Toilet Seat Vs. Potty Chairs
Potty training is one of those duties that every parent loves and dreads. It's the end of diaper changing and a new chapter in your child's growth, but it also means running to the bathroom with your son's sprinkler decorating the walls and floor. One of the most difficult decisions is whether your child should be trained on the toilet or by using a potty chair.
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Potty Chair--Pros
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One of the biggest benefits of potty chairs is that there are so many varieties, from the austere to the garish. Sesame Street, Disney and Nickelodeon all have several kinds of potty chairs that feature their trademarked characters. Potty chairs also offer a reward system--many of them beep and whistle when the child flushes.
Potty Chair--Cons
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Perhaps the biggest drawback of the potty chair is that it adds another step to the training process. The potty chair isn't a toilet, and after children learn how to use it they must upgrade to the real thing. For some children, it can be difficult to give up the potty chair because the toilet doesn't offer battery-operated fanfare. Also, children are naturally resistant to change, and adding another step to any process can make it more difficult.
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Toilet Seat--Pros
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Child-sized toilet seats are low-tech and usually cheaper than potty chairs, but they lack the flashing lights and sounds. What toilet seats bring to the table is significant: They actually sit on a toilet. Children learn directly on the toilet they will be using and become familiar with it. There are no added steps to learn a new system. Toilet seats can be used long after the initial training phase until the child is big enough to sit on the regular toilet seat without falling in. As far as return on investment, the toilet seat wins.
Toilet Seat--Cons
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While the average potty chair is warm and inviting, a toilet can be a scary, cold piece of porcelain that your child doesn't want to go near. Regardless of how many flower stickers or pictures of Elmo are on a child-sized toilet seat, it won't matter when it is placed on a real toilet. It may take several tries for your child to get used to the toilet and the loud whoosh of the flusher. Even when you can get him to sit on it, he may not want to be on it long enough to relieve himself.
The Child's Decision
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The best way to decide what to use is to let the child decide. Take him down the store aisle and explain to him the difference and see which one he prefers. This gives the child a sense of ownership and pride in the item and he will be more inclined to use it. If his choice doesn't work out, you can always get the other one.
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References
- Photo Credit S.S.
