Category: Products

Elimination Communication, Potty Independence, Potty Training, Products

Navigating Gear, Part 2 – Toilet Seat Adaptors/Reducers

ruthanndrummond

In Navigating Gear Part 1, I discussed the different types of potties that are out there, and some of their various advantages and disadvantages. But let’s face it, your child will likely not always be able to use a potty. While I do know some people who travel with a potty almost everywhere they go (and depending on the case, I sometimes recommend this), most children will fairly early on need to get used to toileting on… well, a toilet!

The biggest problem with this, is that toilets are NOT made for little bums, and many kids feel insecure or even scared sitting on a grownup toilet seat. Finding the right toilet seat adaptor/reducer for your child can be a lifesaver out and about, can ease discomfort at daycare/preschool, and can help kids to feel like they’re really starting to grow up when they pee or poop on the grownup toilet!

Like with potties, do you NEED a toilet seat adaptor/reducer? No. But, like potties, I do usually recommend them, because they allow your child the flexibility of toileting anywhere, but with the comfort of something familiar and secure.

Also like potties, toilet seat adaptors come in many shapes and sizes, with many different features. We will look at some of these differences today, so help you make an educated decision about whether an adaptor/reducer would be right for your family, and which style might work for you. We’ll look at soft-form, rigid-form, built-in, travel-style and hybrid adaptors/reducers.

 

Soft-Form

 

These basic adaptors/reducers are made of a semi-soft coated foam material. Generally, they come equipped with little suction cups that stick onto the existing toilet seat, which keep the adaptor from moving during use (which is very important to a child’s feeling of security). They tend to have deeper depressions, so your child feels like they fit securely in the seat, and this can be a great feature for ECers, young potty trainers, or children with little bottoms, who feel fully supported this way.

One advantage to these is that they are fairly universal, in that no part of them requires fitting into the toilet or toilet seat. Instead, they suction to the top of it, and are thus more flexible in terms of fit to different toilet seat sizes and shapes (including the tiny toilets at daycares/preschools!)

Disadvantages are that they tend to be a bit bulky, and thus are difficult to travel with. The foam material is also less durable, and cracks/tears and other wear will occur much faster, especially if the toilets they are being used on are less supportive to their inherent shape.

 

Rigid-Form

 

These adaptors are made mostly of hard plastics, although some have a padded seat. Many (although not all) will include handles, which can be an important feature to some children who like to feel control of how they are supported. If you are looking to purchase a rigid-form adaptor/reducer, please take the time to read descriptions and reviews to ensure the one you choose is compatible with (and secure on) your particular toilet seat. Some are definitely designed for standard or elongated toilet seats only, while others do a better job of moving between both styles.

Advantage to rigid-form seats is that they tend to be durable and last a long time, and the structure of them generally helps children to feel secure.

Disadvantages are that they still tend to be bulky and difficult to travel with, they are often particular to sizes and styles of toilet seat, and if the fit isn’t right they can shift around and make a child anxious or fearful.

 

Built-in

 

Built-in toilet seat reducers are an extra flap of your toilet seat that tucks away inside the lid but can be easily lowered to make a smaller hole. These are sleek and convenient, but not without their issues. Because they don’t have a lot of form and don’t offer any handles, children can still feel pretty insecure on them, and sometimes the hole they reduce to still isn’t small enough for little-bumed children.

Advantages are that they are always there and kids can lower them easily on their own. Because they’re built-in, they are perfectly suited to your toilet seat and will never shift around.

Disadvantages are that they tend to offer little added security to children who prefer feeling hugged by their adaptor, or who prefer to control their own security with handles.

 

Travel-style

 

These adaptors/reducers offer a huge convenience because of their immense portability (they fold up and can generally be easily stored in a standard diaper bag). However, their compact design makes them much less substantial, and they tend to rely on foam pads without much structure to keep they from moving around on the seat. The result is that they may shift during use, which can disturb some children, and while they are usually rated up to 50lbs, they feel flimsier and some children feel like they could break underneath them.

The advantages are that they easily go anywhere, so your child never has to face a gross and unfamiliar public toilet without their adaptor.

Disadvantages are that they tend to feel much less secure, and some children feel just as nervous using them as not.

 

Hybrid Travel Potties/Adaptors

 

While not perfect, these can be amazingly useful! These little potties can be setup in potty configuration and used with disposable liners you can throw away, can be used with no liner at all over grass outside, and in the case of the Potette Plus, can be used with a reusable liner as a small but effective regular potty. In toilet seat adaptor/reducer configuration, they span any toilet I have come across and act as a familiar adpator. While not as compact as a travel adaptor, they tend to be smaller than carrying a typical adaptor/reducer, and can go into most larger diaper bags. Their added uses make them extremely flexible, and they are a perect solution for short vacations, road trips, or just to have on hand when out and about.

Advantages are that they can be used in multiple ways for flexibility and conveneince, and that they are fairly compact while still feeling pretty secure.

Disadvantage are that they are a little bulky for everyday out and about, and that they tend to fit smaller bums more easily than larger ones. They can also shift a little on certain toilets, although less so than with typical travel adaptors.

 

While I won’t get into them here, there are also adaptors that have built-in steps/ladders up to the toilet. While I don’t have personal experience with these, the reviews tend towards them feeling a little wobbly. Personally, I think a good adaptor/reducer paired with a suitable step stool offers your child toilet independence while also having less of a permanent impact on the setup of your bathroom. As an added bonus, any stool they use to reach the toilet can double up as a stool to reach the sink for hand washing!

