Potty Cleaning

We just got a "family toilet seat." It replaces the regular seat and has a child size seat and an adult size seat and you just flip down the one you need. My son is almost 3 and can use this seat easily to pee in the regular toilet (he won't poop in any potty yet). We previously tried a separate potty and a ring that goes on the toilet and this is my favorite solution.

GO with the cushy seat that fits on the regular toilet. My daughter loves to do her stuff then watch it do "down, down down"!!! Those can be cleaned with clorox wipes periodically and keep them clean. They can also be thrown in a bag and taken with you and then easily cleaned when you get home from where ever. A.

I got rid of the potty chair after my first because it was just annoying to clean. I don't even remember what I did. Both my 2nd & 3rd were trained on the big pot...much easier for me & they had no issues.

I bought the baby bjorn potty and it's very easy to clean and not expensive at all. Just lift out the bowl part, dump the contents in the toilet, rinse in the sink (but dump this water in the toilet so no poop germs touch the sink). Then once all the poop is rinsed out, I scrub it with a sponge in the bathroom used only for this purpose. I keep a bottle of dish soap in the bathroom. Squirt some in and scrub it out. It cleans up really easily. Nothing sticks to it as long as you dump it right away (and who wouldn't?).

As long as you use hot water, the dish soap will clean as well as harsh cleaning products without exposing your child's little bottom to dangerous chemicals like bleach.

There have been many studies that show that washing hands with soap and hot water is just as effective at killing germs as the antibacterial stuff. Using antibacterial soap and hand gels actually contributes to resistant strains of bacteria and more dangerous illnesses and when they are washed down the drain, they contaminate the ground water. Bleach also degrades plastic by the way, so it should not be used on something like this. Besides, it's your kid's germs. It's not like it's a public toilet.

I only used the seat on the toilet.. so they got used to the big toilet.. and I didn't have to get thenm used to it later on. good luck

sometimes i rinse it out in the tub if there is lots of splashes, otherwise, i swipe it with one of those disinfecting wipes--lysol i think.

i agree with you. although the magic eraser is the best thing since sliced bread!

I think being on a little potty gives them a more secure feeling because their feet can touch the floor. They can concentrate on using the potty and not be distracted by being nervous about sitting up high. Try it both ways and see how your child acts on the big potty and then decide.
I rinse our little one out after each use. I use Clorox Green Works to wipe it down at night.

I have bought the Clorox/Lysol Wipes for during the day. She sometimes gets pee/poop all over trying to show me. But at night I would use a dissinfectant spray or soak in mixture of bleach and water.

Hi, B.. I know it can be a pain in the butt and not to mention gross to clean potty, but I would stay with it. One of my concerns about the cushy seat is what if they rip and then I saw one of the mothers mentioned it and that it happened to her and also, to clean it, what was suggested to me was to use vinegar and put it in there at overnight to soak, but my concerns is that my second son sometimes gets up in the night to go potty and I don't like the idea of having him around it when vinegar is in there. My oldest decided to use the big potty last year and will NOT, and made it clear that he did NOT want to use the potty just the big one and I was oky with it and he cleans himself and flushes. My second son is going in that direction now. I noticed that he used the toddler potty when he does #2 and used the big toilet when he does number 1 and that makes me wonder what one of the mothers said about them needing to put feet on something when they go #2 and it makes sense to me. Use your judgement and just remember they are little once in a lifetime.... :)

I just sued clorox wipes after #2 and just rinsed it if she had just peed. I found that the cushy seat was tricky because somehow my daughter got pee all over it and it is difficult to clean on the bottom. She was never scared of the big potty it was just too tricky in the beginning. They also sell toilet seat that have a small seat in the lid that you can put down which would be easier to clean (http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId....

Good luck.

Hi B.! A great trick that doesn't use chemicals and helps with the odor-good old fashion vinegar and baking soda! Let the potty soak for apprx. 30 mins. with the mixture, wash gently with a couple of paper towels that can easily be disposed afterwards, rinse well and your good to go! Safe for your toddler and safe for the environment.
1/2 vinegar
1/2 water
Enough Baking Soda to create a good fizz

Hi B.,
just wanted to let you know that I have 3 girls
have botty trained 2 and the cushey one on the toilet is so much easier as long as you have a stool to help your child get on the big potty

I use fantastic and then rinse it really good. once a week I take it all apart and put it in the dishwasher by itself. Before I had the dishwasher I soaked the pieces over night in sink in a bleach and water solution and then let it air dry. The problem I found with the cushy inserts for the toilet was that when the cover rips the padding on the inside can get really wet and gross. They tend to rip at the seams over time. So if you soak it or if your child misses and gets urine on it it can become soaked and gross.

Also if you use the insert make sure you have a high enough stool for their feet to touch if they have a bowel movement. A friend of mine has a little boy who went through all kinds of intestinal issues. The doctor told her the worst thing ever invented was the insert for the toilet for potty training kids with. He said they can't put their feet down and they need to for being able to push correctly. He said he has had an increase in pediatric patients because of the padded inserts. So make sure you have a stool or bucket or anything tall enough that your child can put their feet on.

I use the cushy seat with a little step stool. The thought of cleaning a potty kind of grossed me out.

I don't know about the cushy seat that goes on the toilet. My kids were afraid of the big potty because it's high off the floor and they didn't feel secure.

As far as cleaning I use to just rinse out the little potty after use and used a bleach/water solution to disinfect at the end of the day.

Hi B., I used Lysol or Clorox clean up. Grandma Mary

I've done both the potty and the cushy seat and I like the cushy seat better. It's easier to clean (I clean with Clorox in the kitchen sink) and it just helps them do the stepping stool and flushing part of the learning process better....and it helps them not be scared of the big potty!!! I would often let them watch me go potty and then, I would put the cushy seat on and let them "try it" or "copy me". The ones I did this with had an easier time using the big potty especially in public places.

Use the cushy seat, they are cheaper then the seperate potty and last for a while. I agree with others you will need a step stool, but you will need one anyway for hand washing. My son feels so independent and big because uses the same potty mommy and daddy use. Kohler makes a toilet seat cover that actually has an insert built in (it is a little pricey, but you may want to consider it, we have it in 1 bathroom, we have 4 bathrooms and all have to be ready for him).

We found that our little boy felt safest sitting on the regular seat, facing back toward the tank. But yeah, once he started pooping, I was SO done with the potty chair.

Go for the cushy seat on the toilet :-)

Leave the stuff where it belongs. LOL
One less transition, more sanitary and less fuss for everyone.

I chose the cushy seat for the same reason you probably will.

I never wanted an extra toilet to clean so I went for the cuchy insert & it worked great for my 2 girls. You'll just need a step stool for when they're doing it on their own, but we used that for the sink too to wash hands.