Mommy's Helper Contoured Cushie Step Up, 1 Count

I decided to give this a quick update after writing my original post because I kept wondering how on earth this potty seat would chip a toilet as per the Top Post. The Top post on here gave this a 2 star review based on the fact that they were using it wrong. They say "It simply does not fit elongated toilet seats (I tried it on three different toilets with elongated seats)so it is always somewhat unstable, and this leads to chipping and damaging the toilet seat". This is NOT meant to be sat on the toilet seat, you lift up the toilet lid & seat and place it directly on the toilet(look at the picture) So I am also sure that is why they claim it was so unstable. Also, I have realized the reason the steps don't lock down is so it can easily adjust to different sizes/heights of toilets. I even tried to use this seat on our toilet side ways and it still works just fine so I think unless you have a really tall or weird toilet that this would work just fine...if you use it the correct way that is. I would just hate for people to pass up buying this based on the negative review(like I almost did) when they are giving a negative review based on using it wrong because I really believe this potty seat is the key to potty training my daughters in an easy and stress free manner.Original PostMy twin daughters just turned 2 on Oct 27. We have potty chairs and although they used to enjoy sitting on them I can normally not get them to sit on them for more than 10 seconds at a time. And although they have previously sat on the big potty with me holding them so they dont fall in, both my daughters had become Terrified to sit on the big potty. I was trying to decide on this with built in step stool or the Baby Bjorn toilet seat and after much debating I decided to go with the step stool so my girls could feel more independant.The first time using this both my girls were still showing their normal fear of the toilet so I had to pick them up and sit them(one at a time of course) up on the potty seat. They were still afraid until I showed them to hold onto the handles, the handles made a HUGE difference in calming their fear. And they were able to sit back on the cushy seat, and realize they were secure and not going to fall in the toilet even when they didn't hold on. I literally had to make them get off the potty so the other could get a turn. I helped them step down onto the step and get down while I was holding the step down. After that 1st time both my girls wanted to climb up the step themselves and I still had to help them get turned around and sitting on the potty and when they were done I had to help them get down. But that was only for the 1st couple of days and now both my girls can climb the step by themselves and get turned around and sitting on the seat and back down again all on their own. My smaller twin is TINY so I thought that might be a problem for her but she has no problems at all. She is below the 5th% for both height & weight, she is 32" tall & 22lbs. My other daughter is a little over 34" & a little over 25lbs.PRO'S*My girls LOVE it*The seat is soft & comfy*The entire thing is easy to clean*The handles help them feel secure and in control*The seat opening is small & helps them feel secure(even my tiny daughter won't slip through)*The step helps them be independant & get on potty themselves*It is lightweight & easy to travel with or take to a different room*The seat folds flat so it is easy to store when not in use*It is affordable*You don't have to clean out a potty chair*Easy to assemble-no tools required*Step seems slip proof, my girls have gotten on this out of the bath, completely soaked and not slippedCON'S*The seat might not work for boys as well(I don't have a boy to know) the seat pictured isn't the one you get*The steps don't lock down so while they are sitting they can easily push on the handles and the steps fly up, if they get carried away the seat will wobble around. Also, if they push their weight on the handles when they are going to step down the handles will go down and the steps will come up so they could fall. But I think they may have done that so it can fit different toilet heights/sizes.Overall I would totally recommend this seat. Although the steps don't lock down I am always right there to ensure my girls do not get hurt and within a few days of use my girls have learned how to safely get up and down w/out any step problems. I have to keep our bathroom door shut now because my daughters would strip their diapers off and go sit on the potty by themselves but now with the door shut they come get me and drag me to go potty. They both go pee on the potty on a regular basis without me even having to ask them! This potty seat has made it so that my girls are basically potty training themselves with help from me...and just a little help, lol.If you think how many things your kid already has to have help with if they can actually have something like this and be able to do it mainly on their own, that is a HUGE accomplishment for a kid and they want to continue doing it. Also, make sure to have some picture books, coloring books, sticker books or other fun things in there so that sitting on the potty is fun :) Don't put too much pressure on them either, my girls have done the best when I don't do much of anything and they can do it all themselves...ah, Mommys little girls are growing up..too fast(said as I wipe a tear)I was having no luck with potty training before this product and with the independance and security this seat has given them, they are now Potty Queens!!If you have any questions let me know and I will try to help you out : )

My 4 year old was not an "early adopter" when it comes to the potty, so she outgrew her little Elmo potty before she even used it. I started this with her when she was 3, almost four and she immediately took to climbing up and down (with a little help at first) though that was bad timing for potty training in general. We tried again 6 months later (also with much use of the Potty Time DVD and CD which I also recommend) and this has been perfect. I do find it annoying that she can pull on the handles while she sits on it and make the legs of this thing go up and down for fun, but it's important that this comes on and off the potty so easily. I do think it's important to supervise her coming and going since it would have to be bolted down to be perfectly secure, but I wouldn't want that and consider this a five-star item.It's light for transporting, easy to wipe off and keep clean, soft, and comfortable. And still not so small for my big girl! We had trouble with getting her to use public potties that are bigger than the toddler ones at her school/gym, and just taking along a seat and a footstool still wasn't cutting it. So I finally packed this up in a very big shopping bag with a packet of Lysol wipes and took it on the road . . . and she used every public potty we took this into without a complaint! It's really a bit bigger than I would like to carry around a store, etc. and I put a pillowcase over it next time so the part that stuck up out of the big canvas bag was no longer obviously a potty seat, but it's light enough to handle and WORTH IT. I've contemplated buying a second one to keep in the car but it's no big deal to just keep packing up the home one for now. This thing is a lifesaver for bigger kids!UPDATE March 2015 -- I did in fact buy a second one for the car, and it was totally worth it. Both of these got plenty of use and held up quite beautifully even as my tall girl exceeded the weight limit a few months ago. So I find it VERY sturdy. And I got very used to carrying this around in a large tote bag, it's very light, just not tiny, and still can't recommend it strongly enough. She only just stopped using it though she's been tall/big enough for a few months now to just use a regular toilet, but she loves familiar things and was scared of that feeling of "what if I fall in?" So while we are very glad and proud of her for deciding she didn't need her "potty ladder" anymore I have to admit it's been such an important part of our lives!

I have had to use several different potty training seats with my oldest because of the way our toilets sit in the bathroom. Every one of our bathrooms are designed different (not an uncommon thing) so we needed a different type of seat for each bathroom. After a while of shifting and trying out different things I got frustrated and started to try to design my own potty seat for my son. Luckily, I came across this seat because it is almost exactly what I was trying to design. The handles help to give him something to hold onto which was one of his biggest complaints about other seats. He kept thinking he was going to fall off. There is a place for him to put his feet instead of using a step stool which is almost never around when we need it. So, this all in one item is great for him to use but the best part is that it is light and folds up. It's very easy to clean, too.I have actually purchase two of these. One for my house and one for my sister for when we visit. Although a little higher price than I would like to pay for a potty training seat, it will get a lot more use and last a lot longer than any of the other ones that I have purchased!The only problems we had with this seat when we first got it was that we kept putting it on top of the actual toilet seat that was already there. It's apparently designed (which you can see in the picture) to go straight onto the toilet bowl. If you put it on the seat instead, I can guarantee that there will be accidents all over the bathroom. It wiggles a little when the kid wiggles which can make them scared. Even with these little problems this is still the best potty training seat we have ever had! My youngest is too short to use this but still wants to try as much as possible!