October 2007
Potty training products
By the time your child is 20 to 26 months old, your diapering days are numbered. That's when most toddlers are ready to begin
the process of learning to use the potty, which can take days or months, depending on your child's readiness to take this
major step. The right products might make the process easier for both you and your child, although some parents find success
with little more than an adult potty, a step stool, lots of praise for a job well done, and reward stickers.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Major brands of potty-training products include, in alphabetical order: Baby Bjorn (www.babybjorn.com), Boon (available at retailers and Web retailers such as Amazon.com), Evenflo (www.evenflo.com), Fisher-Price (www.fisher-price.com), Kolcraft (www.kolcraft.com), Learning Curve (www.learningcurve.com), Munchkin (www.munchkin.com), Peter Potty (www.peterpotty.com), Potty Pal (available online at Web retailers and at www.target.com), Safety 1st (www.safety1st.com), and Summer Infant (www.summerinfant.com). Prices range from $10 to $40.
SHOPPING TIPS
RECOMMENDATIONS
When your toddler is ready to ditch the diapers, use our shopping tips as a guide. Consult your child's pediatrician and books for strategies you might try, such as letting your child get used to the idea by sitting on the toilet fully clothed for the first few weeks while you tell him about the toilet. Then let him sit on it with his diaper off, if he's willing. Be patient and be prepared to experiment with different potty seats or rings, if necessary, until you find one that your child will use.
A caveat: If your child goes to day care or preschool, do your homework. Talk with your child's teachers first to find out whether the school has a potty-training policy. You might be advised to buy only certain products or to avoid potty-training products altogether, including pull-up diapers, which imitate underwear.
Some day-care centers and preschools have definite potty-training strategies that they believe in and want parents to practice at home too, so that the child doesn't get confused. That method might be to simply place your child on an adult potty when you think she's ready to go, in which case no other products are necessary other than a step stool. But even if you're advised to avoid a traditional potty seat, you might want to keep a portable one in the back of your car just in case, for example, you get caught in traffic or the restrooms at the park are locked and your child has to go.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Major brands of potty-training products include, in alphabetical order: Baby Bjorn (www.babybjorn.com), Boon (available at retailers and Web retailers such as Amazon.com), Evenflo (www.evenflo.com), Fisher-Price (www.fisher-price.com), Kolcraft (www.kolcraft.com), Learning Curve (www.learningcurve.com), Munchkin (www.munchkin.com), Peter Potty (www.peterpotty.com), Potty Pal (available online at Web retailers and at www.target.com), Safety 1st (www.safety1st.com), and Summer Infant (www.summerinfant.com). Prices range from $10 to $40.
SHOPPING TIPS
- Potty-training products run the gamut from a ring, also called a "trainer seat," that's placed on top of an adult toilet seat
to basic and deluxe potty chairs. Some potty chairs come with electronic reward features, such as flushing sounds or music
when a child pushes the handle. Or they might come with stickers in a book or chart. Those extra amenities are nice, but not
necessary.
- If your child seems receptive to using the potty, take her shopping with you and let her pick a potty that's comfortable.
While you're at the store, you might want to entice her with some big kids' underwear, too.
- If you're potty-training a boy, make sure the chair you select has a stable, sizable splash guard, but make sure there's enough
room in front, too. He shouldn't be confined by the splash guard.
- Look for a potty chair with a simple design--one that has few seams, crevices, or detachable parts that can pinch skin as
well as attract germs and be tough to clean.
- The best seats also feature smooth edges and a sturdy base that doesn't tip easily when you press on the sides.
RECOMMENDATIONS
When your toddler is ready to ditch the diapers, use our shopping tips as a guide. Consult your child's pediatrician and books for strategies you might try, such as letting your child get used to the idea by sitting on the toilet fully clothed for the first few weeks while you tell him about the toilet. Then let him sit on it with his diaper off, if he's willing. Be patient and be prepared to experiment with different potty seats or rings, if necessary, until you find one that your child will use.
A caveat: If your child goes to day care or preschool, do your homework. Talk with your child's teachers first to find out whether the school has a potty-training policy. You might be advised to buy only certain products or to avoid potty-training products altogether, including pull-up diapers, which imitate underwear.
Some day-care centers and preschools have definite potty-training strategies that they believe in and want parents to practice at home too, so that the child doesn't get confused. That method might be to simply place your child on an adult potty when you think she's ready to go, in which case no other products are necessary other than a step stool. But even if you're advised to avoid a traditional potty seat, you might want to keep a portable one in the back of your car just in case, for example, you get caught in traffic or the restrooms at the park are locked and your child has to go.
