What starter potty do you get?

[lmr1101]

My DD is 18 months and has been starting to show many of the signs she's ready to be potty trained. Do I need to get a potty for her? If so, what is the most popular/successful one to get?
Do I also need to get one of those that go on our normal toilets at home? Can I just get away with one of those or should I go for the real potty for her?

Can you tell I have know idea what I'm doing here :)
TIA

[bubbaray]

We had a Bjorn potty seat, which was highly recommended. We did that until she started going poop on the potty. DH cleaned that out once and swore never again!

I am a much bigger fan of potty inserts that go on a regular toilet. We use an Ikea step to help the child onto the toilet and the First Years insert.

HTH

[edurnemk]

Baby Bjorn potty chair, hands down. Once DS was more confident, he started using the baby bjorn toilet insert on the big potty.

[eno0609]

We just used and still use a potty seat for DD instead of a small potty. We didn't want to have to clean out a little potty bowl, and it's much easier if everything goes in the right place the first time. Potty seats do still need to be washed out though. We have this one:
http://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Soft-Trainer-Seat/dp/B0038BOLAI/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t


We also have one of these Bemis toilet seats in our powder room which we love, it's easy to clean, and always there and not in the way like separate potty seats (scroll down for photos):
http://www.bemismfg.com/pressreleases/release_20091208_01.php

Since The First Years one doesn't get great reviews for boys, when DS starts training I'll probably just get a couple more seats to replace our other 2 toilet seats.
HTH!

[christiedavid3]

We have the Fisher Price Froggy Friends potty for DS. We also have the Bjorn ring for the regular toilet seat.

[wellyes]

We're PTing now and we just use a toilet ring. We have the nice Bjorn one and a cheapie foam one. DD seems to like them both equally.

The only small potty we tried is the IKEA one, it's like $4 and cute and very easy to clean but it's hard edges dug into DD's skin.

One more word of warning -by all means go for it, but if I had a nickel for every "my 18 month old seems ready...." post I've seen I would have several bucks. Happened to me too, and several friends, and I've yet to meet (IRL at least) a kid who stuck with it at that age. They're interested but not at all committed. And having a PTed kid that age is kind of a PITA for parents as well. So it usually peters out. Might not for you though - good luck!

[AnnieW625]

We bought the Bjorn pottty seat first, and then bought a cheap no frill potty with a flip top lid at Target. She used them both equally, and the cheap no frills potty is her port a potty now. It's unfortunately been discontinued, but this one looks close:
http://www.safety1st.com/usa/eng/Products/Child-Care/Potties/Details/1903-07050-1-2-3-Teach-Me-Training-System

[lmr1101]

Thanks for the advice, and Wellyes you're right. I know my DD looks ready, but there's no way she would be able to pull her pants up and down in time... every time right now so I know she's not "really" ready, plus other things.
I guess I just want to start getting these items and putting them in the proper spots.

Plus my MIL keeps saying how she wants to buy my DD her potty (it's strange -- she really doesn't buy my dd many gifts and rarely sees her, but for some reason she wants to be the one to buy the potty) I just saw her this weekend and she kept talking about the singing potty and to let her know when my dd is ready so she can buy one for her.
Once I tell her I don't want a singing potty she probably won't buy it after all :shrug:

[Katigre]

Baby Bjorn potty chair is awesome - so easy to clean, comfortable for the kids, and I like it for beginning learning. DD has been using it for almost a year and DS used it when he first trained.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i have the Baby Bjorn Lil' Potty and while i like it, so far i've never had to deal with poop in it (just pee), so yeah i can totally see the value in getting a potty seat as well (less cleanup!).

also, we just got this Potette thing which is great for travel as it folds up nicely. we've just used it as a seat over a regular toilet so far (not with the bag).

http://www.amazon.com/Kalencom-2-in-1-Potette-Plus-Blue/dp/B0016L0MMS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1283898633&sr=8-2

[citymama]

We have the Baby Bjorn potty seat with the insert that comes out and the Baby Bjorn insert for the regular potty. Both are fabulous and very useful in their own way.

