What’s Best a Potty Chair or a Potty Seat for Toilet Training your Toddler

Last Update June 19th, 2017

When it comes to toilet training you child you start by trying to figure out the correct answer to questions like, when should you start; who should do the training mommy or daddy; should you use potty training rewards or bribes; and finally should you toilet train your child on a potty chair or on a potty seat?

I’ve managed to answer all of these questions on my website, well… almost all, because until now I skipped over the potty seat, potty chair debate.

So… due to popular demand, today I’m gonna try to give you a straight, practical answer to the chair VS seat question. Just keep on reading.

Making the right choice from the start will allow both you and your child to go through the training process with ease.

What this article is meant to do, is to help you choose quickly between either the toilet insert or the potty chair and not waste too much time so you can start potty training your toddler as soon as possible.

Potty Chairs

2 types of potty chairs, the pink one with a removable pot and the 1-piece blue one

Most of us are more familiar with the potty chair than with the toilet seat or insert. It’s that little training potty that sits on the floor and comes in 2 forms: a single-piece potty thats low to the ground and a bigger 2-piece chair, that also has a removable pot.

Probably the biggest advantage of using a chair is that they’re very portable. They’re so lightweight that even your child can move’em around.

Potty chairs allow your child’s feet to reach the floor, encouraging a more natural position.

For me personally, the biggest upside is that your toddler doesn’t have to ask for your help when using a potty chair. This makes the whole process much less intimidating for him.

The downside? Well… you will have to clean it after your child has finished his “business”. This can be a bit gross. Here’s a trick: It makes cleaning the potty so much easier, especially #2, if you keep a little water in the bowl.

Potty Seats

A potty seat or a toilet insert reduces the size of the adult toilet seat to a toddler-size so that your child won’t fall in it. First of all, when you’re shopping for a potty seat you want to make sure that it’s comfortable and stable. Stay away from those cheap seats that are not stable and can slide all over the place.

If your child is transitioning from the potty chair to the potty seat, the best way to make this work is to get a seat that has similar or identical patterns, color themes, with the potty chair.

The upside to using potty seats? There is nothing to clean. Everything goes directly into the toilet.

This is great for us parents. But you also need to consider the fact that your child might be a little bit intimidated by the size of the toilet seat.

I remember we used a potty seat with my son Mark and at first he was scared to use it. What I did was I would hold his hands for awhile each time he used it, until eventually he was comfortable sitting by himself. You can also get a seat that has handles, but I feel it’s better to be there yourself. It only takes one minor slip or fall for your child to never want to use it again.

And although it’s removable, it’s not as portable as a potty chair. It’s only portable use is when your toddler needs to use a public toilet.

If you want your child to be able to climb up himself you’ll also need to get him a step stool.

Potty Chairs VS Potty Seats  – Comparison Chart

Criteria	Potty Seats	Potty Chairs
Ease of Use
Toddler Friendly
Range of Choices
Hygiene
Money Saver
What Kids Want?
What Parents Want?
Portability
	Best Potty Seats	Best Potty Chairs

If your child does not express an obvious preference, I suggest you go with the qualities that are more important to you.

The usual tiebreaker tends to be ease of cleaning(potty seat) vs portability(potty chair). It’s a matter of what’s best for you: being able to take the potty wherever you go with your child, or not having to clean after him each time he uses it.

Hopefully by now I’ve cleared the air for you(no pun intended) regarding the differences, the pros and the cons when it comes to potty training seats and potty chairs. So now that we’ve that out the way here are the best potty seats and chairs you can buy.

Best Potty Seats

Mommy’s Helper Contoured Cushie Step Up

Mommy’s Helpers is a padded training seat that also comes with a ladder so you won’t need to spend money on a step stool. It’s extremely easy to assemble, you don’t need any tools. The seat is soft and comfy which most toddlers seem to love.

Because it’s foldable, it’s very easy to store and travel with. The one-step slip-proof ladder allows your child to use the toilet all on his own.

Baby Bjorn Potty Toilet Trainer

The Baby Bjorn potty seat is very stable and very comfortable. Because of the rounded margins kids can get on and off by themselves easily with the help of a step stool.

The potty seat is made to perfectly fit on the toilet no matter it’s shape or size which makes it great for travel. It has a soft rubber edge to secure it firmly to the toilet seat.

Bemis 1483SLOW NextStep SLOW Closing Toddler Seat

The Bemis NextStep potty seat blends perfectly in your bathroom. It is made to completely replace the normal seat on your toilet. It can be used by both you and your toddler and once he’s outgrown it, the mini seat can be easily removed.

Because of the slow close mechanism you won’t need to worry about your child smashing his fingers. The seat is very easy to install and it’s quite sturdy.

Primo 4-In-1 Soft Seat Toilet Trainer and Step Stool

The Primo 4-in-1 potty seat is the all in one solution when it comes to buying potty training gear. It can be used as a standalone potty chair, a step stool, a potty seat and it’s small enough to be used as a travel seat.

The build quality is excelent, and because the seat is contoured to the shape of your little one’s bottom it’s also very comfortable. It comes with strong handles for your child to hold on to.

Best Potty Chairs

BABY BJORN Potty Chair

The Baby Bjorn potty chair is one of the most popular toilet training chair models because of it’s sturdy build and practical design. It has a removable pot which is very easy to clean and has a splash guard to prevent any spills.

The high backrest with armrests allows your child to maintain a healthy position while on the potty. Another thing I personally love is it’s stability. It doesn’t tip, even if your child leans on one side when sitting down or getting up.

You can also let your little one decorate the backrest with stickers.

Summer Infant Lil’ Loo Potty

Very similar in design with the Baby Bjorn model, the Lil’ Loo potty comes at almost half price but the plastic isn’t as strong as Baby Bjorn’s.

The tray comes out easily and it’s very easy to clean. The Summer Infant Lil’ Loo is the perfect travel potty chair because lightweight and compact.

Sesame Street Elmo Adventure Potty Chair

The Elmo Adventure potty chair is made to look like a real toilet with a flush handle. If you’re child loves Elmo, he’ll love this chair. The sounds are also something fun your little toddler will enjoy. Whenever the flush handle is pulled you can hear a flushing noise and Elmo’s laugh.

Cleaning it is very easy and the seat can also be used as an adapter for normal adult toilets.

Fisher-Price Royal Stepstool Potty

What I like about the Fisher Price Royal Stepstool potty chair is the built-in reward system. There are 4 tunes that play, rewarding your child for his progress. The moment the pee hits the bowl the music starts playing. The kids really seem to enjoy it.

The lid has 2 uses, it acts as a backrest and when closed the whole potty chair is transformed into a step stool which according to the manual can hold up to 200 pounds.

Final Thoughts

Well I guess this pretty much covers it. If you do have any further questions just leave me a comment below. Ohh and don’t forget to share this with your parent friends.