CONTRIBUTED BY KIMBERLY MITCHELL
We are just now heading into the wide world of potty training. I admit that I am a major germaphobe and a big part of the reason that my daughter is not toilet trained is because I couldn’t stand the thought of her touching public toilets or even worse, having to use those squatty potties at the park. But yesterday, out of the blue, she came and told me she had to sit on her big girl potty and then she used it! I think she’s decided she’s going to do this with or with without me.
So, in order to overcome my fears of contaminating my baby with toilet germs, I ordered a travel potty yesterday. I found one I really liked because it’s about the size of a ream of paper when closed, comes with a carrying case, and the mess is minimal. It requires a diaper to be inserted inside to catch the waste and when your toddler is done, you can fold up the diaper and dispose of it anywhere you did last week before you started potty training! It’s perfect for me because a newborn diaper is big enough to use and I just happen to have one of those with me as well! Actually she’s not all that new anymore and is into size 2 diapers now. But I’ll always have diapers with me, so that’s one less thing I’ll have to remember when I leave the house.
Unfortunately, I haven’t seen this at the exchange just yet, but you can order it online. Mine should be here next week! For more information, check their website with a video to demonstrate how it works, or this review.
I checked out the travel potty on the link you attached. That looks very handy. How smart!! I prefer the western style to the squat type, but I am Japanese, so I am used to it, thus I’m okay with it. For some reason I’m happy to know that there are some non-Japanese people who actually think positively of the squat style. I do not like the squat type when I have to help my 3-year-old daughter potty. It’s so much harder to me. I only have girls, but one of the biggest differences between having a boy and a girl to me is the potty time outside. Thanks for the interesting discussion!
I lived in China when I was 19 and at that time a western toilet was totally unheard of so I got really good at the squatters. And I have to agree with Joshua that once you get the hang of it, for women it’s actually easier because instead of the “partial squat” you have to do over a western toilet which may eventually cause the quads to ache, the “full squat” possible on the Asian toilets is actually more comfortable and technically encourages “movement” more because of the knees to the chest thing. I know this is probably NOT where you were thinking this post would go though, Kim!!! I would think the squatters would be harder for men though because it’s farther away and the whole splash-factor thing… but we’ve probably digressed enough!! 🙂
Makes me wonder how my 2 girls survived and grew up. We are talking 24 and 13.
If it was really nasty I would usually just hold them and they pee. Yes there is a way.
I couldn’t wait to get rid of the diapers and we didn’t have the anti-whatever hand sanitizer either.
Wow…I think the squatters are great…I am sure that most people that use squatters think that our western toilets are completely gross since we share tush space with who knows how many people and they don’t have to touch anything with their version. I guess it is all perspective…
Ok, the bad part about the squatters is getting the kids to squat correctly that they don’t pee on themsleves or there clothes. For a 2 year old that is a real task. Nothing about the germs of the potty just the art of squatting!
We have the On The Go potty and it is perfect. Folded up it is the size of maybe 5 diapers and we leave it in the car. We just ask the 2 year old if she has to go potty before we leave the car. If she says yes we just have her do it in the back of the van. The potty has garbage bags with a built in liner and you just put it in the garbage after use. If she says no we bring it with us. The great thing is that she can use it in the same stalls as the squater potties, but doesn’t have to figure out the squatter!.
Sorry, you’re right. I dislike these squatties so much that it escaped me that there must actually be some people out there that prefer them. I have had two run ins with them and I think it has scarred me. 🙂
For what it’s worth, I am an equal opportunity toilet hater and I don’t touch the western style ones either! I am actually a master squatter over that kind so maybe it does make a big difference what you get used to.
And given that most people (myself included since I try to avoid any practice time I could get) aren’t that skilled in the art of squatty potty-ing, they’re usually filthy. Standing in someone else’s pee while splashing urine all over the place is not my cup of tea. I’ve seen two year olds play and I’m pretty sure they get enough germs from eating food off the ground and swapping snot to build up their immune system. Not sure of any additional health benefits resulting from lolling around in other people’s excrement.
What’s so germophobically horrific about Asian squatty potties? Seems to me (a germophile) that they’d be ideal, since you don’t have to touch anything. Just squat & expel & kick the flusher, right?. Of course, coming from my point of view that without building a healthy tolerance to bacteria & germs at an early age, we just set ourselves up for a lifetime of inability to resist even mild disease, I’m probably just completely forgetting some key feature of the squatty potty. 😉
Wow- that looks like a great idea! I am quite the germaphobe myself. I purchased one of those one piece european looking potties for my daugher when she decided to potty train herself at the ripe age of 18 months. it’s about the same size as that potty but doesn’t fold. I carry wipes and that little potty under her car seat and its saved me lots of headache as well as antibac! my son, well… for #1, we’re tree or bottle users for him. =o)