If you're on the hunt for the best potty for your tot on the market, this means you've already noticed the signs that your child is ready for potty training. Amanda Jenner, founder of My Carry Potty and toilet training expert, explains how to prepare your child for potty training. She says, "Check if your little one is showing signs of readiness first." She also advises that you "educate your little one 2 weeks before your start potty training as this will give them a better understanding of what they are about to do." She also suggests that you "choose your time wisely and do not start if you have moved house, been poorly, changed nursery, or a new family member has arrived."
So if you have spotted signs of readiness, for example, they're stopping in their tracks or hiding whenever they need to go or taking more of an interest in the toilet, then they're ready for a potty. Depending on what stage of potty training they're at, there are many different potty and potty training products and seats you'll want to consider. Amanda also advises you to "ditch the nappy/pull-ups and go to potty training pants as this will get them potty trained quicker."
While you're potty training, the potty is going to go with you everywhere: to friends and family's homes, to the shops, on walks in the woods, and to cafes. That's why you'll want to consider everything from how easy the potty is to empty, the size, how simple it is to transport and how easy it is to clean.
The best potties for potty training at a glance:
• Best for sound effects: Pote Plus My First WC - Buy now on Amazon UK
• Best travel potty: My Carry Potty - Buy now on Amazon UK
• Best for hygiene: mi-potty The Worlds Most Hygienic Potty - Buy now on Mi-Potty
All parents will agree that a potty is an essential part of toilet training, and it's important both you and your toddler are happy with the potty you choose. That's why our mum testers have put the best potties for potty training to the test, taking into account how easy their toddler found using it, cleaning and emptying and value for money.
The best potties for 2024
Best for sound effects
14% off
Getting your toddler to engage in toilet training will be even easier with this potty, which is styled like a real mini toilet. It has a pretend flusher to get them used to practising - although it’s obviously not plumbed in - and it has a handy storage area for a pack of wipes.
This potty isn’t just about practicality but also getting your toddler to feel grown up, and get used to how things work - just on a small scale; mum tester Hannah said: "This potty is great as it looks and sounds like a real-life-size toilet. It is easy to empty and clean and even sounds like a real toilet with a flush button. My little boy had a traditional potty that he would not go near for some reason, and now loves going to the potty like a big boy. It comes in three different colours and is the perfect size for toddlers." It even features a flip-up lid for even more realism.
Despite looking more complicated than a regular potty, we’re pleased to report it’s still pretty easy to keep clean and sanitary; one mum said: “I wasn’t keen on the lights and flushing sound, as I was worried it would seem more like a toy, but my little girl loved it and it got her used to sitting on a toilet just on a much smaller size. I think it’s a great invention.”
We tested this potty as part of the Mother&Baby Awards 2023, where it won Gold for Best Potty Training Product.
Read our full Pote Plus My First WC By Venture review
Pros
- It looks like a real toilet, just in miniature
- It makes a flushing sound like a real toilet
- Gets your child used to practising on a real toilet
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Some parents worry it’s too much like a toy
- Not portable
Best travel potty
MOTHER&BABY/Samantha BallDeveloped by toilet training expert Amanda Jenner, My Carry Potty contains all the step-by-step instructions you need to guide you and your toddler through your potty training journey.
One of the reasons so many parents swear by this potty is its leakproof claim, and we’re happy to hear that all testers seem to agree with this. No one wants a leaky potty after all; our mum tester said: "I loved that it did what it said and was leakproof. I tested it with water first and not a drip came out. It has been amazing in situations where it's not easy to empty immediately, such as when we were at the park without a toilet, we could just use it in a discreet place and then shut it and empty it at home."
It’s easy to use this potty in the house and also on the go, as it’s really portable and easy to carry wherever you go. No, it might not be discrete, but what portable potty is? Being able to use it at home and away means your toddler will have consistency in their training; one mum said: “My toddler likes using this at home and when we go out, and it’s great that he can practise with the same thing wherever we go so there’s no anxiety.”
We tested this potty as part of the Mother&Baby Awards 2023, where it won Silver for Best Potty Training Product.
