Customer Reviews

Once Upon A Potty Potty Gift Box & Mini Book For Boys

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When my son was 20 months he started showing an interest in bathroom habits. I was convinced that he would prefer a potty with a lid to simulate the real toilet so I chose the "3-in-1 Potty Trainer Step Stool" by Especially for Baby that at the time of this review had 3.5 stars and was $12.99. "Not a bad price," I thought. I read the reviews and people had mentioned that there was no deflector. I didn't see this as an issue because I thought it wouldn't take him long to figure out how to point down. As I soon discovered, this DID become an issue. He enjoyed sitting on the potty and he knew when he had to go but he is very independent so he wouldn't let me help him. After 5 days of constant spills and discouragement he gave up on the potty.

I was still gung-ho so I decided to pick him up another potty. Still convinced we needed a lid, I got the `Potty 'n Step Stool' by Safety 1st. It had 2.5 stars and was $15.99. Again this one had a lid but it also had a deflector. But this removable deflector never stayed up and always fell into the potty. Also, the potty was too tall for my average sized son. It wasn't easy to empty or clean. I had to jiggle the lid to make it fit right but even then, urine found it's way down inside of the base where it collected for 2 days until I discovered it.

To avoid him becoming more discouraged and give up potty training altogether, I gave it one more shot and bought the `Once Upon A Potty' by Child Matters. 5 stars and $24.99. I wish I had paid attention to the reviews and bought this one sooner. He sits in it comfortably. Once he's sitting he can't miss. While he's sitting in it he scoots along the floor to get to a toy or to see the video he's been watching. He loves the story about Joshua and it's the first story he wants to read every day. It is very sturdy, lightweight and easy to clean. The only draw back to this potty is that it's a little awkward to empty because of it's shape. It's fine when I empty it but my independent little guy who insists on doing things his way might have a hard time with it when he starts trying. Still - even with this little problem I'm giving it 5 stars because it surpasses the other two by far!

I hope this helps!

This is the best potty ever made. After trying two others, I finally read the reviews and bought the best one! The first one I purchased was the Musical Potty & Step Stool. My son loved it but peed straight over the top of the guard. What little liquid made it into the potty leaked all over the floor! My second purchase was the Training Rewards Soft Seat Potty & Stepstool. This one had a slightly higher guard but it folds down out of the way. This was just too fasicinating for my son and all he wanted to do was play with the guard. Back to the store AGAIN for the best potty ever made. Straight out of the box and my son was asking to go "pee-pee." He has used it three times in less than 24 hours. He sits on his new potty reading the enclosed book and we are all happy. Save yourself the trouble of buying the "fancy" potties and just buy the best! I did like the other potties feature of a step stool but I just bought a separate step stool and now all is perfect.

I was struggling to get my 2 1/2 year old boy to learn to use his potty. He would sit on his old potty all the time, but would never use it for anything other than a chair. He loved Joshua in the "Once Upon a Potty" book so I took a chance and bought the Joshua Potty (our 3rd potty). He loves it!!! He uses it all the time. He carries it with him everywhere. He literally potty trained himself as soon as I gave him the potty. I babysat another 2 1/2 year old boy and he started using it, and he was not potty trained either. I wish I had bought this potty a long time ago. It's more expensive than the usual potty, but it is well worth the extra money. Don't even bother with any others.

Absolutely agree with the previous reviewer! Just wanted to add that this potty will never hurt your boy when he seats himself on it; it's very well designed. We had a bad experience with other potties for boys where the front side is also raised to prevent spills: my son even refused to go potty! But he loves this one so much he even washes it himself!

This is our fourth potty and I am finally happy! I can't believe that it was so difficult to find a potty for a little boy. There is no separate pee-pee guard to fall off or fiddle with (or, horror of horrors, be so short he shoots right over it). It's easy to empty. There are no bells, whistles or batteries, and, thankfully, no puddles of pee on the floor.

Just received the potty for my little guy. We've tried numerous other potties and he must not be ready. Forget buying the First Steps multi-function potty that makes into a step stool and can go on top of the toilet seat. This is a piece of junk that never closes right and is almost impossible to get opened (when you want it to!) to empty the bowl. Have used the cushioned seat adapter for the toilet seat too. Out of desperation I ordered this potty because my little boy loved the video. I'm not sure the description gives you the dimensions so I will. The teeny tiny one-piece molded plastic potty sits about 4-1/2 inches off the floor from the base of the potty to the top of the seat. Once straddled, the bowl itself is about 5" across and about 6-1/2" front to back. I guess this would be a perfect size if you're training a 10 month old. However, if you have a child who is training at a later age (my guy is 36 months) and is even of average height and weight, this thing is way too tiny. My guy is 37-1/2" and weighs 31lbs - which is only considered "average" for his age. Also, for the $20 bucks it costs, it is way over priced. The box it comes in is really cool and probably cost more to produce than the potty. So like I said, perhaps if you're lucky enough to get your 12-18 month old interested in sitting on the potty, this might work for you. Pass on it though if your child is much past 24 months or on the high end of height and weight.

