Genaissance Global has the answer for getting boys to "stand up and go" when they are learning to use the toilet with The Splashdown! Trainer potty trainer. With an exclamation point in the name I couldn’t help but get excited when I learned it was featured as a new potty training product at the ABC Kids Expo.
Benefits
The Splashdown! Trainer is a protective shield that is placed inside the back of a toilet bowl. It’s benefits are two-fold: the shield is meant to keep wayward pee from going behind the toilet seat and Splashy!, the wetsuit wearing dolphin mascot, is your son’s personal pee coach as he encourages potty training and reminds him to put the toilet seat down when done.
Full-disclosure: I have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. I also have three kids; two are boys who will eventually learn how to use the potty. When I saw the potential benefit of less urine to clean during the process, I almost ordered one for every toilet in my house.
Concerns
After I watched the installation and cleaning video, my better, less obsessed and more practical parenting judgment
kicked in and I had my doubts.
I want to save money on diapers as much as the next parent and I know spending a little money on potty training tools can help, but I won’t be spending my money on this one. The sound of Splashy! chirping would only add unwanted noise to my house of chaos. And unless Splashy! also brainwashes my boys to wash their hands, feed the dog, and not hit their sister, I will still be nagging them to put the seat down and to keep their dirty hands to themselves.
And then the potential reality of how my boys would likely use this product sank in and my OCD brain ran wild with maddening scenarios. Splashy!, standing in front of a life preserver, looks like a target. Instead of catching wayward splash, Splashy! would catch full-stream urine. My bathroom walls and floor would fall victim to toddlers who think they are practicing for the firing range.
The woman in The Splashdown! Trainer video seems to assume I have time to clean it after each use, which I don’t. If the toilet is flushed in our house, it’s considered clean on some days. Besides, Splashy! is located in the direct path of a toilet bowl brush. I don’t have time to maneuver around one more thing in my house that is meant for my children.
Recommendations
The Splashdown! Trainer might work for some boys when parents want them to "stand and go". Splashy! does make a toilet bowl more exciting, especially when he pops up and starts to talk when the lid is lifted. Other parents have found success with step stools in front of the toilet so their son doesn’t struggle to pee into the bowl. I have friends who have thrown a few Cheerios in the toilet water so their boys have something to hit.
The important thing to remember when potty training your child is that he or she needs to be ready to learn. Until a child wants to learn how to use the potty, they will blink at you with confusion, pee their pants, and hide in a corner to poop.
Two things helped my daughter: underwear she picked out and peer pressure. She wanted to wear the fun big girl underwear she picked out at the store so she tried her best to make it to the potty in time. And when her friends at daycare started wearing underwear she was motivated to be part of the group.
Every kid is different, but time and patience are necessary for all parents when it comes to potty training. Expect setbacks and find what works best for your child.