Read our full My Carry Potty Training System review
Pros
- Claims to be leakproof, and we have to agree
- Portable and easy to carry out and about
Cons
- Not the cheapest option
Best for hygiene
www.mipotty.com
The surface of the mi-potty is said to reduce the growth of germs by up to 99.9% – that's a world first for potties, apparently, and there’s nothing we like better than a hygienic potty. It's also 100% recyclable, which makes it a great choice for eco-conscious parents.
It’s a good-sized potty that is relatively easy to take out and about; our mum tester Chelsea said: “It is a good size to take anywhere, easy for my son to use by himself and has a good size 'bucket' part, so it can handle if my son does big wee etc. It is an easy material to keep clean and is suitable for travel. It is lightweight so if my son doesn't like where I put it, he can move it to wherever suits him at that moment in time."
The design is meant to make it comfortable for your toddler to sit upon, with back support and feet to stabilise it - although we have never noticed a toddler sit on a potty long enough to worry about their back being comfortable.
We tested this potty as part of the Mother&Baby Awards 2022, where it won Gold for the Best Potty Training Product.
Read our full mi-potty The Worlds Most Hygienic Potty review
Pros
- Very hygienic with anti-bacterial properties
- Comfortable to sit upon
- It's one of the cheaper potties
Cons
- It might be too big to fit into regular bathroom sinks for cleaning
Best for portability
MOTHER&BABY/Laura HealyThe Potette Max has a 3-in-1 design, giving you the most practicality of all the potties we’ve tested. You can use it with the hard bowl at home to empty down the toilet; as a travel potty, you can use it with biodegradable liners and a travel bag; and lastly, you can fold it down and use it as a seat on top of the normal toilet. This saves you money as you only have to buy one potty, rather than three; tester Sikha said: "As the mum of a recently potty trained toddler, and a slightly older child too, this product is brilliant. We use it primarily as a child seat for the toilet when we're out and about, and both kids find it comfy and ready to use. It is ready to clean and packs up really small. The carry bag is useful. We have also used it as an emergency potty when we've been caught short and had to pull over while driving."
When purchasing this potty, you’ll get three liners, with more potty liners available at an additional cost. Our Commercial Content Writer, Laura Healy, says, "This is a great travel potty, used with either the disposable liners or reusable liner for when you are out and about, and it saved us a few times when we were too far from a public toilet. It is also useful at home as a toilet seat, and we sometimes used it as a seat in particularly unpleasant public toilets, especially as my daughter had a tendency to hold onto the seat. It is easy to clean and extremely lightweight; I could even fit it in my nappy bag when folded."
We tested this potty as part of the Mother&Baby Awards 2021, where it was Shortlisted for the Best Potty Training Product.
Read our full Potette Max review
Pros
- 3-in-1 design saves you money in the long run
- Easy to use in each capacity
- Easy to carry when out and about
- Liners are easy to fit and dispose of
Cons
- Liners come at an additional cost
Best toilet-like potty
15% off
MOTHER&BABY/Laura HealyThis potty is very similar to the Pote Plus My First WC, tested above; it’s another miniature toilet-style potty with a flushing sound, so your toddler can imitate you going on the big toilet. There’s a storage space for a pack of wipes at the back of the potty; our mum tester Sally said: "This potty really is amazing! It is such a lovely addition to any bathroom/living room or wherever in your house a potty needs to be! It looks very comfortable, and my little one was very happy with it. The flushing is a great feature and such a fun thing for the children to be able to do as a reward after they do their business, just like a big person!"
Our Commercial Content Writer, Laura Healy, says, "This is a great potty which really does look like a mini toilet, so it's ideal to help avoid any fear around using a toilet. I love the storage space at the back from wipes, and of course, the sound effects are extremely fun. It is quite big, though, so it takes up space and is not portable."
We tested this potty as part of the Mother&Baby Awards 2020, where it won Silver for Best Potty Training Product.
