Crappy Idea or the Sh*t?

Kate Gosselin's Hair | Millionaire Mom Murder | Sexist Super Bowl Ads

Crappy Idea or the Sh*t?

Monday, June 30, 2008

10 useful or useless potty training gadgets, depending on who you ask.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then potty training is the mother lode. Kids "doing their business" is BIG business. There are a multitude of books, dvds, dolls and chairs to aid teaching your kids how to ditch the diapers. Here are 10 of the weirdest potty training gadgets we found:

	1) Potty Toddler Urinal Now little boys can pee just like daddy does with their own plastic urinal that flushes just like the real thing. To truly mimic the men's room experence, set up 7 or 8 of them in a room, invite some of your kid's friends over and make sure there's plenty of wet toilet paper all over floor!
	2) Potty Chair In Noah's Ark Theme What genius came up with this idea? Do kids really hanker for a potty rocking chair with a bibilical theme? Actually, they might be on to something-- potty training is similar to being rained on with urine for 40 days and 40 nights.
	3) Potty Monkey This cuddly talking monkey alerts kids when he needs to pee. First he's nice about it, "I need to go potty. Let's go potty." But if kids ignore his pleas, he gets pissed. "Hey, take me to the potty now or I'll have an accident! Your kid better listen up and get him to the potty pronto, or he just may start hurling his feces all over your nice clean walls.
	4) It's a Party!! It's a Potty Party!! Finally, a way to guarantee your kid's going to grow up to be a spoiled brat. Throw her a party as a reward for using the potty! That way, by the precedent you set, she will always think she deserves a party for such feats as brushing her teeth, tying her shoes and later, for not getting knocked up.
	5) Potty Mate This product was solely inspired by mom-guilt. Busy moms without enough time to praise their toddler for going 'pee pee on the potty' can record their voice and let a roll of toilet paper tell them instead.The company offers some sample messages: * "Dan, I am so happy to see you're going potty". * "You can flush the toilet now." We offer our own: *"Liam, why are you talking to a roll of toilet paper? Are we going to have to commit you to a mental institution?"
	6) Potty Targets "They look like real targets so they can make potty training fun," says the product description. Kids take aim at what looks like a happy little drop of pee. Hopefully after mastering this, your little guy won't ask if he can have his own gun for some real target practice.
	7) Potty Watch A watch reminds your toddler to go potty in 30, 60, and 90 minute intervals. The product info on its Web site claims "It takes care of the job of potty training for you! "Really? It mops up accidents and rinses out potty seats?
	9) Piddlers Toilet Targets More than anything, you gotta love the name of these toilet training targets for boys. One problem: They look disturbingly similar to delicious candy.
	8) The Tinkle Timer Guess kids today won't tolerate a boring old egg timer, so mom and dad have to shell out cash to get a new fangled gizmo called a "Tinkle Timer." The timer tells kids exactly how long they need to sit on the potty. Not to be confused with a time out.
	10) The Riding Potty Chair Hey, when kids have an accident during potty training, just tell 'em to get back on the horse, or the whatever this is supposed to be. Seems to us potty chairs shouldn't be easily confused with an amusment park ride.

21 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

are you kidding me a?? talking toliet paper? How friggin’ lazy can you get?

- Dani

Posted 06/30/08 02:50 PM

This is such a joke to me. This just teaches kids that the potty is all fun and games and in actuallity it is not. This is lazyness at its finest!!

- Kim

Posted 06/30/08 03:16 PM

I bought the urinal for my son and he loved it- think about it potties are little toilets— why not little urinals?

- talia

Posted 06/30/08 03:27 PM

First off, I think the urinal is a good idea.. I mean think about how hard a big toilet is for a little boy to pee into and not make a mess. That is the perfect height for him. Next, the Piddlers toilet targets are funny but everyone I know said they threw some cheerio’s into the toilet and told their little boys to “sink the cheerios” Seems like they would be a little cheaper, eh?

- Anonymous

Posted 06/30/08 11:38 PM

these products are hilarious! I can’t believe they actually exist and that parents would buy them! Too funny.

- hally

Posted 07/01/08 09:30 AM

these are funny but its just another cheap ( or mostly $$$ ) way to get our money. Hey, Whatever works right!

- Kennyta

Posted 07/02/08 03:47 PM

While some of them are ridiculous, I must stand up for the urinal. When my husband and I got a divorce and he kept the house (long story, don’t ask) the kids and I ended up in a small apartment sharing one bathroom. I love my son but his aim is still very shaky. Especially if he is in a hurry, sleepy, talking … whatever - the toilet is always a mess. I saw the urinal and thought maybe it could save me a lot of cleaning. And it DOES! He doesn’t miss at all, even when he isn’t paying attention which is most of the time. Yes, riding potties are silly and potty parties are downright ridiculous but the urinal is a pretty good product!

