Many boys prefer to pee standing up. One problem. Your toilet is too tall for your little man to pee into without making one monster of a mess.
That’s where potty training urinals come in. Essentially a boy sized urinal, a training urinal will allow your little one to practice his aim at a comfortable height. Potty training just got exciting for young boys!
You may be wondering whether a training urinal is just another piece of baby gear that will end up in the junk pile with the rest. While some parents love training urinals, others think they are a complete waste of time.
Lets take a look at the arguments for using a training urinal
While a urinal is a nice to have item it is not essential and you will still be able to potty train your little boy using a regular potty.
There are three different styles of potty training urinals available. Lets take a closer look at each.
The hanging potty training urinal attaches to the side of your toilet with a hook, located on the rear of the urinal. Generally made from a single piece of molded plastic, this is the most basic form of potty training urinal on the market.
Once your baby boy has finished fighting imaginary fires, you simply unhook the urinal and empty it in the toilet. It’s so easy that your little boy could even empty it himself!
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Located on the rear of this style of urinal is a series of suction cups. These suction cups not only allow you to mount the training urinal at any height but also on many different surfaces, from tiles to wood.
Suction cup urinals will usually come with two separate pieces. A base station that connects to the wall and a plastic urinal that can detach for easy empting.
Now I don’t know about you but I dislike suction cup urinals. Have you ever placed something on the wall using suction cups only to have it fall down moments later? Well imagine that some object falling to the floor but this time it is filled with pee.
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If you want to give your toddler the most lifelike urinal experience while potty raining then you will want to go with a standing training urinal.
Because of their larger size, a standing training urinal has a larger pee catcher area than the other training urinals. If you want minimize the cleaning up then a larger area to catch pee is a huge bonus.
Some parents use standing training urinals outdoors. No worrying about spills and when the time comes to clean the potty, you simply spray it down with a hose.
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lets take a look at some of the features to look for when choosing a training urinal for your child.
An aiming target is essentially a spot in the urinal for your little boy to aim his stream at. By giving your little one a point to focus on, he is less likely to sway his stream left and right; resulting in mess.
Aiming targets can be as simple as a sticker at the center of the urinal. Some aiming targets move when sprayed, further motivating your little boy to aim straight and steady.
If a urinal doesn’t have an aiming target you can always place a sticker at the center of the urinal.
If you look underneath your training urinal you may notice little feet. These feet allow your training urinal to stand on the ground without having to be attached to the toilet or a wall.
While this may seem like a great idea, it does not work so well in practice. Your little boy’s stream has further to fall when the urinal sits on the floor. Not only does this make it harder to aim but also results in pee splashing out of the urinal.
Take a look at the training urinal above. Notice anything funny about it? The sides of the urinal are flat and quite shallow. If your boy was to bounce his stream off the side; pee would go everywhere.
You want to choose a urinal with a rounded design. All walls should slope inwards which will help any wayward urine find its way into the bowl below.
The bowl itself should always have a rounded bottom. A flat bottom will result in pee bouncing and splashing out of the bowl when pee hits it.
Lets take a look at some of the more popular training urinals available.
Style: Green, orange, purple, yellow and white Brand: JD Kids
The urinal from JD Kids is one of the best hanging urinals on the market. Simply hang the hook over the lip of the toilet, attach the urinal and you are in business.
The urinal mounts at the perfect height and is shaped in such a way as to reduce splash back; one of the risks of peeing standing up.
Also included in the package is a suction mounting bracket and little else but the suction cups are pretty poor. If you want to attach this urinal to the wall you are best off using 3M wall hooks.
Style: As pictured Brand: Lil Marc
If you want the most life like potty training urinal possible then look no further than the 2-in-1 from Lil Marc. The urinal can either be used on a stand (included) or, for a more permant option; attached to any door or wall using the mounting bracket and screws.
The pipe on top of the urinal is more than just looks; It is essentially a spout that will help guide the pee when you empty it out. To empty the urinal, you simply remove it from the stand and turn it upside down. That simple.
The wide bucket makes it easier for your child to aim. When the time comes to clean the urinal, you can simply use regular bathroom cleaners or detergent.
Style: As pictured Brand: Joy Baby
The playful design of the Joy Baby urinal is bound to get any child excited about potty training.
The fun goes beyond the looks though. An aiming target sits at the base of the potty. When your little boy successfully hits the target with his stream, it spins like a wind mill!
The suction cups on the back will allow you to sit the urinal at any height. While the back section sticks to the wall, the entire mouth of the frog is removable for easy emptying.
Featured Image Source: Flickr
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