At some point during travel, your potty training toddler is sooner or later going to succumb to the calls of nature and need to relieve themselves, especially after a long car ride. It would be kind of throwing them into the deep end by taking them to a public toilet; an environment which they are not used to, which may seem strange, scary and ultimately an uncomfortable situation for them.
The apprehension created by this situation causes them to take longer to do their business and that’s if they can go at all. The experience can be scary for them resulting in negative reinforcement and could have them associate the use of grown-up toilets with anxiety. It’s completely understandable too; there are plenty of adults who are uneasy about using a public toilet, could an intimidating experience like this in their youth be the reason?
A great solution for this is to have a travel potty or a travel potty seat allowing you to provide your child with a means to relieve themselves in the same comfort and familiarity they do at home whilst also continuing their potty training. There is certainly a variety of them available on the market, but how do you choose the best travel potty seat for your child?
Travel Potty Seat Reviews
Gimars Foldable Potty Seat
This potty seat is a great start to the reviews as its ultra-portable, compact, has some extra features not found in similar products. It’s designed extremely well featuring an adorable owl character and three pleasant colors to choose from; blue, red and yellow giving you the ability to personalize the seat to what your child will like most.
It’s portable because you can fold it in three places into a tiny size which is compact enough to fit in a handbag if you wanted to, it also comes with its own plastic bag so it can be stored hygienically.
The manufacturer really had ease of use, convenience and safety in mind with the four non-slip grips at the bottom of the seat (a unique feature as other products have two), preventing the seat from slipping around underneath the child. The braces that you can flip out at the bottom also help to hold the seat in place.
At such a great price and with all these features, the Gimars Foldable Potty Seat is most certainly a great value for money options for the potty training toddler on the go.
Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus
This kid’s portable toilet by Kalencom is a little bit bulkier but a pragmatic option because it can be used without having to snap on to an actual toilet. Despite being a bit bulkier than other similar products, it’s still quite compact when folded and perfect for long drives when toilet options are limited.
It’s designed structurally to reduce splashback and the seat can be removed and placed onto a toilet if the option is available, it’s great value for money that the product doubles up like this. This product is to be used with potty liner bags, 10 of which are supplied with the product which is handy; more can be bought from here.
The most brilliant thing about this product is the shutters. They open quickly and are very secure when shut, they shut around the bag after use securing it from spilling everywhere if it was to be accidentally knocked over; a great way to reduce mess should an icky situation occur.
There’s also a brilliant range of colors and designs available for this one, it’s something that’s a huge plus here at serious parent as we love it when kids products give you the option of personalizing what you buy to your preferences making it better value to you.
Nickelodeon Paw Patrol Soft Potty Seats
This is another highly portable potty training seat that is also cushioned making using the potty a much more pleasant and relaxing experience for the child as well as being personalized to their favorite kids TV-show.
Just as in similar products it’s made out of an easy to wipe plastic material and is very comfortable for children to sit on and use but it hasn’t got as much slip prevention as the Gimars seat making it an inferior product in terms of safety.
However, you may find that all the value of this product is in the aesthetic and your child may love paw patrol in particular, if that’s the case then I would say it’s much better for your child to take to the seat as they can’t resist having stuff with their favorite characters on and so would feel more encouraged to use it.
Additionally, there is a massive range of exactly the same seat but featuring all sorts of popular Nickelodeon and Disney characters including Minnie mouse, Hero Turtles, Dora the Explorer and more!
Mommy’s Helper Contoured Cushie Step Up
With the Mommy’s Helper Contoured Cushie Step Up you will be sacrificing some portability for the benefit of really smart extra features such as the attached step that comes with the seat. This is a great option for kids who have trouble mounting the toilet and if you think about it; this is actually a fantastic alternative to having a separate seat and step for travel as it folds down as one item. If you do have that little bit extra room, this is certainly the most user-friendly option to go for.
The top of the step has handles for the child to hold onto and the step itself has a non-slip texture. The bottoms of the rails include a grip on each side to stop the seat from moving around so much too. Due to these features, the product shows itself to be designed with safety and child friendliness in mind.
The seat itself is soft, cushioned and contoured offering optimal comfort whilst still being easy to clean. The product does arrive in multiple parts when you first receive it but the assembly is very simplistic, requiring no tools what so ever.
Graco Folding Travel Potty
For something that’s much more affordable and simplistic but still a fully functional and highly portable travel potty seat, this is the one to go for; it’s perfect for parents who are on a budget!
Very similar to the first potty seat review, it folds in three places making it small enough to fit into most bags you would carry for diapers and other things. This potty seat is also designed to fir the majority of toilet seats, even elongated ones so that you know you are always prepared.
It has grips on the underside to keep it in place and a locking mechanism that stops it slipping and it’s easy to clean, just wipe down and done; it’s just a fantastic easy to use and a no-nonsense product that does its job well.
What is a Travel Potty Seat?
For those who are not sure, a travel potty seat is the seat of a training potty that you can either attach to a toilet seat or can be used as standalone potties but the key aspect of these products is how compact and portable they are in comparison to the potty you have at home.
The best travel potty seats are designed for ease of use whilst you and your child is out and about so that you can be prepared for when the time comes and your child can finish their business in their own time whenever they need to, reducing the risk of accidents happening.
The potty seats make going to the toilet more approachable in that it’s much easier for a child sit comfortably due to it being a lot smaller than the actual toilet seat, this also doubles up as a safety feature, preventing the child slipping. Also, a good travel potty seat is easy to wipe clean and simple to put away when it’s not in use.
With that said, there’s no reason not to use it at home, it can save you from buying a training potty altogether, you could just put the training potty seat on the toilet seat, provided they have a boost up, they’ll come to feel more at home on the big toilet a little quicker.
What Makes the Best Travel Potty Seat?
The product reviews featured here are taking picks at the best travel potty seats you can find on the market by taking into account these characteristics:
- Affordability – Overall value for money based on the quality
- Durability – Resistant to damage and cracking
- Portability – Easy to travel with and store
- Ease to clean – Wipe down after use
- Other Features – Things like grips, extra padding, safety features, etc.
There’s also going to be some subjective elements, of course, you know; cute designs, colors, and pictures that are there to appeal to your child and take the edge off having to “go” when they’re at places other than home.
Best Travel Potty Seat: Top Pick!
We really loved the Mommy’s Helper Contoured Cushie Step Up despite its lack of aesthetic options it just has so many useful and clever features which for its price; really make this product great value for money.
It is the best travel potty seat on the market due to the fact that it doubles up as two products which function together as one; the step and the seat, which saves space in the car or in storage as opposed to having them separate.
Its numerous safety features, including the rails, the handles, and the non-slip step really set this product apart from the market for being designed with the parents’ convenience and their child’s safety in mind.
What do you think is the best model featured? Are there any travel potty seats you have seen that should have been featured? What are your experiences with these products? Let us know in the comments, we at Serious Parent would love to hear what you think!