Best Potty Chair For Big Toddlers

Best Potty Chair For Big Toddlers: How Do Toilets Training

Woo! It’s time to potty train your baby! Potty training can definitely test your patience but a comfortable potty will certainly make the job easier.

There are so many different potties on the market that choosing the best toilet can be a task in itself. That’s where this guide comes in. By the time you have finished reading you will be a potty gear expert. Pretty cool, huh?

If you choose not to jump to a particular section then keep reading from top to bottom. It’s all awesome information.

What is Potty Chair

Low to the ground and easy for your toddler to use on his own. A potty chair is the starting point for any parent looking at potty training their child.

By far the least intimidating of the three potty options; a potty chair is essentially a small seat that sits on the ground with a recessed area to catch pee and poop. Because of the low height, your baby can sit down with his feet touching the ground.

What is Potty Chair
What is Potty Chair

When your baby has done his business, you will be required to empty the contents of the potty chair into the bin and wash it out in the sink.

Potty chairs are portable. The ability to take the potty chair from room to room will mean that it will always be nearby when your toddler gets the urge to go.

Advantages

  • Can be in any room of the house
  • Childs feet sit comfortably on the ground
  • No great height to fall from
  • Easy for your toddler to sit on without your assistance

Disadvantages

  • Cleaning required after each use
  • Still need to train your child to use a regular toilet
  • The average seat height is 6 inches, not suitable for a taller toddler

Different types of potty chairs

There are four different types of potty chairs. Lets take a look at each in greater detail.

Single piece potty chair

The most basic of potty chairs is made from a single piece of molded plastic. While this potty chair will definitely get the job done, this style can be uncomfortable to sit on and bulky to clean.

Two piece potty chair

The standard of modern potty chairs. As the name suggests, this potty safe chair is made up of two separate pieces:

  1. An outer plastic seat that supports your baby while sitting.
  2. An inner plastic bowl that catches your baby’s waste.

When your baby is finished; simply remove the inner bucket and clean it before returning it to the potty seat. Cleaning a removable insert is much easier and quicker than trying to clean the whole potty seat in the sink.

Deluxe potty chair

A deluxe potty chair contains many different bells and whistles, including:

  • Storage – Hooks and pull out drawers will allow you to keep toilet paper or baby wipes nearby and ready for use once your baby has finished pooping.
  • Lights and sounds – When your baby has finished his business, he can press the lever and is rewarded with a flushing sound or flashing lights. Some potty chairs even play music when your baby sits down.
  • Deodorizer – Helps stop your baby’s poop from stinking out the house before you get a chance to wash the potty.
  • cushioned seat – Provides an incredibly soft place for your baby to do his business.
  • Stickers – Some potty seats like the My Fun Sticker Potty come with a set of stickers. These stickers allow your children to create a unique potty just for him!
  • iPad stand – I’m being serious. Some potties include an iPad stand for your baby to play with while he does his business.

Deluxe potty chairs are a catch 22. The features can be incredibly useful in getting your child to use the potty. On the flipside, each added feature will add bulk to the potty and is also one more thing that will need cleaning when it gets coated in pee or poop (a very real possibility).

Multifunction potty chair

A multifunction potty chair is designed to grow with your baby. Below are the different combinations of multifunction potty chairs:

  • 2-in-1 – A potty chair with a removable potty seat
  • 3-in-1 – A potty chair, potty seat and step-stool
  • 4-in-1 – A potty chair, potty seat, toilet step-stool and storage compartments

Below is an example of a 3-in-1 potty chair, the Bravo 3-in-1 Potty.

3-in-1 potty chair
Bravo 3-in-1 potty chair

I personally do not like combination baby gear. Rather than be great at a single task they are average at multiple. While it may seem cost effective to buy all buying an all-in-one solution; you will save yourself from stress if you buy them separately.

Another downside with combination potties is that they have more pieces to them. More pieces equals more cleaning. And more cleaning equals less quality time with your little one.

Potty chair features

This section will focus on the features you will need to consider when purchasing a potty chair.

Potty chair features
Potty chair features

Splash guard

You may have noticed that the lip of the potty sticks up in the picture above. This lip is known as the splash guard and is designed to help with potty training young boys.

You see; your little boy will not immediately know how to position his dangly bits when sitting on a potty. That means that there will occasionally be instances of friendly fire ending up all over your floor.

The splashguard helps prevent pee from escaping the potty by bouncing it back into the bowl below, potentially saving you from cleaning pee from the floor.