- sksen

Posted 07/03/08 04:22 AM

Hey, I spent a fortune in bubble gum for peepee treats and small $1 toys for poopoo. Yes, I bribed and am proud to have taught them toilet use in a matter of weeks. However, I praised them, not the Charmin. And I don’t need an animal to add to potty stress, or an old toy with a new name to tell them to use it. They can go on their own, and they know when their done. And we don’t throw parties for learning to wipe our own butts either. Do you throw parties for using a fork or walking. Somethings should be standard.

- mommato2

Posted 08/07/08 04:14 PM

OK, so we had a potty party. I told him to pick his bribe, and he said he wanted a party. We actually by chance found cheap invitations with a hot dog on them that said “don’t be a wiener” on the cover. The adults all thought it was hilarious — somebody brought tootsie rolls to share — and the kids had a blast. Just a good excuse for an afternoon of fun, and we all still laugh about it.

- JMPN

Posted 08/11/08 09:58 PM

The rocking chair looks like it would be scary! How on earth is a toddler supposed to feel comfortable to poop while rocking! Bad idea. However the monkey one sounds too funny, great idea for a joke gift at a secret santa party!

- rulsgrl

Posted 08/14/08 10:37 AM

I think the monkey is really funny, and i dont think the watch thing is a bad idea. I would probably forget to tell my kid to go to the bathroom… then again i can probably get a timer from walmart for like $2 that does the same thing. And while i think a potty party is a little… different, its not quite a bad idea. i mean if you were going to bribe them, i would say if you dont have an accident for a whole week we can go out to eat. or something to that effect. maybe not a party, but something to let them know that they are doing a good job. oh and i personally love the urinal, no reminding anyone to put the seat down. too bad i dont have a boy yet though. (maybe i should get a bigger one for my husband, lol.)

- Becky

Posted 08/27/08 08:28 PM

These are hilarious! The only one I’d ever even consider using would be the urinal, but even so, when it came time for my oldest to learn the art of standing up and going, he had no problem. Sure his aim was off at first but what little boy’s isn’t? The Noah’s Ark rocking chair and the riding horse are just weird. Instead of buying some fancy timer, I can get one from Walgreens or CVS just as easily. I definitely don’t need another talking stuffed animal and replacement parenting via toilet paper is just ridiculous. As for the party, I never went that far. I knew he liked M&M’s so I’d usually break it down to if he peed, he got three M&M’s and if he pooped, five. It sounds simple but it worked for him.

- Isa

Posted 08/30/08 04:19 PM

Wow! LMAO :O) We used a cushioned Whinnie the pooh toilet seat that fit right onto the toilet, which meant no emptying nasty potty seats for me :O), a step stool so my little guys could get to the toilet and batman, race car & spider man big boy undies. Oh and the occasional handful of Cheerios for target practice. It was simple and worked in about 3 weeks for both kids.

- AK Mom

Posted 09/15/08 04:18 PM

It is important to have audio/visual training aids to incorporate potty training steps into learning. I think whatever works for your child is great! My nieces and nephews have benefitted from “The PottyTots”(www.pottytots.com). They have awesome gender based training kits with laminated charts,an interactive website, easy to remember songs and adorable characters. My little niece was potty trained in 1 weekend after hearing The Pottytots. Take it from an Family Nurse Practitioner, the more kids find it fun, the better they will do.

- Kathy

Posted 09/21/08 06:56 PM

I can’t understand why it’s so popular now adays to to go so over the top in reaction to every little accomplishment our childern have. I am all about saying good job. Maybe even a sticker. But come on! I’ve gone through three kids the old fashion way…you get a potty and undies…they have some accidents and learn from their experiences.

- momritz

Posted 10/15/08 08:33 PM

One great product that is missing here is the NEW Potty Tots Potty Training Program. It is wonderful! It teaches toddlers the steps of potty training through a story book, animated DVD with bonus music videos, an illustrated potty chart and a unique reward game called “the Toilet Bowl” fashioned after the Super Bowl. SO cute! It is reasonably priced at $19.95 at their website www.pottytots.com The Potty Tots are 10 multi ethnic tots and they are adorable. Your kids will love the DVD and watch it over and over!

- GiGi

Posted 10/29/08 01:13 PM

So funny how many haters there are out there. Life is supposed to be fun. Many of these products actually reduce the stress level associated with potty training- Toilets can be scary when you are a kid- think about it…a piece of you just vanishes when you push a button. Yikes!

- Toph

Posted 02/19/09 04:37 PM

This website is ridiculous. The writers need to lighten up. Children are only children for such a short period of time. Why not enjoy every minute and spoil them if, and when, you can?!

- Anonymous

Posted 03/26/09 02:52 PM

Good day. You posted nine before eight. That is all.

- Anonymous

Posted 04/03/09 06:54 AM

The thing that I’ve noticed is that some of the young moms today wait until the kid is well past three before they even attempt any potty training. That’s just plain lazy, IMHO. It’s like a 4 year old sucking on a pacifier. Maybe they want to keep their “baby” as long as they can?

- Anne

Posted 04/12/09 08:12 PM