BearySweet's Full Review: Graco Training Rewards Soft Seat Potty & Stepstool
I started out normal, I swear! When Jake was born, I promised myself and the beautiful infant sleeping in my arms that I would not be one of those crazy moms that hounded her toddler in an effort to have him potty trained by his 2nd birthday. Well okay, I’m not that bad, but we have had a potty since Jake was 14 months old. At 14 months old, Jake began peeing after his bath every night without fail. Sometimes on the carpet or rug if Joe wasn’t fast enough with the diaper! We thought this would be a great opportunity for Jake to get some guaranteed potty success that would start off his potty training on a positive note. We were half right.
We had done a bit of research on potty chairs and decided the Graco Training Rewards Soft Seat Potty and Stepstool was the best choice to suit our toddler’s needs. When we got the potty home and out of the box, it was almost instantly ready to use. The only preparations needed were adhering some non-slip pads to the underside of seat and putting some non-slip tabs on the bottom edges. In less than five minutes, the potty chair was ready for action. We stood back and let Jake explore the potty chair on his own. We were working from the “If you build it, they will come”* mentality. Jake was excited about his new potty chair and lo and behold, the very first night we had success!! Ten seconds after sitting on the potty, Jake tinkled in it! We did the pee-pee dance all the way to the toilet and ceremoniously flushed the contents. We were happy, Jake was happy and we were on our way to diaper freedom!!
Thirteen months later, I look back on that day and laugh like a goon. Jake is no closer now to being potty trained than he was that very first day. He sits on the potty occasionally, but uses it more often as a stepstool. Although we haven’t had the success I had hoped for, I am still very happy with the Graco Training Rewards Soft Seat Potty and Stepstool.
The Graco Training Rewards Soft Seat Potty and Stepstool consists of 5 separate parts. The white base and lid are by far the largest part of the seat. At its widest, the base is 15-1/2 ins x 14 ins, which makes it stable and impossible to tip. The lid it attached to the base by a strong hinge. Both pieces are made of thick, sturdy molded plastic, yet it is not too heavy. The pee-pee collection bowl is made of the same plastic and is red. This bowl sits down inside the base leaving no gaps around the edge for leaks. There is a handle on the front of the bowl making it easy to remove when you need to dump the contents. The entire bowl sits comfortable into the molded base. The potty seat is nicely padded so it is cushy for your little one’s tushy. The plastic base of the seat is blue and has 2 handles on each side. The seat also has a lip that protrudes out from the bottom that adds and extra barrier against leaks around the outside of the bowl. This rim also helps keep the seat from sliding when used on the regular toilet.
The padded seat is white and made of soft vinyl. The pee-pee guard is blue and made from soft flexible rubber. It has nubs on each side that allow it to fit in a holder right inside the front of the potty seat. It is supposed to be able to fold down when you want to close the seat, but since the material is so flexible, the whole guard pops out very easily. We don’t even use this piece anymore, we just sit Jake a little further back on the potty and we don’t have any trouble with him peeing over the front of the seat.
When used as a potty seat, the lid flips up and leans far enough back that it is not in the way making the child uncomfortable. The padded seat provides extra comfort for those looooong potty sessions waiting for something to happen. If your child does happen to have success while on the potty, you simply clean your child up then lift the potty seat off by one of the handles and lift the bowl out by the front handle and dump the contents into the toilet. Wash the parts thoroughly and reassemble the potty. It is as simple as that.
If your child is more comfortable on the big potty, simply lift out the potty seat and place directly on the toilet seat. The extra rim under the seat and the non-slip pads keep the seat from moving around. I have found that this seat works very well on the big potty, but does not work on a padded toilet seat. For your child’s safety, only use this potty seat with a regular toilet seat.
Along with this potty, I also received 2 sheets of reward stickers. The box shows the stickers affixed on the inside of the lid. I prefer to be able to sanitize the entire potty if I want to so I would create a poster or find another place to put the reward stickers. Of course, Jake couldn’t give a flip about ‘atta-boy’ stickers, so they are still sitting in my bathroom cabinet.
If your child (like mine) isn’t interested in pottying at all, this potty seat can be used as a step stool. When the lid is closed the Graco Training Rewards Soft Seat Potty and Stepstool offers 8 extra inches of height to assist your child in reaching the faucet, light or anything you have placed out if his or her reach. There is very little play in the lid, so you don’t have to worry about it slipping left to right as your toddler stands on it. As I stated before, you receive 4 non-slip feet to go on the underside rim of the base for added traction. These items were plucked off long ago by busy toddler fingers but I haven’t noticed any decrease in the safety or sturdiness of the stepstool.
Cleaning the Graco Training Rewards Soft Seat Potty and Stepstool is a breeze. I simply rinse out the bowl immediately after dumping a potty deposit and when Jake isn’t around I wipe it down with a disinfectant. When used as a stepstool, I just wipe dust or toothpaste off with a warm damp cloth.
The biggest drawback of the Graco Training Rewards Soft Seat Potty and Stepstool has to be the size. It takes up quite a bit of room and actually didn’t fit in the bathrooms of our last apartment. If space is an issue for you, you might want to look for a smaller potty.
So far potty training has not been a successful venture in our house, but I can’t blame the potty. The excellent design and sturdy construction of the Graco Training Rewards Soft Seat Potty and Stepstool make it an excellent choice when you decide your toddler is ready to take the leap from diapers to big-boy pants!
Contains 48 colorful stickers to reward toddlers success Its a soft potty seat; close the lid and its a step stool Durable, soft cushioned seat Det...More at Albee Baby
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