Potty Training? Why a Wall-Hanging Potty Ring is the Best Idea Ever

Baby Bjorn is just one of many wall hanging potty rings.

For those of us who have entered the world of potty training with toddlers, the world of bribery comes sooner in life than we previously had imagined. Once upon a time we imagined we'd begin paying our children off to clean the house, not to drive on Friday nights, to stay home with younger siblings, or not to date "that guy" (or girl). It isn't until our sweet lil' pumpkin has been racing around the house tearing off their diapers and screaming "DOO DOO!!!" at the top of their lungs we realize—there may have to be a currency exchange here.

In one sense, we're lucky that the currency usually isn't straight cash, but on the other hand, it could get pricier in one form or another. Giving kids sugary treats as a bribe to go potty may seem like something you'd never do, but you just might—after all, planning to offer a new teddy bear, plastic pony, or new movie On Demand every time Junior goes potty could wind you up in, well... deep doo doo.

Lucky for potty training parents, there's more than books framed art on Amazon—you can find a huge range of baby potties here too. One of the biggest things you'll combat during potty training and a little while after is all the new items in the bathroom that take up floor space. Suddenly your private throne has turned into a Toys R Us catalog photo. But there is a bit of good news, as well as some proven evidence about the dos and don'ts of potty training.

If you've perused the aisles of your local retailers or searched through page after page of training potties, you've likely seen all kinds of crazy potties. One thing most researchers know is that those insane potties that look like a Vegas slot machine are often less effective. Pee-pee and poo-poo pundits everywhere posit that bright colors and flashing lights may best be avoided for a few reasons.

To begin, the child may be so focused on all the lights and sounds and colors that they cannot focus on nature's call where and how they should—which is in a seated position on a potty—not running in figure eights around the bathroom singing nursery rhymes or shouting "Good job, you did it!" when in fact, they did not do it.

Learn how to hack a Spray Pal: click here!

Another reason brightly colored sound machine-style potties may not work is that a child that young cannot make the connection between their toy-looking potty and the toilet that mommies and daddies use. And to this end, the wall-hanging potty ring is brilliant.

Potty rings are so ingenious on so many levels. First of all, they allow Junior to sit on the actual potty (or potties) they will be sitting on once they're done with training—this means they're using the toilet the grown ups use, and that makes them feel important and could insight a little inspiration as well.

What's more, a potty ring can be hung on a hook, getting at least one of your potty training tools off the floor. If you're using a step stool, you can also get these in wall hanging or folding styles, making it possible to free up even more space on your bathroom floor.

We love this next one maybe more than anything—if you're trying to potty train a boy to pee standing up, there's a special hack for you. If you use cloth diapers, you may already have a Spray Pal: a splatter shield that hold diapers in place over the toilet for rinsing. If you taper the sides of the Spray Pal as seen in the photo here, you've got yourself a great tool to teach your youngster how to go number one like a big boy without the fiasco of having to bleach the entire bathroom after every visit from your novice stand-up guy. Adding a target like the one in this photo will help him see exactly where he should be aiming. And last but not least, the handle, which clamps dirty nappies in place can also be used as a handle for hanging the shield on the wall when you need to put the toilet seat down.

There are also wall-mountable potty training urinals, and most of these come with double keyhole hardware so you can easily remove them from the wall for emptying and rinsing. Use the YOUHANGIT instructions in the how to hang double keyholes instructional video by clicking here.

Getting all your potty training accoutrements off of your floor is a great way to show your beginner bathroom pal all about the importance of cleanliness: each time you use your wall hanging potty ring or hang your training urinal on the wall make sure you let your toddler see you do it: this gives you time to let them wash their hands before you while you have an open and frank conversation about what a great job they've done, and of course, the hyper importance of washing your hands after using the potty, whether it's at home or anywhere else.

All the luck in the world to you, potty training parents, grandparents, babysitters, guardians, and big brothers and sisters. We know it takes a village, some help from YOUHANGIT to get stuff off the floor, and yes, a little bribery can go a long way—so be mindful of what you choose for extortion!