When it comes to baby and toddler products, I tend to prefer good value and functionality over gimmicks and unnecessary features. With something as basic but essential as a child's potty, this holds true. With both of my boys, I've ignored the all-singing and all-dancing versions in favour of a basic cheap plastic potty costing no more than a fiver. (And believe me, I'm not exaggerating about the 'all-singing' aspects as some potties can be found that play musical tunes and even talk to your little ones, if you're prepared to part with well over £20 for the privilege!)

It was only while happening to catch an episode of ITV's This Morning a couple of months ago, that I heard of a new 'innovation' in the potty world, only this time it sounded like an excellent idea, even to my cynical mind. Alison Hammond was demonstrating a new type of potty called the Pourty which looked pretty much like a standard potty but with the crucial difference that it also featured a cut out gully that made emptying a used potty much easier and more hygienic. Whilst this might seem like a minor improvement to the potty's fundamental design, it is actually a massive improvement and it is one of those simple but totally ingenious solutions that just make you wonder why nobody has ever thought of it before, after all potties have been about for generations!

After a few weeks of procrastination I decided to go ahead and purchase a Pourty from Amazon which was priced at a fairly reasonable £9.99 including postage. The Pourty comes in three colours; fairly predictably blue, pink and white. The blue version that we chose is a pleasant pastel shade of blue and is made from a suitably strong and durable type of plastic. It is a slightly different shape to a standard potty, looking vaguely oval in shape with the unusual pouring channel cut out of the back of the potty. The potty is designed so that there is still an element of support to your toddler's back but they do need to sit on this the right way round to avoid any particularly messy incidents! My two year old certainly seems to find this just as comfortable as his previous model and has no problem knowing which way to sit on this (thankfully!) There is also high splash guard so there is no risk of getting wee everywhere, providing your little man has his equipment in the right place! The potty does feel very slightly heavier than the previous lightweight version we used but it is still perfectly portable and it feels reassuringly sturdy so it is less likely to be accidentally knocked over.

According to the official website, this potty makes a number of claims as a superior version to a traditional potty, including that it avoids the trademark red ring on a little one's bottom caused by an overly long sitting on the potty! I have to admit, I couldn't really see how this could work as the potty is still made of plastic and any prolonged contact with a delicate squidgy little bum is likely to lead to a ring of some sorts. My cynicism has been confirmed by the site of my boy's little botty after a particularly long period at the potty and, yes, we still have the old baboon's bum as evidence although the red ring was slightly less pronounced than usual, probably because of the particular shape of the potty.

The design of the Pourty (to use its proper name) really comes into its own when my son has successfully used it and we need to transfer the contents over to the toilet. There is a convenient handle cut out of the front of the potty which is much more convenient and more hygienic than carrying a used potty about by the seat or the base. The contents can then be poured out easily through the special pouring channel at the back which means that any liquids and solids go straight into the loo and there is no messy dripping down the side or base of the potty. It might not sound that ground-breaking to anybody that hasn't recently attempted any form of potty training and, I dare say, you can manage without it but it is just far superior and much less messy than a traditional potty. I still, obviously, give the potty a wipe around with an anti-bacterial wipe or spray but the exterior and base of the potty remains perfectly clean and avoids that nasty sticky build-up over time.

I'm certainly very pleased with the design and ease of use of the Pourty and think that it's a really simple but totally effective way of making potty training just that little bit less irksome and messy for parents. Sadly, it isn't a fail-safe way of cracking potty training in no time but it is definitely ten pounds well spent.

http://www.pourty.com/