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There is so much you can’t control in the potty training process, so you might as well have the best gear possible to get you through. Godspeed.
Toilet seat with built-in child seat
Is it weird to write about my toilet seat to strangers on the internet? Yes. Do I love my toilet seat so I don’t care? YESSS!!!!
If you are potty training a child, or have a child with a tiny bottom who frequents your home, GET THIS SEAT.
It keeps your bathroom looking neat, with no extra seat sitting around your bathroom. It helps your kid be self sufficient, learning to use a regular toilet and lid, without having to handle and properly place a separate add-on seat. You clean it as you would your regular toilet seat.
Make sure to get version that matches your toilet shape (ours is elongated). And did I mention it’s slow close? Just make sure your kid knows not all toilet seats close that elegantly — we’ve had a couple crashing lid situations at other houses because he’s used to ours 🙂
(Note: We had a different seat originally that I won’t call out here, but our kiddo was overly aggressive with his seat lid opening/closing and the lid hinge cracked. The previous company was wonderful and gave us a full refund, but we decided to purchase from a different company (linked above) the second time around.)
Portable child toilet seat
Costco. Menards. Target. The rehearsal dinner for my brother-in-law’s wedding. The grocery store.
Why does my kid always have to poop when we’re not at home? Whyyyyy? This toilet seat never leaves my diaper bag. It’s compact, easy to use, always fits whatever strange toilet we’ve been forced to use, and cleans easily (also see: Clorox wipes pocket pack).
The seat has a cute owl design, which helps him get excited to use it when we’re out and about. It has never slipped when in use.
Does this cover all of the seat? No. Are some toilets still gross? Yes. Depending on the toilet yuckiness factor, I’ve wiped it down with Clorox wipes first, and then used the seat. After holding my kid above a gas station bathroom by his arm pits for what I believe was the longest poo experience ever, all I care about is a sturdy, small seat for him to sit on. The germ-factor is taken care of with a little hope and a little soap.
Portable folding step (short stool)
If you have a boy, and you’re training them to stand and pee, they are going to need a little extra help to reach their goal of peeing IN THE WATER. Not on the front of the toilet, or the back, IN THE WATER. (<<Can you tell what phrase I yell multiple times a day?)
This stool is the perfect height for hopping up to a regular toilet. We originally used a regular stool, but it was way too tall and our little guy was towering over the potty. This way he’s closer to the toilet for better aim and better balance.
It also folds up for storage if needed. We take ours for weekend grandparent visits, so portability is key.
This may also be helpful for a girl to climb up to the toilet, but I have no expertise in that area.
Sink stool
We got ours at Ikea. Depends on your needs here – we keep ours at the sink at all times, but there are all sorts of styles (two steps, foldable, etc.) that could work. My parents keep this version at their house and it works great — I love that it’s curved to fit around the toilet.
Car potty
Can I just give a shout-out to small churches dotting the rural roads of our country? I don’t know how many times we’ve been on a road trip – weekends to grandparents, on our way home from the lake — when we hear a voice from the backseat: “Mommy, is it an emergency?”
And somehow there’s always a church. A tiny brick building with a large parking lot and some semblance of privacy for us to stop, pull out this great little potty, and address the needs of a kid who can’t quite hold it until our next stop.
I read somewhere to line portable potties with coffee filters to help catch the mess and please know this is a HORRIBLE idea. They just get soggy. And then you have to deal with pee and poop plus a soggy, useless coffee filter.
Please, for your convenience, just keep a stack of cheap diapers (we use size 6) in the car with the potty. Plop the diaper inside the potty, have your kid sit and do their business in the potty, and wrap up the diaper. Then you put it in your stash of grocery bags in your car because you are an *experienced parent* who doesn’t go anywhere without grocery bags and wipes in your trunk at all times.
Training underwear
The thicker middle section helps get less mess on the pants and floor when the inevitable happens. My little guy is 3.5 years old and I still make him wear a pair of training underwear if we’re out and about.
And of course, Clorox. Lots of Clorox.