[eno0609]

i have the Baby Bjorn Lil' Potty and while i like it, so far i've never had to deal with poop in it (just pee), so yeah i can totally see the value in getting a potty seat as well (less cleanup!).

also, we just got this Potette thing which is great for travel as it folds up nicely. we've just used it as a seat over a regular toilet so far (not with the bag).

http://www.amazon.com/Kalencom-2-in-1-Potette-Plus-Blue/dp/B0016L0MMS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1283898633&sr=8-2

:yeahthat: also highly recommend the Pottete seat, its pretty compact, fits in the bottom of the stroller/small tote bag for when we're out, feels secure on elongated public toilet seats. It must comfortable because DD loves it and doesn't like going in public washrooms without it.

[hlphillips2]

We have tried virtually every seat on the market (except the singing one :ROTFLMAO:). I would recommend against a folding version - we've tried three and all either pinch bottoms or make the kids feel like they're falling in.

At 18 mos I'd assume your LO is too small to sit on the potty easily without feeling like falling in, so a seat is a necessity. An insert is essential, though you also have to consider who else uses that bathroom. If it's primarily for kids then I'd say that's the ideal way to go, especially if they're able to climb up on the seat themselves. If not, a potty on the floor is better so that when the feeling arises it's easier to get on the seat without help, plus it's easy to take from room to room which is pretty helpful while training.

For potty inserts I like the soft seat ones since there are handles. Drawback is that if the toilet is long instead of round, it can pop out if DD puts too much weight on one side while she's sitting. May just be a problem with our toilet seat though versus the insert - DD1 never had that issue on a different toilet. Of our sit down seats I prefer the Nature Next 3in1 potty http://naturenext.safety1st.com/product/detail.asp?ID=3117
We bought it to use at my dad's house and I wish they'd had it when we first purchased pottys. When it comes right down to it though, if your child picks out a potty at the store, is comfortable sitting on it and is very excited about it they're more likely to use it.

[alirebco]

We had the Baby Bjorn one and it was great. Now we just use the regular seat.

[lmr1101]

Thanks for all of the advice. I think for now we'll just start with a seat that she can get in and out of herself. She is really too young to seriously start training so maybe if we just have this around our real toilet she may at least get used to seeing it.

[happymom]

I was in your shoes about 3 months ago, when DD was 18 months. She would say "may!" and point to her diaper every time she peed/pooped. Plus she was very interested in sitting on the toilet. I posted here and ended up buying a Bjorn potty. Its a great seat btw. I was thinking along the same lines as you- she's probably too young, but it couldnt hurt to have it around for her to get used to. Let me tell you something, that thing became such a pain I had to hide it from her! All she wanted to do was sit on the potty nonstop throughout the day,and take tissue after tissue and wipe. She made in it once. Twice she sat there for 30-45 minutes while I entertained her, and then proceeded to stand up and make on the floor! Did I mention that she has to strip completely every time she sits on the potty???!!

Anyways, not trying to discourage you at all, but Wellyes certainly has a point!

But to answer your question, the Bjorn is an awesome seat and I would def recommend it.

[TwinFoxes]

Well, we have all three of the ones mentioned most often here. The girls love to sit on the Bjorn potties, as well as on the toilet insert. They'll sit and sit and sit, perfectly happy. And not pee or poop. :(

I also have the fold up travel seat, and a travel potty. I'm sure they'd be happy to sit on those too! :)

[egoldber]

I am a much bigger fan of potty inserts that go on a regular toilet.

:yeahthat:

We skipped all the little potties with younger DD and just did the seat insert. But she's also at daycare, so was used to going/trying a big toilet there.

[HIU8]

We had a bjorn and a couple of cheap potty rings. They were used equally.

[peanut520]

we had the same problem. dd starting to show all the signs around 16mo and we got potties and HA unders to be ready. we got bjorn potty chairs. the problem for us with interts is she is too little to climb up to a potty ring even with steps. she lost all interest after everything was in place for about a month, but at 18 mo she has been asking and going pee on the potty for us consistantly at night for almost a week. she is still in diapers because the xs HA unders fall off of her. i think we can have her completely pt in the next few weeks as long as we are consistant :sulkoff:

[ThreeofUs]

We have the little Bjorn potty, but we also have steps and soft seats as well as an integrated step/handholds/potty seat. This last REALLY helps with my kids, who want something to hold onto as they are turning around.