Testing : potties

The consumer editor says

Toilet training can be a stressful time – both for parents and for the child but done with patience and with care it can be done relatively quickly and marks one of the major landmarks of childhood. Some alternative parents with a dedication to natural parenting claim babies can be toilet trained from birth using a combination of mothers’ intuition and a child’s natural dislike for soiling itself. They admit to putting their babies onto the potty every 20-30 minutes so it requires absolute dedication - for most parents the optimum training age seems to be from around two.

In our test we looked at both traditional potties, trainer seats and attachments which fit onto an adult loo. Designs can now be very sophisticated with all kinds of gimmicks and gadgets
and although these may not be essential we found some of them did indeed help the training process. Whatever you choose it needs to be quick and easy to get to for your child and comfortable for them to use.

• Small basic designs are best for when you are out and about – remember you need to be ready for action at all times!
• More bulky designs with removable inner bowls are quick and easy to clean.
• Some children are happy to go straight onto a toilet and for these a trainer seat is invaluable but make sure it fits well and really does make them feel more secure.

The training challenges vary from child to child and are different for boys and girls. The key to success is lots of patience and lots of praise for every success.

If you have a son we strongly recommend you look at the Weeman – its a product you may not have seen and its unique design is well worth a try.

Training with style £29.99 Rymax family seat 10/10

Versatile value £14.99 Bruin’s 3 in 1 toilet trainer 10/10

Superb innovation £12.99 Weeman mini urinal 9/10

Resounding success £24.99 Safety 1st musical potty & step stool 9/10

Functional fun £6.99 babyworld potty with footplates 8/10

Comfy and secure £10.99 Bibs and Stuff padded training seat 8/10

Bargain buy £6.50 Cheeky Rascals trainer toilet seat 8/10

Sitting pretty £14.99 Baby Bjorn potty chair 7/10

What we tested for

• Ease of use for the child
• Ease of cleaning
• Design features
• Value for money

Our testing  panel

• Clodagh with Zac
• Su with Alfie
• Ellie with Poppy
• Alison with Jo

Where to next

• Read the full test results for babyworld’s potties product test
• See babyworld’s other product tests
• Want to know the basics of potty training – start here!
• Potty training not going so smoothly? Check out these common problems and solutions
• The world’s gone potty – we take a look at how other cultures toilet train their tots
• Going potty?! Share your potty training stories and woes on our forum