Potty Training Made Easy with the Easy Potty Trainer

August 2012

School is starting in 3 weeks and the pressure is on to get my daughter fully toilet trained for preschool. There is a little breathing room in that they ask us to send a change of clothes in case there is an accident but they do require she is out of pull ups before school starts. We are mostly ready. I just have to remind her a meeeellion times a day to go sit on the toilet.

I have to say, toilet training my daughter has been far easier than training my son. I don’t know if it’s because she’s a second child or if it’s because she’s a girl. I’ve heard girls are easier to train to go to the bathroom. Who knows?

When my son was little I bought him the most adorable portable potty that sat in the living room. Not being an exhibitionist, he did not want to go where everyone could see him. He wanted to sit on the toilet like the grown ups. So I bought those little inserts that plop inside the toilet with the padded vinyl seat. This allowed my son’s tush to sit on Thomas the Train and friends. Good for him, but my toilet seats got wrecked from using them because the plastic edges on the insert scratched them to bits. They were also a little gross to handle and the vinyl got easily torn. It is also surprisingly easy for a 2 year old to drop them INTO the toilet.

When I figured my daughter was ready to start potty training (you can usually tell because you will perpetually have an audience when you are trying to go and they crane their necks to get a full show) I made a half-hearted attempt with the little portable seats I had in storage.

She used the seat as a stepping stool to dig through our drawers, climb on counters, and get into all sorts of general toddler mischief and not so much for its intended purpose.

Before heading to the store to buy new padded inserts I remembered meeting the owner of a Calgary-based company who sold integrated potty seats that attached to the toilets. I gave John from Easy Potty Trainer a call and asked him if I could give them a try with my daughter.

easypotty

Essentially you detach your existing toilet seat and lid and attach the Easy Potty Trainer. There is a full size toilet seat for grown-ups, a smaller seat for little bums and the lid. I have to say I was pretty darn impressed.

My daughter loves that she can sit on the toilet like a big person but not worry about plopping in or holding herself up the whole time. And I don’t have any more toilet “equipment” begging to be tripped over when I walk into the bathroom.

Even when the kids are older and no longer need the little potty, I’ll be keeping the seat on. You never know when you will have little ones popping by for a visit.

The Easy Potty Trainer is available for purchase online for $39.99 and shipping is free if you live in Calgary!