As always, I hope your family is able to find just the right tools so suit your unique needs! If you want to take a look at some adaptors that we have seen working for people, please visit our resources page, and as always, contact us if you have any questions!

Elimination Communication, Potty Independence, Potty Training, Products

Navigating Gear, Part 1 – What potty should I buy?

ruthanndrummond

Modern society likes its gadgets and conveniences, and EC and potty training is no different. There is almost an infinite array of potties, training pants, books, clothing, etc. all marketed as being what you NEED to get your kid to toilet independence. But do you? Well, no. You don’t actually need a thing except a kid, the clothes you want them to wear, and the place you want them to eliminate. However, as with everything, sometimes the right tool DOES make a job easier. Thus, I will occasionally be posting about navigating gear, to help you understand what’s out there, what it’s used for, and most importantly, to help you decide what might be right for your family. If you want to see a list of tools and resources that I have experienced having success, have a look at our Resources page. Topic #1 is one of the most important to both EC and potty training – the potties themselves!

First and foremost, do you NEED a potty? Well, no. But I do recommend them, and this is why: Potties are the easiest way for your child to do their potty routine on their own. For me, any inconvenience a potty might bring into your life is made up for 1000x by your child’s ability to be completely independent on a potty from a very young age. If you have to help lift your child onto a toilet, or help them feel secure by helping to hold them on top of the toilet. Or if you have to go with your child and let them into a child-proof locked bathroom every time they have to pee, then they don’t get to achieve the same level of independence they could have with a potty they can freely access. And ultimately, potty training is about empowering our kids to take control of their own hygiene needs. To be independent.

Potties come in many shapes and sizes, with many different features and intended uses. I will break this down into simple potties, potties with inserts, travel potties, and top hat potties. There are other specialty potties out there which I will touch on briefly, but we’ll stick mostly to the primary types here so you can get to know them. We will cover toilet seat adapters in another post.

Simple Potties

Simple potties are just that – they are very simple. They are all in one piece, making them easy to clean well because they have no seams or extra pieces. However, you must take the whole unit to the toilet to dump it every time your child eliminates, which some find cumbersome. For stable toddlers who are fairly easy going, these are a fine (and economical) choice. You can generally get one for under $10. However, if you are practicing EC with baby, you have a child who is particular about what they sit on, or you prefer to cart a smaller vessel of pee and poo to the toilet, a potty with insert may serve you better.

Simple Potties with Inserts

The low-profile, basic layout of a simple potty, but with a removable insert that you dump in the toilet. For my family, the inserts make them easier to use, because dumping a whole potty can be awkward (especially in a small bathroom). As an added bonus, if you’re practicing EC with a newborn or young baby, the insert can come out and [with most models] sit between your legs while you potty your infant on your lap. If you want to be able to sit up a young baby and give them a little more support (or you have a toddler who wants to feel secure), a potty chair may be a better fit for you.

Potty Chairs with Inserts

Potty Chairs always come with inserts, so you have built-in convenient dumping. As with the simple potties with inserts, you can use the insert to practice EC with a baby on your lap. Where potty chairs have the advantage is with the added security of a full back support. This is very useful if you are sitting a young baby without full control on the potty independently, or if you have a toddler who prefers the look or feel of a full-back potty for their own security.

 

 Travel Potties

 

Travel potties are compact, so they are usually shorter (lower) than regular potties and while great for travel, aren’t usually preferred by kids for everyday. Travel potties usually fold up. Some have covers so you can take the contents with you to dump later; some have disposable liner options, so you can bag the contents and throw them in the trash. Some clever designs can double as a toilet seat adapter, which can be really handy if you want to flip flop between public washrooms and no washrooms at all, or even if you want to use them as adapters at home. Because of their small size, they typically accommodate tiny bums easily, so can be great for EC and early potty trainers. Older toddlers may find them awkward to use because of their size, especially if they haven’t grown up accustomed to them.

 

Top Hat Potties

These potties are great for EC from birth to 6mth. Small and simple, they fit perfectly between your legs for convenient pottying in a classic EC position with you as a support. You can get or make fleece cuffs that keep the tiniest of bottoms from feeling chilly, too.

 

Specialty Potties and Potties with Bells and Whistles

Fisher Price Cheer for Me Potty Chair

While I ultimately support any potty that gets your child out of diapers and onto potties and toilets, I will be honest and say that I am not the biggest fan of the flashy, musical, ready-to-drive, “fun” potties with lights, music, screens and who knows what else. We are teaching our children to pee and poop in an appropriate receptacle that will ultimately evolve into only a toilet because it’s a matter of course. We have to pee and poop… we have to put that pee and poop somewhere… our society has deemed toilets as that place. Flashy potties with buttons, steering wheels, etc., that are partly used as toys, seem to defeat the matter of fact attitude we are adopting about this process while learning to deal hygienically with our bodily functions. But some families may find that they work for them, and that’s just fine.

There are also some specialty potties out there with disposable liners so you theoretically never have to wash them but can either flush or dispose of single use potty bags. While I understand that we are all searching for a little more convenience, this just seems excessive, both in terms of cost, and environmental impact.

I hope you find what you are looking for, and your family ends up with the potty of your dreams! For particular products that I have witnessed working for families, please visit our Resources page. And always feel free to Contact Us, if you need any further guidance!