About a year and a half ago my husband and I talked about how we could probably get our daughter potty trained within the first few months of turning two. To that end, we’ve had the Boon Potty Bench in our bathroom for probably close to a year. I think somehow we thought exposure to a potty chair at 1 3/4 years would pique her interest and thus magically lead to a potty trained child. I’ve since come down off that cloud and understand that she will be potty trained when she wants to be potty trained and I’m okay with that. I can’t bring myself to put her on the potty every 30 minutes, have her run around naked, or let her wet herself to prove some kind of point to her (she still thinks it’s fun to rub yogurt all over her face!). Besides, who is really being trained when I do that anyway? So we have decided that three is a good age to really start potty training in the official sense. While there are tons of differing opinions on this topic, this is what we are comfortable with.
So while the formal potty training has yet to be implemented, we have introduced the potty to our now 2 3/4 year-old daughter and she uses it “as the spirit moves her.” During this phase we’ve found the Boon Potty Bench very useful for a couple different reasons.
First, when the lid is closed, it serves as a bench so kids can use it to stand up at the sink. Ours is placed at the end of the bathroom cabinet so she can stand on it to brush her teeth or just hang out with us.
Second, as a potty it’s simple but functional. The height seems comfortable for her and she’s able to get on and off easily. It’s also very stable, so if she moves around at all it can’t fall over. But perhaps best of all, it’s simple to clean with a “drawer” that pulls out and can be emptied and rinsed out easily. There are also two storage compartments, one with a toilette paper holder.
But recently I found another reason why I love this potty bench. It doesn’t have the distractions that appear on other potties. While visiting Grandpa’s this past Thanksgiving, my daughter used a potty chair that had all sorts of bells and whistles (literally). While my daughter sat on this potty a few times, she never used it for its intended purpose. Instead, she just played with it. She would “flush” the toilet over and over to make it say “You flushed the potty!” She also enjoyed spinning the “toilet paper” lever, causing it to sing out praises for that as well. I don’t know about you, but these are things we are trying to discourage at our house. I can appreciate positive messages that encourage a child when they are successful, but there is a limit. Besides, I think my husband and I can out-sing and out-praise a potty chair any day.
Overall these potty toys, as I call them, probably won’t cause irreparable harm. But if you’re looking for something functional and simple, I would definitely recommend the Boon Potty Bench. It—and a lot of patience—should get your through your potty-training!