Read our full Nuby My Real Potty review
Pros
- It looks like a real toilet just in miniature
- It makes a flushing sound like a real toilet
- Gets your child used to practising on a real toilet
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Some parents report the flush to be too loud
- Not portable
Best character potty
One more mini-toilet potty for you to consider, this time with a cheery character face to make it even more appealing to children. The bright colours make this more like something for the playroom than the bathroom, but whatever helps you convince your toddler to practise on the toilet works for us; one reviewer said: "Lovely little piece of equipment and child was really excited to sit on it."
There’s a pretend flush handle for children to get used to using, plus a retractable toilet roll holder for practicality. Unlike the others on our list, this one doesn’t have storage space for a pack of wipes.
The benefit of this one is that the seat can be used separately on top of a normal toilet when your child is ready to transition from the potty to using the big toilet. The pan itself is also removable and easy to clean. It is lightweight and could be considered portable, but it’s quite bulky, so you probably wouldn’t choose to use it as a portable potty.
There’s an integrated splash guard at the front, which, while useful, can get in the way when your toddler sits on it.
Pros
- Bright and colourful to appeal to children
- The toy-like appearance will encourage children to use
- The removable bowl is easy to clean
- Seat can be removed and used on the big toilet
- Gets your child used to practising on a real toilet
Cons
- It might be too toy-like for some parents
- The splash guard at the front gets in the way when the child sits down
Best training seat
This potty seat comes in a range of very bright colours with cheerful characters, a change to most of the potties on our list, which are predominantly white. The bright colours might be more appealing to children, even if they don’t necessarily fit in with the decor in your bathroom.
The potty looks like a seat, or perhaps like a commode; the lid lifts up to use the bowl, but the bowl can also be detached, allowing you to use the seat as an attachment on the big toilet for when your child transitions; one reviewer said: “Really recommend; we’ve tried various types of potty and this one is the best by far. It is super sturdy and doesn't move about, which helps the child feel secure. Easy to clean. Not flimsy at all."
It’s pretty lightweight, but it’s doubtful that you’d want to use this as a portable potty as it’s quite bulky.
Pros
- Range of bright colours to choose from
- Cheerful characters to encourage your toddler
- Seat can be removed and used on the big toilet
Cons
- Colours and styles won’t be to everyone’s taste
Best car-themed potty
If your child needs extra encouragement to try potty training, then a fun car-shaped potty might help. This potty looks like a ride-on toy but has an integrated lid that lifts up to show the bowl underneath.
There are useful handles to help keep your child safe while sitting on the potty, and there’s also an anti-skid strip underneath to prevent the potty from driving away mid-flow.
As fun as this looks, it is also practical, as the bowl is removable to help with rinsing and washing.
Pros
- Fun and engaging for toddlers
- The bowl is removable for easy cleaning
- Non-slip with safety handles for security
Cons
- Limited choice of colours
- It might be too toy-like for some parents
Choosing the right potty for your toddler and you
Potty training expert and inventor of My Carry Potty, Amanda Jenner, says when it comes to choosing a potty for your child, "it’s important that your little one has a connection with their potty as they will be the one that is using it."
Amanda continues, "The rule is to get your children involved and pick their own potty and potty training pants to make it fun, and it also encourages them to want to use it if they are involved from the offset."
Finally, she adds, "Purchase your potty 1 month before they start so they can practice and get used to it."
Read some more tips below for when you are choosing a potty:
Weight – Some potties are much heavier than others, such as the Ruby My Real Potty. If you want your child to be able to carry their potty independently, then opt for a lighter option. Alternatively, if you want to leave the lifting of the potty to the grown-ups (it's understandable why), then you might be better off going for a heavier potty.
Size – As potties will most likely be used when your toddler is around the age of two, it's important to make sure it's small enough for them to use in terms of the seat. You'll also want to consider how big your space is, if you want to put the potty in the bathroom, you'll need to think about how much space you have for a potty.
Comfort – No toddler will sit somewhere they aren't comfortable. Especially when it comes to having a number two, it's important for your toddler to want to sit for a while.
Ease of use – While many parents and children prefer a basic plastic potty, there are so many clever options on the market now, some even have an artificial flush feature or removable bowls.
