Our Potty Training Equipments

Most parents who are going through or have gone through potty training their child, would probably tell you that they ended up with more ‘equipment’ than what was actually needed. We were the same! We pondered over different fancy potties hoping to make the potty training process as simple, painless and fast as possible. To be honest we threw out a couple of potties/ ‘contraptions’ that didn’t quite work for us or perhaps we were too eager and Jah just wasn’t ready. At the end of the day, the process is what it is and it takes time. I’m in awe of those who make it happen within 3 days. I’m not saying it’s impossible but it doesn’t happen that way for everyone. We took almost 4 months (with lots of teamwork from Jah’s childcare too) before I can now say with some confidence that Jah is potty trained. So for all those mummies like me who can’t put aside 3 intensive days to potty train or if those intensive days don’t work, have faith, you and your kid will get there!

Here are some potty training equipments that worked for us and made our lives easier. In fact it doesn’t end here and I’m sure these items will continue to make our daily lives easier 🙂

The First Potty
Every kid has a first potty and well this is technically not Jah’s first potty (we had 2 others which didn’t ‘work’) but this is the first potty that he was willing to go on. I blame the failure of the first 2 on the fact that he could have been alittle too young for it and also the fact that they were uncomfortable. Most fancy potties look very good to an adult with the promise of being a step stool, a potty and who knows what else but really it just needs to be a potty that a child feels safe sitting on. The IKEA potty we got, did the job! It allowed him to sit astride so pooing was a lot easier. I know some articles say you should train them to sit ‘properly’ but what’s the point if they can’t even pee or poo in that position. Jah was so comfortable on this potty and he felt ‘safe’ that he didn’t fight or struggle with me during each potty session. You can easily remove the ‘bucket’ portion for washing and its an IKEA product so it doesn’t break the bank!

Our IKEA potty

Cars Potty Seat with sound
So this is a progression from the first potty. Once Jah mastered the ‘art’ of going in the potty, we wanted to transition him to the regular toilet bowl. The potty is still available to him but we encourage him to use the toilet bowl for practical reasons :p
He was alittle resistant at first so we were lucky to spot a potty seat designed with his favourite character and with racing car sounds to boot. Yes I agree that this particular one is abit indulgent but I say whatever does the trick for your child. As of now, Jah has stopped using this potty seat when he pees and prefers to climb onto the regular seat. So I’m not certain how long more we are going to need this but I suppose happy problem when he decides he doesn’t need it anymore. P.S – Never leave the child unattended on a potty seat. While they have ‘grips’ to hold them to the larger seat surface, it is not entirely secure and may slide off if the kid starts to squirm.)

Press the red button for sound. We made it a game where he presses for the sound, each time he’s done.

Travel John Jr.
I had earlier covered this product as one of our Top 4 products of the moment in another post. Just to recap that the Travel John Jr basically contains a non-toxic, odorless gel that will ‘solidify’ your child’s pee such that it will be spill proof. It also has a spill guard right at the top so it is suitable for both genders and can help the child to aim directly into the bag. In the earlier potty training days, we use this when Jah needed to pee while we were in the car. Now we use it mainly when we are out and about so that there is no stress to find a toilet. Ironically though, he normally has no problems holding till we get to a toilet but Jah will still insist on peeing in the Travel John Jr even if we are standing in the toilet cubicle. I’m willing to relent for now and figure that he will one day be ok with going in a public toilet.

Photo credits: Amazon.com

Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus
While this product acts as a potty seat and a travel potty, we have only used it for the latter. This is really used only for ’emergencies’. We realised that there was a need for this product when we were at a BBQ once and Jah decided that he needed to poo. This was very early on in his potty training days and we managed to convince him to do it in a plastic bag. It was quite a sight and we needed to have two adults to assist with the process. Fast forward to days with the Potette Plus, a portable mini potty that is fitted with a disposable ‘plastic bag’. It is pretty flat when folded and so storage is really easy and it also makes it very portable. When needed, just unfold the two sides which act as ‘legs’ place on the ground and it is ready for use! Once done, remove the attached plastic bag, tie and dispose. We have used this a few times, in a few different scenarios when emergency struck so I couldn’t have been more relieved to have my Potette plus handy then. This product is available locally but I bought mine and its plastic refills from Amazon.