Potty Training Chair? Toilet? Urinal?
What’s a Parent to Do?

What will it be for your child? A simple potty training chair? A toilet? A urinal? A miniature customized throne for the little prince or princess?

Is one better for girls and another for boys? Don’t know? If so, you’re not alone. This is one of those age-old questions that parents have traditionally asked us quite often but today, with the number of choices available on the Internet and elsewhere, it’s easy to understand why they’re particularly baffled!

So, here’s my best advice on how to arrive at the right answer for you and your child.

First, if you’re training a boy, decide whether you’ll be teaching him to urinate standing up or sitting down. (By the way, we recommend that you teach them sitting down. If you’d like to learn more read our article titled, “Potty Training Boys”) Why? Because potty chairs are usually too low, making it much harder to urinate from a standing position. So, in this case I definitely suggest a toilet (and a seat “reducer” that fits over the toilet for bowel movements) for both or a urinal for pee and a potty chair for BMs.

(By the way, you’ll need a step stool so your son can climb up easily if you’re going the toilet route.)

For girls, you’ll obviously skip the urinal option and choose either the toilet (same as above) or potty training chair (our number 1 vote).

But here’s the thing… if you decide to use the toilet, you’ll need to consider whether you’ll teach your child to do “extras” such as, take off the seat reducer when he/she is done, put the stool back in place, and the like. This is one of the reasons I don’t recommend this as a first step (unless your child insists). They’re already engaged in a big learning curve, so in my opinion, it’s not a good idea to complicate things unnecessarily. Additionally, potty training chairs are far more portable and flexible – and trust me, that will come in very handy!

Now that we got that out of the way, however, you may be wondering if I recommend that folks using our potty training system purchase “special” potty training chairs or equipment. The answer to this question is, “No, absolutely not!”

Although our 48-hour potty training system requires that parents plan ahead and have very specific tools on hand for potty training day, the great results we achieve has nothing whatsoever to do with “fancy” or expensive gadgets, equipment, toys, potty chairs, dolls, or clothing. Period. (We do provide a detailed checklist of everything you’ll need in our BRIEFS™ Potty Training Ebook .)

More Specific About Potty Training Chairs

Simply put, your potty training chair doesn’t have to be fancy or play music – but it does need to resemble the big toilet in the bathroom! However, it’s important that it’s small enough so your little one can sit comfortably and easily get off and on alone.

Our method – and we think it’s the best – calls for the potty to be placed right smack dab in the middle of the “teaching” room, not in the bathroom (that will come later). If you’ve decided to purchase a new one, it’s also a great idea to let your son or daughter help pick it out (even if they’re not sure what it’s for!)

But remember, let your needs – and budget – determine the type of potty training chair you purchase. And if a friend or family member has one your can borrow, that’s even better! If not, there are certainly many choices available on the Internet (we found the best deals online) and in stores. Some are obviously more expensive than others, but you can reasonably expect to pay $22-$30 for a sturdy, portable, and easy-to-use one – a great value for such a wonderful little time and stress saver!

As I hinted earlier, “my team of experts” (i.e. parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) and I looked around and found too-many-to-mention places where you can purchase potty training chairs and other supplies – the World Wide Web, department and specialty stores, and catalogs. We found that prices and quality fluctuated widely and it was difficult to pin down one “perfect” place to purchase a potty training chair.

However, overall our vote went to Amazon.com (a surprisingly great place to purchase potty training supplies!). They’re all competitively priced (we’ve checked :>) and work well. Additionally, we always trust ordering from Amazon. Things arrive quickly and they stand behind their products and services – plus, you can read product reviews to see what other people are saying about them as well. This is a real bonus!

In order to get you started, we listed our favorites below. We think they are a good sampling of what’s out there – some are bare bones, while others have more “bells and whistles” (bells, whistles on a potty chair??).

They are:

1. BabyBjörn Potty Chair – The one in the photo is blue, but it comes in several different colors. It’s a good, sturdy potty with excellent customer reviews. Even better, the last time I checked it was still less than $30.

2. BabyBjörn Little Potty – This is a bare bones, less expensive version of the potty mentioned above. It’s ideal for very petite toddlers, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for older or larger children. Also, doesn’t have a removal bowl for emptying pee or poop – one big drawback in my mind. However, if that’s not an issue for you, this may work just fine, but I’d suggest that you read the reviews first.

3. Fisher-Price Potty On-the-Go – This one is more expensive (over $100, but you can find them for far less from resellers on Amazon – another reason I like to buy things there!) but may be worth it if your budget allows and if you’ve got a “travelin’ toddler,” and/or want to ensure that your child has a sanitary alternative to public restrooms. While all of the included features – tote bag, folding legs (it is cool the way it folds up discretely), disposable bag, and absorbency pads – are not “must-haves” for most parents, it’s quite a popular potty and gets great reviews overall.

4. Travel Potty – Again, this is a less expensive version of the Potty-On-The-Go mentioned above. Its biggest claim to fame is that it folds up neatly into a “briefcase” size. That’s cool, but I’m not loving the disposable bags – it seems like way too much work for me. I’d much rather have a separate bowl, but that’s just personal preference. For the price (it’s about $25), I’d go with the BabyBjorn potty (#1 above).

5. Baby Bjorn® Safe Step Stool White – Although you certainly don’t have to purchase this stool, it’s a great idea to have one like this handy when your toddler begins to use the big toilet. I like this one because it has a skid-free rubber top that keeps it from moving about, even on tile floors.

6. BabyBjorn Toilet Trainer Black or White – Believe it or not, your toddler will be using the big toilet sooner than you expect and tools like these can be quite handy. It simply fits over the toilet and makes the seat more child-sized – and less intimidating. I know many kids who use these for months and even years. They’re especially great for petite children or ones who are fearful about using “the big toilet.”

Once again, I hope this information has been helpful and that you’ll check out the other articles on our “all things potty training” website!