Cleaning – With the more basic potties, you simply need to pour out the waste and clean the bowl, which you can do in minutes. These suits sit down well, but if you're potty training a boy, you may prefer a potty with a splash guard to avoid any messy accidents.
Toddler appeal – It's important that your toddler gets excited about their potty. Amanda says, "To make potty training fun, having fun characters that little one can relate to is key to successful potty training." From cute designs to the added reward of being able to flush and feel very grown up, finding a potty they're excited to use is essential. You may also want to add an extra incentive by introducing a potty training reward chart. Amanda adds, "Set up a good reward system that is easy to understand make it fun and be sure to take it with you when you venture out as well."
Portability – Whether you're always travelling or your tot spends a lot of time at their grandparents, keeping portability in mind is important. You might also want to opt for a second potty to live at caregivers' homes, or use a travel potty such as the My Carry Potty.
Types of potty
Potty training toilet seat – If you're keen to get them used to using the real toilet and getting to grips with the bathroom space, then you might be better suited to a seat that goes on the toilet seat.
Plastic potty – The most basic form of a potty you're probably most familiar with and often the most affordable. If you're keen to have a few potties around the home, then a budget plastic potty might be the best option for you.
Travel potty – Whether you're planning a family holiday or you're always on the road with your toddler, a potty that you can easily travel with is a must-have.
Removable bowl potty – With multiple parts, these potties have a removable bowl which you can take out and clean. Some have a separate potty training toilet seat which can sit over the toilet for when they get a bit older.
Why use a potty instead of a toilet?
As a small child, the toilet can look like a very big place. Not only is it hard to climb up on, but the seat is often far too large for little bottoms, and the seat can also feel quite cold and uncomfortable at first. Until they're confident on the potty and know how to flush without getting frightened by the loud noise, then it's a good idea to stick to a potty.
How did we choose the best potty?
There are loads of potties on the market to buy today, but which one should you choose?
To help you decide, we've rounded up the best ones - including the potties that have featured in our annual Mother&Baby Awards. Every year, we have a massive panel of real mums who test new products thoroughly with their own children, writing in-depth reviews of the products that help us decide who deserves those coveted Gold Awards.
When it comes to testing potties, we considered various aspects of each product, including how portable it was, how easy it was to clean, how comfortable it was, its appearance, and ease of use. In terms of combining a fun, appealing potty that is also portable, we love the My Carry Potty. Having said that, it is not designed for around the house, so we also like the toilet training seat chair, which has a fun design, is lightweight and can also be used as a potty training seat.
Although more pricey brands like Nuby My Real Potty impressed us with how it looks like a real toilet, complete with sound effects, we also found that some of the more budget options like the Kids Potty Training Toilet Seat with Splash Guard were great, too. The mi-potty was great for ease of cleaning and seemed comfortable, however, for an easy to clean travel potty, which can also be used a toilet seat at home, we were impressed by the Potette Max.
Find out more about how we test and what considerations we take into account in our testing process so you can rest assured that the potties we've listed here have been tested and reviewed thoroughly - not just by the mums and experts in Team M&B but also by real-life mums putting these potties through their paces.
Our verdict on the best potty
Our favourite potties are the Potette Max and the Fred & Flo Steady Potty. They're very different potties but with massively different price points. If you want an all-singing, all-dancing potty, then plump for the Potette Max; however, the (much) cheaper Fred & Flo potty does what it says on the tin - it's a potty. You can pee and poo in it, you can empty it easily, and it doesn't cost the earth.
About the expert
Amanda Jenner (@expertamandajenner) is the UK's longest-established and most experienced toilet trainer expert as well as the founder of My Carry Potty. She also provides general parenting advice and guidance during key stages of child development and works with older children with disadvantaged backgrounds. She has won multiple awards for My Carry Potty and The Potty Training Academy, regularly appears on TV and in 2019, her book, Potty Training Magic, was number one on the bestsellers list.
Emily Gilbert is the Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby and has written for the website and previously the magazine for six years. Specialising in product reviews, Emily is the first to know about all the exciting new releases in the parenting industry.