Potty Seat vs Kids Potty

Updated on April 27, 2009
L.R. asks from Oak Park, MI
17 answers

Hi Moms

I am going to embark on the adventure of Potty training this spring/summer and want to know which is better: using a mini "kids" potty or just getting a potty seat to go over our toliet. One of my friends said to use a potty seat vs "kids" potty, but she has two boys and I have a girl, does that make a difference in what I use. Any suggestions or opinions?

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So What Happened?

WOW... Thanks for all the responses. I have lots of reading to do tonight.
Thanks Moms!

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H.B.

answers from Detroit on

We used a potty seat just like you mentioned, it attached to the top of the potty; and we had a little step stool for them the climb up onto to reach it. I did it just because I did not want to hassle with the cleanup involved with the kids potty. This worked perfectly fine for both my son and daughter. The kind I bought was designed for travel and folded up so I could fit it in the diaper bag when we were out and about.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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D.S.

answers from Saginaw on

I used a potty seat that just sits on the regular toilet. It's not only cheaper, more cleanly, but it avoids another transition. What happens when you're out and about and there's not little potty chair. At least they are already used to the idea of sitting on the regular potty.

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G.G.

answers from Detroit on

Some kids prefer kids potties, others, potty seats. I bought both. Honestly, all of my children liked the seat that fit over the toilet, and scarcely used the kid potty. I ended up getting rid of it. I have both boys and girls, and they both prefered the seat potty seat.

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A.K.

answers from Detroit on

Hi Lisa,

For ME. I didn't want to have to clean a potty chair after everytime my child went..the thought sounded gross to me..

For my daughter I let her pick out a potty seat cover..and she trained with that.. my son came along and he would pee over it..I wasn't used to training a boy.. so with my son, we used nothing. He just sat right on the regular toliet. He could get up and down fine... so he never used the seat cover after the first time...

GOOD LUCK!

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C.R.

answers from Detroit on

A kid potty is nice because she can get to it by herself; seats are nice because it gets her used to the height and "feeling" of a normal toilet.

I used both, but didn't use the kid potty often because I didn't want my daughter to get too attached. (The son of a friend *refused* to go on a normal/public toilet because he wanted his feet on the floor while doing his business.)

Good luck!

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A.H.

answers from Grand Rapids on

We bought the potty seat for the first 2 (1 boy, 1 girl), and both times they used them once or twice, and then it was only the big potty. I am training the 3rd one right now (23 months) and she doesn't even want the potty seat adaptor. She wants to go like her bro and sis...which is fine with me!!! Good luck to you! It can be an interesting journey...hopefully a quick one!

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M.W.

answers from Kalamazoo on

Well we have a potty chair. It comes apart and fits onto the potty for when they get bigger. My daughter is scared to use the big potty since its high up and tippy - she's 26 months and potty trained - so we'll wait until she's less afraid and then move from the potty chair to using the potty seat. The nice thing about this is that the potty chair - minus the seat - folds down to become a step stool, so they can get to the sink or climb onto the potty. The potty we bought was a safety 1st brand. It was cheap, probably $10, and didn't have tons of extra stuff. I wanted her potty to be a place to pee, not a toy that she'd get mad about not playing with when she was peeing.

Biggest thing, see what she wants. Many kids just want to use the big potty, but for many others its scary, the sound of peeing into the water or the height, whatever. Keep potty training simple by doing what she'd like. If you get a chair like we have then you can do either way.

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R.H.

answers from Detroit on

Hi Lisa,

We are in the middle of potty training. We started with a baby bjorn kids potty, but after awhile my fiercely independent daughter wanted to sit on the big potty like mama.

At first I tried the little seats that you put on and take off the toilet. That worked fine, other than the hassle of having to take it off and clean it all the time (because they DO get yucky). Then a friend of mine blessed us beyond belief and potty training has been going sooooo much better!!!!!

First, she got us "The Potty Pal" integrated toilet seat.
http://www.amazon.com/Potty-Pal-Standard-Toilet-Seat/dp/B...

It has the kids seat integrated in... so you just flip it down and up as needed.

Then, she bought us the Potty Stool. I LOVE this!!!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Child-Corporation-TPS-100-Pot...

I know it's bulky and a bit expensive...but I can't tell you how much this has changed toilet training for us. One, my daughter LOVES to go to the potty. (we still have accidents when she is really involved in something) She can climb up onto the potty all by herself, the large safety rails ensure she doesn't fall, and it just makes everything SO much easier! No bending over for me to get her on and off the potty. She does it herself. And like I said, my daughter is very independent... and WANTS to do things on her own. So, this opened up a whole new world of independence for her!

