downstairs as toilet is on first floor and can be too far to reach if DD is in a hurry. Portable potty has been a godsend, used as a trainer seat in public toilets/hotels etc and when out and about and no toilets nearby. Handy as i dont have to hold her on the seat so have both hands free for wiping etc. Toilet trainer seat used in toilet upstairs.

babybythesea · 10/08/2011 18:19

Read with interest - am into day 3 of training a 2.5 year old.
I have a toilet seat upstairs, a potty for downstairs, and a portable potty for out and about (although we haven't yet ventured out and about).

I bought everything going - my dd suffers from long-term diahorreah so I wanted to make sure that there was absolutely no delay between her telling me she needed to go, and being able to go. Even getting upstairs would be too long a wait. I also know that she gets really upset if she has accidents so I wanted to limit those as much as possible - training a child with the runs is hard enough without making it an upsetting experience.

So far, she has managed to take herself to the toilet when she needs a wee, even without me in the room! Hooray!! But for a poo, she mostly has relied on me noticing she is suddenly clutching her backside looking stressed - it is then a race for me to grab her and sit her on the potty. And this is without any clothes on the bottom half. Once we made it, once we didn't and then needed a bath to clean her up.
And as I was typing, I noticed her shifting her weight in an uncomfortable manner and before I even made it over to her, she had it running down her legs. So as many potties as possible is my motto!

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