Do we need a potty seat for the big toilet?

[kayte]

DD has been doing great with the potty chair at home and last night asked to use the big potty. She was a little unsteady but she negotiated it...

I was wondering how many of you just let them learn to use the big seat or how many used the little seats covers that fit on the big toilet. If you used a little one--how long did you use it? It is worth buying a good one or will the $10 Walmart buy suffice.

[Ryemom]

I had a cheapie one and both my kids found it uncomfortable. I have the cooshie tooshie one and it worked great. We never did an actual potty seat - went straight to the big one with the seat on it.

[hez]

DS never had a potty chair or seat-- he sat on the regular-ol' big potty from the get-go. That said, he's a tall kid, so it wasn't too hard for him to straddle it. If his legs hadn't been so long we might have had to try another option.

[Joolsplus2]

We have the Baby Bjorn one and the ring that comes off the Graco soft seat rewards potty (that looks like a little toilet and the seat comes up for use on the pot, the other part is a footstool)... we've tried once or twice with nothing on the seat and it's been a little too unstable for her to relax enough to pee. The BB really is solid and doesn't move at all and is easy to clean, so if you are considering one, it's at the top of my list. The graco one is a little more wobbly but tolerable. Oddly enough, a regular public toilet seat seems easier for her to perch on than our home ones? must be the nice contouring?
Haven't tried a cushie tushie, but I might get one of those next.

Anyway... my other kids were older and bigger and I never really used anything for them.

Ok, that was probably not THE most helpful post...I've bought way too many of these things... if anything, I wish I'd just bought the bjorn for the first kid and kept it all along... oh well.

[BeachBum]

We actually changed out our toilet seats to have ones that have a small and a large seat. So instead of seat and lid, there are two seat choices and a lid. They seats are "soft close" so they don't slam down on any boy parts. We've been happy with this solution.
My son still would prefer to poop on a floor potty so his feet touch, but the big potty is so much easier for me.

[citymama]

We have the Baby Bjorn potty chair and the Bjorn toilet seat insert. Both are fantastic, well-made ergonomic (!) products and our DD is comfortable on either. She is fine "balancing" at public restrooms w/o the insert, but clearly a lot more comfortable on the grown-up potty at home with the insert. IMO it's absolutely worth the $25 or so for the Bjorn insert. I can't imagine life without it! ;-)

[WatchingThemGrow]

Ok, I'll admit, we bought used (EUC) potty equipment (eeewwww). The white/blue handled insert flopped all around, and it was very unstable. The big Bjorn potty got used a handful of times - mostly for PTing her dolls now, and the little one gets a lot of use in the car. Her most favorite thing of all is the Bjorn insert. We have it on a little 3M hook next to the toilet, and she can put it on/off herself. She wants it most of the time, but occasionally (???) she will want to use the regular seat. I think what I appreciate most about it is the curved part in the front. If she contorts her body enough to "see" what's happening down there, the "lip" in the front catches the stream.

I think I would've liked the ones Kohler makes with both seats built in, but this will suffice for us.

[kayte]

Thanks for everyone's replies... We are going to go the Baby Bjorn insert route. Thanks so much!

[emmiem]

I recommend flipnflush. It attaches to the seat, easy to clean, and no adult has to remove it to use-just flip up.

www.flipnflush.com

Michele