You may not need a splash guard if you are potty training a girl. That said, some little girls have a tendency tilt their pelvis forward when peeing. This peeing position will quickly see your floor splattered if your potty chair does not have a splash guard.

Stability

The best way to keep your floor clean is by choosing a potty chair that is difficult to tip over. You don’t want your child to lean left or right (or even excitedly jump up to check her progress) and have the potty chair topple over; sending it’s contents all over the floor.

To check for stability, place the potty on the floor. Kneel down in front of it and put your hands to the left and right of the potty. Apply your weight and shift it from one hand to the other. After comparing a few you will quickly be able to find a potty that is much harder to tip than the others.

If you have tiles or a wooden floor then a rubber lined bottom is a needed feature. A rubber bottom will prevent your potty from slipping and sliding around your floor while your baby tried to climb aboard.

The design

Close your eyes and Imagine you are a toddler. Now look at this potty chair.

This potty chair is so awesome that even I want to sit on it and I was potty trained a loooooong time ago.

While the design is not vital to the potty seats main function , it can play a major role during the potty training process. If your child is excited by the potty then he will be much more likely to use it when the time comes to do his business.

Best Potty Chair For Tall Toddlers

In this section I will show you some of the most popular potty chairs on the market as well as some of the more unusual options available.

BABY BJORN Potty Chair

Best two piece potty chair

BABY BJORN Potty Chair
Source: Amazon

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Simple, sturdy and despite being made from plastic; surprisingly comfy to sit on. The BabyBjorn potty chair is one of the most popular on the market.

The splash guard is the perfect height to prevent pee from escaping but not so high that your child will have problems climbing over it to sit on the potty itself. A handle on the front side of the splashguard will make removing the inner pot incredibly simple.

The plastic used is completely free from BPA, phthalates, lead and other nasty’s and the potty can even be recycled when your child outgrows it.

The BabyBjorn potty chair is incredibly suitable for those of you who have floor boards or tiles in your home. A non-skid base will prevent the potty from sliding around the room when your child tries to sit down or stand up.


BABYBJORN Smart Potty

Lil’ Loo Potty

BABYBJORN Smart Potty
Source: Amazon

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If you are watching your money during the potty training phase then the Lil’ Loo Potty is an inexpensive potty chair solution. In fact, you could buy three of these for the price of a single BabyBjorn potty chair.

This potty chair is almost the same as the BabyBjorn chair above at a much cheaper price point. Besides the design, there is only one major difference….

The non-skid bottom

If your floor is tiled or wooden then I strongly recommend choosing a potty chair with a non-skid base like the BabyBjorn model. Otherwise this potty chair is a fantastic alternative.


Little Colorado Unfinished Potty Chair

Best wooden potty chair

Little Colorado Unfinished Potty Chair
Source: Amazon

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Believe it or not, this is how potty chairs looked 40 years ago and yes, there is still a market for them.

You may be wondering who would want a potty chair that is made from wood. The larger size of a wooden potty chair makes it better suited for big toddlers or children with disabilities.

Little Colorado manufactures these wooden potty chair right here on the American soil. I like to stand behind products made in the USA as they generally come with a superior customer service. This potty doesn’t disappoint with a 5 year warranty.

The potty chair comes preassembled and ready to use. Numerous color options are available in a water-based finish.

And that rounds out the list of potty chairs. In the next section I will explore a different style of potty; the potty seat.


Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use a potty chair or seat?

Since toddlers have to sit in the real bathroom, they are more likely to easily acclimate to the toilets in general. That means they’re not going to be so frightened by other people’s toilets when you’re not with them. You don’t have anything to pour and vacuum a couple of times a day like you’d have to do with a potty chair.

Which age is best for potty training?

Most infants show signs of being ready for potty training between the ages of 18 and 24 months. Others, however, will not be able until they are three years old. There’s no urgency here. If you start too early, it will take longer to teach your boy.

Do you need a potty to toilet train?

Children can commence toilet training by using a pot or a toilet. Perhaps your child likes one better than the other. Or you can allow your child to use all of them. A potty is easy to maneuver around, and some kids find it less frightening than a toilet.

Conclusion

Potty training is a big achievement, but it will take time. The big toilet might seem intimidating to a baby. Luckily, potty chairs are the right tools to make things easier.

That’s also why we love the Baby Bjorn potty chair. It’s ideal for both young and old, and will grow up with your little one because of its tall and durable design.