3 in one. If only potty training itself was so easy (Summer Infant All In One Potty And Step Stool)

Member Name: abbadabbado

Product:	Summer Infant All In One Potty And Step Stool
Date:	24/06/09 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a great way to save money and space

Disadvantages: difficult to dismantle quickly

The time came a while ago for us to get a potty to introduce to our toddler. I had looked around and was bombarded by all the different potty's you can buy. Some sing when the child does a wee, some are brightly coloured, some look like a throne, and some are just a plain old potty.
I wasn't even sure what I needed let alone what I wanted. That was until I saw the all in one potty with a lid.
It ticked a couple of boxes straight away by being pink, and the fact it was three in one was very interesting, and I hoped it would save me money in the long run.

The potty comes in at £14.99 which is expensive for a potty, but not when you consider it's a toilet seat, stool and potty rolled into one.
Instantly my daughter loved her new potty. She could open and close the lid and put her toys inside. Hang on that's not right, I didn't want to encourage her to be doing her business over her toys in the future.
This proceeded in me spending a while teaching my daughter that this was where she would do her "wee wee's" and "poo poos" when she was a big girl, it wasn't a place to hide her toys. I'm still not convinced she understood this but gradually the toys have stopped being hidden here.

Straight away we were using the potty as a stool to wash her hands in the bathroom. Just her using it as a stool was a step in the right direction for her not to be afraid of the potty when the time comes for us to use it for its purpose.
The potty looks just like a stool when you first look at it. When you open the lid, you then realise the possibilities it holds. Inside there is what looks like a porta potty from old. There is a moulded seat which comes off and fits perfectly on top of a toilet seat to act as the next stage up. Without this attached however you can't use it as a potty.
Underneath the seat is a small removable pot which holds the waste. I liked this idea because you can take a small object to flush the contents down the loo, rather than a large bulky potty to have to travel to the loo. It's also a lot easier to clean being smaller.
Each part is made with fairly thick plastic, and I have always had faith in the contents being safe until I need to dispose of them. It's also slightly more difficult to kick over than a potty would be on its own.

To start with my daughter was more fascinated with opening the lid, sitting down and standing straight up again to put the lid down again. Now she's used to it she can forget about the lid and sit down properly. You can remove the lid but I like to keep it on as it acts both as a hygienic method as well as looking nicer when it's in the lounge.
My main dislike with this potty is that if you want to take the seat off quickly, you may find a learning toddler will have an accident as it's not a simple removable object. It's clipped in well and needs to be pulled out centrally. This makes the potty not as great as it could be. I would suggest that you use the potty as a potty to start with and then move on to using it for a seat when the child progresses to using the toilet. My daughter however sometimes likes to sit on the toilet like a big girl so I do have to transport it about.

Overall I think the concept is a great idea both for space saving and money saving in the long run. When you put together how much each piece would cost you, you'll definitely save by buying it all in one.
We have the potty on laminate flooring and it has rubber feet to stop it slipping which has also proved a godsend with a learning toddler. The last thing I want is it to slip and then she becomes scared of the using the potty.

Summary: a great all in one potty