How successful and fast your kid's potty training journey will be, can mainly depend on the child, but also on your approach. Being gentle and patient is one of the keys to having a successful story to tell one day. And instead of stocking yourself with everything you see in the market, it's best if you weigh the pros and cons of the two most popular training equipment in order to make the right choice.
Toilet Training Seats
A toilet training seat is a smaller, child toilet seat version that fits on top of the regular toilet seat. Unlike the regular model that needs to be removed and put aside when done, you can also invest in the newest toilet training seat models. These kid-friendly toilet seats don't need to be removed after each use as they can be attached to a full-sized toilet seat with the help of a hinge.
Pros
Toddlers love to imitate everything that adults do, so they are more likely to love this idea of sitting on a real toilet seat only in a smaller size. According to lots of parents and manufacturers, a child toilet seat is more convenient and easy to use as they are lightweight, comfortable to sit on and easily portable. Since they are flatter than potty chairs, you can take it with you wherever you go. Unlike having a potty or a potty chair, with a toilet seat like this, your child's waste will go straight into the toilet that you can remove only with one flush. This can certainly cut down the need to clean and disinfect it thoroughly after each use. Another advantage of these seats is that they are available in different sizes, colours and designs, giving your kid the opportunity to choose his/her favourite one. That way, he/she will feel more confident and gladly to use it on a daily basis without making a fuss about it. Usually, these seats have a splashguard at the front which is especially useful for boys when peeing.
Cons
Depending on the brand and quality, some toilet seats can be wobbly, which is why investing in a good training seat is paramount. Since your kid will need to seat on the actual toilet seat, he/she won't be able to reach the floor with the feet. This can be a problem, especially when seating on a longer period of time. The feet of your kid needs to be on a flat surface when seating, which is why investing in a step stool would be needed.
Potty Chairs
A potty is a chair used by kids for quite long. These pot-like chairs are a convenient way to train your kid as they are portable and can be placed in any room of the home. For some kids its strange and maybe scary to wee on anything else than a diaper, so placing it in front of the TV or in his/her room would be of great help.
Pros
When compared to actual toilet seats, potties are way smaller which makes them less scary to some children. Since small, children can easily sit and get up on themselves without any help, this can be quite convenient in emergency 'going to the toilet' situations. Additionally, these small potty chairs are portable, so you won't have to pause his/her potty training routine wherever you are. Just like training seats, potties can also come in a range of colours, sizes and designs, allowing your kid to choose the one he/she will like the most.
Cons
One of the main disadvantages of using a potty is that it can be easily knocked over. Can you imagine the mess if not empty? Not pleasant at all. On the other hand, cleaning the potty is also not the most pleasant thing to do, especially when you have to do it countless times per day. Additionally, potty chairs are bulkier than toilet training seats and can take up more space in the bathroom. Except for this, another disadvantage of potty chairs is that eventually, your kid will still have to sit on the toilet seat, so getting used to it will also take time.
As you can see, both of these training seats have their pros and cons. However, more and more parents prefer buying kid's toilet seat as it's mess-free, portable, easier to store and more convenient to use. During the night or when going out and still not fully confident, you can put on your kid trainer pants. These pants are washable, made of cotton with a waterproof outer layer. These pants allow your kid to feel when he/she is wet while preventing the accident to be seen by others. The best thing about these pants is that they are thin, so they don't feel and look like wearing a nappy. An important thing to know is that these pants only offer limited protection against accidents as they cannot absorb that much of liquid.
