Lots of parents attribute at least part of potty training success to choosing the best potty seat for toddlers.
They may be spending a lot of time sitting on it so it needs to be comfortable. You’ll also be sure to want one that’s easy to clean.
With all of the different potty seat options, it can be hard to know which to pick. Ultimately, the best seat is whichever one your kid will use.
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In This Guide:
Potty Seat or Potty Chair?
The first decision you’ll have to make is whether you want a potty seat which fits onto the normal toilet or a potty chair which stands alone.
Both have their pros and cons, and in the end some parents even opt for both for different reasons.
READ 7 Common Potty Training Problems (And How to Solve Them!)
So how do you know which is right for your toddler?
Well, potty chairs are great for starting out potty training. You can carry them from room to room so they are always mere footsteps away from your learning toddler.
They are toddler sized and stable so little ones feel comfortable enough to sit a while. Also, having their feet reach the floor can help them push. The big drawback is that you can’t just flush away the waste and they need to be cleaned after every use.
On the other hand, potty seats take up less space and require less cleaning. Their biggest drawback is that many are not super stable.
Since the toilet is up higher and their feet dangle, an unstable seat can make toddlers nervous or uncomfortable and less likely to sit very long, as well as, more likely to fall.
You’ll likely want to get a stool (like this one) if you use a potty seat to help your toddler get to the potty and feel more stable with their feet resting on it.
Best Potty Chairs
If you opt for the potty chair, you’ll quickly find that there are many different ones to choose from. One of the biggest factors in making your decision is probably the ease of cleaning.
**Mom Tip** Use plastic bags inside the potty chair to make clean up a breeze. Depending on the size of the potty shopping bags, small garbage bags, or specific potty liners work great.
Here are a couple of our favorite potty chairs:
Summer Infant My Size Potty
Looking just like a mini toilet, this teeny potty is very popular and is one of the best potty seat for toddlers.
Kids seem to like that it resembles the “real” thing, but is just the right size for them. Plus, it even makes a flushing sound!
It has a splash guard and removable bowl to make cleaning easy.
BabyBjorn
The BabyBjorn potty is another very popular potty chair. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, the simple two piece design makes it super easy to use and clean.
The small size is perfect for tight spaces and it is also very lightweight making it great for carrying from room to room or even taking in the car.
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Best Potty Seats
The additional option for potty training is to have a unit that attaches directly to your existing toilet.
As previously mentioned, the major advantage is that these potty seats take up less space and don’t require cleaning after every use. They’re especially a great option for shared toilets.
You’ll likely want to get a stool (like this one) if you use a potty seat to help your toddler get to the potty and feel more stable with their feet resting on it.
BABYBJORN Toilet Potty Seat
The super simple BABYBJORN toilet trainer securely attaches directly to almost any toilet. With almost a perfect 5-star rating on amazon, it’s a high contender for the best potty seat for toddlers.
It is adjustable and can be fit on toilet seats of all sizes, including elongated models. The entire unit is one piece, meaning no cracks and crevices that are difficult to clean. Plus it’s simple enough (once adjusted) that children can place it and remove it themselves!
SKYROKU Potty Training Seat with Ladder
Potty seat and stool all-in-one! This potty seat also attaches directly to the toilet, but comes included with a ladder secured with anti-slip pads.
It fits toilets of any round shape (“U”, oval, etc) and has adjustable legs to work with any height. The cushioned seat allows your child to feel comfortable for the duration of long bathroom sessions.
You’ll notice the SKYROKU also has that little raised area near the front of the seat. This “pee catcher” ensures that stray streams don’t leave the toilet.
Portable/Travel Potty Seat
For travel, or any time you’re out and about, the best potty seat for toddlers is the Hemsis.
You should definitely have a travel potty seat for a few reasons. First, it’s just more hygienic than having your toddler touch public toilet seats. Secondly, you won’t have to worry about them falling in or feeling unstable.
It’s a foldable seat you carry around and attach to public toilets as needed. The Hemsis is very stable (secured with suction cups!) and fits a variety of public toilet sizes from round to oval.
But what makes this one unique is that it comes with a little crowbar to pry it off the toilet seat so you don’t have to touch it – genius!
They also make portable toilet seats with cute little animals, but my kids alway got kind of weirded out by sitting on their face.
Foryee Cute Frog Potty Training Urinal
Who knew toilets could be so cute? Get kids used to the idea of peeing into a urinal early by installing this trainer in your bathroom.
The Foryee is by far the best and most affordable. You only secure the base against the wall, using suction cups so it can easily attach anywhere there’s tile. The “bowl” of the urinal can be removed for easy dumping and cleaning.
Bonus! There’s an aiming target to help those little fire hoses from splashing outside the bowl.
Toilet Seat With Potty Seat
Moms swear by the NextStep2 toilet seat.
This ingenious seat actually replaces your regular toilet seat.
It has a normal toilet seat and an attached toddler seat that can lower over it. So it takes a tiny bit of effort to switch out your toilet seats, but after that initial change, it is easy peasy.
Being attached means that the seat is always right there when you need it and super easy to lift or lower. The slow close is just a nice perk also to keep little ones from slamming the seat lid.
Simple to use and clean, it’s no wonder this seat is so popular with moms. Kids seem to like it too, perhaps because it is stable to sit on or because it looks just like a grown-up seat.