I think these are great investments because 1) their butts are going to be smaller then ours for quite some time. So, making it more comfortable for them to go on the potty is great. 2) providing tools that allow them to do this on their own, just enforces the idea that this is a 'big kid' thing and not a baby thing. Baby's need mama's help with everything. Big kids can do things on their own. :-)

So, that's our experience. Oh, and my daughter is just 20 months. So, even though she is younger then a lot of kids when they train, she can still use these items with no issue. I will say, she did have to 'practice' for about 30 minutes (her choice, not mine) when we first received these items. At first she didn't have the mechanics of getting on and off the toilet quite right. But, after her practice session, she's been good to go.

Good luck! Potty training is an adventure!

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E.F.

answers from Detroit on

My youngest daughter never used the kid potty, she simply wanted to use the toilet, and she used the potty seat all on her own. I think each child has her own preference, so you will have to feel her out. Take her to the store and let her pick it out...show her both, and see what she likes. Some kid potty units have seats that can be removed and used on the toilet, as well. I would give her the choice to make things more smooth with this transition. I have learned that if you give them the control when possible, they are much more accomodating and willing to work with you, especially at this age and with potty training. Good luck!

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B.T.

answers from Detroit on

My boys just played with the potty chair, put toys in it, and sat on it in front of the tv like it was an easy chair.

So I tossed it and got a padded potty seat. Worked great for us. I did attend a potty training workshop for kids with special needs and the instructor made a point of saying that some kids could have trouble adjusting to a regular potty after using the little chair. So this worked great for us.

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K.C.

answers from Detroit on

each kid is different....my daughter used the potty chair but my son didn't....he wanted me to sit on it so he could cuddle with me while he was on the toilet....he didn't even want to use the converter.....he would use the potty chair if someone else was on the toilet when he had to go (we only have one bathroom) so I say start cheap and try to use just the toilet if your daughter shows fear (pretty common I think) then get a potty chair

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M.F.

answers from Detroit on

I have two girls and I used the mini seat. I didn't want the hassle of having to clean up the mess from a kiddie potty. Also, sometimes they would go on their own and not tell me only for me to find a present in the toilet...imagine finding that little suprise in a kiddie potty after a few hours!

Bottom line, I would highly recommend using the mini seat, easier clean up, and you won't have to potty train on the kiddie potty THEN on the big potty. It's also cheaper. I even found a seat online that attatches to the big potty and then flips up...like your lid would...so you don't have to take off the seat and find a place for it.

I can't remember the name, I just used one from the store and it worked great!

Good luck...

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A.S.

answers from Lansing on

I have three kids (currently potty training my 3rd) and I have to say every child is different and sometimes they change their mind too. My oldest wanted the seat for the potty and she was easily trained, my second child was a little harder and wanted the potty chair (or maybe we encouraged it because she was harder and we put the chair in the living room), now my son wanted just the toilet, then his own seat, and now the seat for the toilet! LOL

It also makes a difference if they go to a daycare or grandparents a lot and what they use there. My sitter puts the children on the regular seat backwards (which we tried with my son at first). This gives them something to hold so they don't feel like they're falling in and if they're a boy it doesn't spray all over! But it's also a little extra work because the pants have to come all the way off so they can straddle the seat.

Best of luck!

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P.N.

answers from Detroit on

we liked the chair. It can be put in front of the TV for them to sit by themselves and watch a while... plus, I'm not tied to the bathroom.

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L.J.

answers from Detroit on

for our first daughters 2nd b-day she got a potty chair(actually 2)and a potty seat. it is nice having both (we only have 1 bathroom, and the potty chair works good for that) there are days that my second daughter uses one than uses the other the next time she "goes" to the bathroom.

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J.H.

answers from Detroit on

I've used both... The mini kids potty is easier for them to get on themselves however it's not so fun for a mom or dad to have to clean it up after every use... My daughter is more into the potty seat now but she can't climb up on the big potty by herself when the potty seat is there (she can do it without the potty seat though).

So it's really personal preference. If you want your daughter to be able to climb onto the potty by herself (some kids are very independent and prefer this) and don't mind cleaning up the mess, go with the mini kids potty. If you'd rather help her up each time and would like to avoid the mess, go with the potty seat (which is also much more compact for travel).

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A.R.

answers from Detroit on

my daughter uses the seat that goes over the toilet...we didn't want to clean a kids potty! she loves it and works great for us...and travels well! good luck:)

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