I always do a lot of homework before making any purchase, and a potty training seat was no exception! However, I got so overwhelmed with reviews that were from one diversity to the other...the same potty training potty rated a '1' by one person and a '10' by the next. Finally, I decided to bring in the big guns and ask my sisters who each have 6 children, both having 5 boys and 1 girl. They told me what everyone says, not to lose faith, that boys are harder to potty train than girls are. They also gave me the best advice on what 'potty' to purchase. They were right! I love this potty. It breaks down into many separate sections so it's better for quick cleaning. More importantly, my son loves it! It looks just like a real potty, so it made the transition from this potty training potty to the adult big one with the small training seat on top much easier!! (He was afraid of the big potty-it's loud!) He felt like a big boy using a potty that actually looked like the normal one in the bathroom. AND it has handles onto it for holding onto. Perfect! The guard in the front could be a little taller, which is the only reason I gave this rating a 9 instead of a 10. Overall the best choice!

baycitylaura

USA

This training toilet sounded great until we bought it. The removeable seat moved all over and could be bumped off easily. The stepstool is a joke. It doesn't even hold a small amount of weight without collapsing. When the child urinates, it leaks under the seat, under the bowl, and in every small crack.  It started to smell because no matter how hard you try to keep it clean, it just doesn't work.  We bought the Once Upon a Potty seat for our next child and truly love it.  It is only one piece and my child can get on and off with ease.

MySpecial4

Marysville, OH

comes very handy when you start potty and then toilet training. my daughter loved the feeling of belonging to the grown-up world because she got something looking like our toilet! she was taking it out all by herself and then putting it back together. later on she started to use the top part as a toilet seat (not the best one,but quite disent to begin with). easy to care, assemble and to take apart. recommend to get!

nataliek2007

Brooklyn, NY

The Soft Seat Trainer is one we purchased for our oldest.  He trained quickly and continued to use the seat on the adult toilet after training.  We liked it so much and found it easy to use that we saved it severl years for our next child to be ready to train.  Now we have three toddlers that we are beginning to train that have special needs.  This seat is great for their tiny little bottoms to fit on the adult toilet and the portability of the base to be where everyone is is great. We keep this seat handy!  I especially like that it has handles, as well! Some of the difficulty we have had are that if a child doesn't get the urine IN the hole, it gets in all the cracks of the seat.  The stepstool function doesn't get used much because it slides when being stepped on. We use this seat regularly and will continue to use it as our children potty train and beyond because they are very small and will need assistance at the regular toilet for a long time after they're trained.

Meredith82

Titusville, FL

I'm just finishing up training my 2nd with this seat and still love it! My only recommendation if you do get this seat (and are planning on having more kids in the future) is that you don't put the reward stickers that come with it on the seat itself, but use a separate chart. I love that this seat is a big-time space saver. The seat comes out and fits onto the lid of the regular toilet when they're big enough to use that, but still afraid of falling in. So, while you're waiting for your younger kids to get old enough to potty train, you have less gadgets to store away. The handles on the sides are also very nice and prevent my child from touching other not-so-clean areas around her while she sits. It can be used as a step-stool; however, the lid is not very sturdy and I can't say I would recommend it. We just had our 3rd and I KNOW we'll still be able to use this potty with her. It's very sturdy (for a potty, not a step stool).

lkimura

Wheeling, IL

We received this potty chair as a gift, and it was great.  The soft seat is wonderful for tiny booties, and it is removable for easy cleaning.  It can also be used on the actual toilet to help the child transition from the potty chair to toilet.  There are several things I liked about this chair, and a few things I felt could definitely use improvement.  Something that could be seen as a Pro or a Con depending on whether you have a boy or a girl is the shield.  It is made of a soft rubbery material and is easily removed.  If you have a girl, this is a good thing...if you have a boy it is not.  My son was always pulling it off, and then unable to put it back on.  Most of the time he would remove it when he wasn't actually using the potty, but there were a couple incidents where it was removed at the beginning of a solo potty experience and I had a mess to clean up.  The actual seat was relatively easy to clean except for when urine leaks into the base, but this didn't happen that often.  The compartment that the waste went into was large, easily removed, and simple to clean.  I also liked that it had a lid he could close.  This was nice to get him in the habit of closing the lid when he was finished.  We did not use the closed potty as a step stool because the lid did not seem that sturdy.  Overall I would recommend this potty chair as an inexpensive but useful tool in the potty training phase.

jessalexander

Mountain Home, AR

**Park it!** The **Graco Soft Seat Potty Trainer and Stepstool** resembles a real toilet with extreme accuracy. The seat of this toilet is wide, much wider than the tiny seat shapes of other trainers on the market. My daughter has an average sized tushie and the other potties were way too small for her to sit on! The seat on this mini-commode has ample padding and two large side handles. The seat is covered in pliable easy to clean vinyl and can be taken off and used on real toilet rims. The problem? The handles sit flush with a real toilet seat, which makes it difficult to hold onto them. **Doing Business** The lid of this toilet is attached with durable plastic hinges and it folds nicely over the toilet seat. The simple white and blue colors go great with average bathroom decor. We didn't need the bells and whistles attached to *other* distracting potty chairs out there. In our house toilet time isn't play time and we like this no-nonsense version. The **Graco Soft Seat Potty Trainer** is durable, sturdy, and doubles as a step stool when not in use. The stepstool is slightly unsteady if your toddler moves around alot while climbing. **Final Thoughts** The **Graco Soft Seat Training Potty** doesn't leak and it's easy to clean. Though the toilet ring is easily removed, the seat *does* stay put while it's actually in use. The holding tray inside the potty is large, deep, and it's easy to lift and empty when you're in a hurry. All in all, this is a great seat and we are definitely keeping it! Good Luck with the potty training!

RachaelsView

Undisclosed

I have been using this potty chair since my daughter was 7 months old, she is 30 months now. I had to replace the soft seat twice, it was always ripping on the seam. I called Graco and they replaced the seat without any problems. I like the idea of being able to take the seat off and use it on a regular toilet. Although my daughter does not like that concept. She is only using the potty chair. However, the thought behind it is great. The potty chair is easy to clean and converts to a stepping stool. Ideal for small bathroom. I think the price was average to reasonable. I did not look for any of the other futures like music or voice activation. I plan on using it for or soon to be born son, it comes with a shield that is easily added and removed.

fytergurl

Tallahassee, FL

We got this seat for my older daughter when she was potty training and now my toddler is trying it out. It sits nice and square on the floor without fear of tipping over, which is nice. We have another model that is more tippy. The cushy seat is probably a nice extra. It's nice that it lifts off to go on the big potty. When my daughter got older, but her bottom was still too small for the big potty, we used this. It saves from having to buy a separate seat for that stage. The step stool isn't the greatest. It's not very high. I was thinking she would be able to use the potty, then close it and use the stool to wash her hands, but she couldn't reach. She barely used it as a stool. It's also probably a little flimsy to stand on as a stool, but my daughter was quite light so she had no problem. I like that the bowl lifts out easily to dump. We have a different model where the bowl slides in the back and that's a bit more cumbersome.

SueSB

Reed City, MI