Fold Up Portable Travel Potty Rings

[jkcd513]

I am hoping one of my fellow parents here on the boards can help give me some honest opinions. Our three year old little boy is potty trained, but it is a nightmare when he needs to go #2 in a public restroom because he is terrified of falling in the big hole. I saw several different fold up potty seats that are meant to carry in your diaper bag and fit on top of the public restroom pottys (making the hole smaller); however the reviews on different store websites have been so mixed I am lost as to whether or not to spend money on one of these. My son is 36lbs and most have a 40lb weight limit. Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks
Jennifer

 

[sillywilly]

My now 3 1/2 year old was the same way for the first month or so using public restrooms. I bought one at Babies R Us that folds in 1/4s basically. It really helped him. I kept the seat and a bunch of Clorox wipes in a ziploc bag in my purse for about 6 weeks.

It is just plastic with a hinge. I don't know if I'd worry about the weight limit too much - he'll probably be fine in a couple of months and won't gain weight that fast plus their whole weight is never really on it. My son always leaned forward on his knees and especially in public restrooms I picked him up to put him on the toilet.

Ours did not have this and I would recommend getting the slightly larger seat with some handles. There's no good place for little hands in a public restroom and the handles would have been nice when he insisted on climbing up himself.

 

[GoinToDisney]

we have the sesame street one for my dd. I don't know about the weight limit, but it works well for her. It can be slippery sometimes, but I use the potty toppers that stick on the toilet, so that cuts back on how much it slides around. Plus the entire seat is covered, so my potty ring doesn't get as yucky. It definitely helps my dd feel more secure. I still hold on to her, though.

 

[arobeen]

I have the same seat that sillywilly described, but mine has handles. I have used it for both my kids and have to say that neither of them liked it. My ds always thought it would cave in and felt very uncomfortable on it. My dd had no fear of sitting on it but complained that the crease where it folds scrapped her legs and bottom and hurt her. I used it only twice I think with my ds and maybe four times with dd before she said no more. With my experience, I wouldn't bother getting one.

 

[mom2aredhead]

Maybe this is TMI, but I found that when my son was sitting on one of those seats, his...ummm...equipment was perfectly lined up to stream right out of the front of the bowl. After a few times of that happening, I decided the seat was more of a pain than it was worth. I would just wipe the seat w/a clorox wipe then some tissue, and just kind of hold him up by one of his arms.

 

[jagafen]

Maybe this is TMI, but I found that when my son was sitting on one of those seats, his...ummm...equipment was perfectly lined up to stream right out of the front of the bowl. .

We taught our son to "tuck"....as for the potty seat (sesame street one, as described above) we really liked it. One word of caution though....one time (and you only do this once), I didn't flatten/unfold the sides all of the way, and my son's leg got pinched. Nothing serious, but he took great joy in reminding me to unfold his seat "the right way" everytime we used it! We only used it for about 2 months.....then he learned how to stand. For the "other thing", he just props his hands on the seat to help keep him in place!

 

[Princess Roo]

We have the Sesame Street one from BRU and I hate it - for the slipping around on the seat, the "streaming" issue (even with "tucking" - he basically needs to hold it down to get it to go in the bowl) and for how much space it takes in the diaper bag. But, the only way DS will go in public is if we use that or "fly" him over the bowl, which is hard for me to do 5 mos pregnant, so we make do with it.
If anyone has other suggestions, I'd love to hear them, too.

 

[TinkerValkyrie]

We tried a folding seat that we got at Toysrus and it was a NIGHTMARE! My DS ended up refusing to use it because he said it pinched his bottom. I also noticed that it wasn't very study and the hinges started to bend the opposite way when he sat on it.

 

[workinmomof2]

Never tried a seat, but this is what worked for my DS since I had to be in the stall with him. I would squat down in front of him and he would sit toward the front of the seat. He would hold onto my arms to steady himself. I could just tell by the look on his face that this eased his fears and tensions. We would sing songs or tell stories during the process. He never takes a long time in public places so it worked out well.

 

[tadamom]

This is the seat that I have: http://www.pottytrainingsolutions.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=296

We use this seat for travel and out/about. I love this seat!!! It is the only seat that I have found that is cushioned and folds. We have never had a problem of it pinching legs or anything. It is a tad bulky (since it's cushioned). I usually keep it in the storage bag of my stroller. I bought it for my DD (she's 2.5) when she first started to potty train before she turned 2 b/c she didn't like sitting on a regular toilet seat. She has loved this seat from the start. My 5 year old son has used it and heck I even used it once in a desperate situation (only bathroom for miles and it was nasty!).

I thought the price was very reasonable for what you were getting and I am so glad that I have it! Good luck to you!

 

[mom2aredhead]

This is the seat that I have: http://www.pottytrainingsolutions.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=296

This is the same one I had - it is also available from the One Step Ahead website and catalog.