We are using the boy version of the potty and this is the second potty we have. We started potty training when my song was 6 month old and the potty we got was the same model I used for my older son. The only thing I didn't realize that my older child had his potty training started at over 24 month, and this one was only 6 month of age. The first potty we got was the model that turned into the step stool and had a removable guard. And as you can guess, that removable guard was used for many different things, but not the one it was intended for :) We tried to chew on it, we tried to fling it across the room, feed it to the dog, smack the dog with it, but NOT to keep it in the potty for proper use. Needless to say, after a bit of frustration, we ordered the "Once Upon a Potty" gift box and mini book. The potty worked out great for using it as intended, but I have found it very challenging to clean.
The problem I encountered is that we have a standard sink in the bathroom and the potty doesn't quite fit in the sink under the spout - I have to kind of wedge it between the sink's sides and the spout in a tilted position to get any water in it. The next challenge is to pour it out in the toilet - which I figured out that works best if the contents is poured through the front where the guard is. It has to be emptied with a very swift motion, or otherwise some of the content ends up running along the potty's sides and ends up on your feet, floor and whatever else is on the floor around your toilet. Along the way the side that everything is poured out through ends up dirty and the entire potty has to be washed with soap. I wish that this model combined the shape they used with the removable little pot inside for easier cleaning. As it is, I ended up using the bathtub showerhead with removable hose to fill the potty with water before emptying the content.
But over all, the emptying problems are mine, not my son's. He tremendously enjoys sitting on it and reading the little book that came with it and that is why I gave it 4 stars (my difficulties still can't overshadow his overall excellent experience). Our favorite page is where Josh wears his potty on his head because he hasn't yet figured out what this potty-thingy was for.
I would recommend this model for young children whom you can't yet train not to mess with the guard. But be prepared to have a few mess ups the first few times you empty the content into the toilet - I suggest to move away the bathroom rugs from the toilet the first few times until you get in a hang of pouring the potty out swiftly, so that if you do have a spill, it's easier to clean up.

We are using the BOY version. There is also a GIRL available. This extraordinary, beautiful gift box, holds THE perfect potty! It seems to be an improvement on the design these guys used in the great "Once Upon a Potty" videos. The potty looks simple, but when you use it, you realize the thought and care invested in it. The big, comfortable inside seating size alone is worth everything, especially if your child is a bit big: a deep 8"x4.5" inches inside is one of the largest, if not THE largest available anywhere. No other company makes something as intuitive and enjoyable to use. Safe and easy to clean too.

Finally a 1-piece, no nonsense mold! Our kid already "takes care of it", feels it is his, moves it around, and loves using it, while reading the book and singing "The Potty Song". The JOSHUA-BOY label ours has is excellent, looks like part of the plastic, and will never come off! The handles on the gift box made it extra easy to carry. I since bought two PRUDENCE-GIRL ones as presents for baby showers! It's never too early to be ready with something as good as this "Once Upon a Potty" potty. BRAVO!

We are using the BOY version. There is also a GIRL available. This extraordinary, beautiful gift box, holds THE perfect potty! It seems to be an improvement on the design these guys used in the great "Once Upon a Potty" videos. The potty looks simple, but when you use it, you realize the thought and care invested in it. The big, comfortable inside seating size alone is worth everything, especially if your child is a bit big: a deep 8"x4.5" inches inside is one of the largest, if not THE largest available anywhere. No other company makes something as intuitive and enjoyable to use. Safe and easy to clean too.

Finally a 1-piece, no nonsense mold! Our kid already "takes care of it", feels it is his, moves it around, and loves using it, while reading the book and singing "The Potty Song". The JOSHUA-BOY label ours has is excellent, looks like part of the plastic, and will never come off! The handles on the gift box made it extra easy to carry. I since bought two PRUDENCE-GIRL ones as presents for baby showers! It's never too early to be ready with something as good as this "Once Upon a Potty" potty. BRAVO!

Mother of two boys and one girl I have tried many pottys on the market with no satisfaction. The music, the removable step stool, the buckets inside, the tiny horizontal holes and the splash guards don't work! I never have to make sure my 22 month old son is positioned right on his Once Upon A Potty. He gets on and off by himself with joy and the "wee wee" always goes in where it should. From the minute we opened the box he was pulling his pants down to get on, listened with all ears while his 3 yr old sister "read" him the book, and proudly jumped up to show us his potty with wee wee in it! Simple design genius! Easy clean up too!