Some people reinvent the wheel while others reinvent the step stool. Potty3 modular step pads had a showing at last year's ABC Kids Expo, but haven't come to market yet. We're certainly intrigued by these wide, stackable pads - would you buy them?
The invention of a mom of three boys, the step pads are intended to provide more stability than a traditional step stool for kids to reach the toilet and sink and to step into the tub or be used as a kneeling cushion or bench for an adult. We could also imagine these used to elevate kids at a kitchen counter or worktable.
The downside we see is that they may be impractical for small homes and could be a nuisance in a bathroom shared by kids and adults. What do you think of this idea?
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hm... this is intriguing. I get heebed out by anything that touches the base of the toilet that closely, though. it also looks like too many parents to keep clean.
oops! parents = parts. parts.
impractical for sure. my bathroom is like 4x4 if you don't include the bathtub. i wouldn't be able to open the door. and they also seem like they might be hard to clean.
looks hard to clean. somewhat unsanitary if there are any splatters or misses
Having potty trained a boy it seems like those would get very icky very quickly. When it comes to the bathroom I'm all about easy to wipe down (and scrub down at times) surfaces.
I agree with the above comments re: too big, hard to clean. And I'm wondering what the woman is doing in that picture? Is that little sand pail supposed to be a cleaning bucket? Is she just gazing lovingly at a giant blue schrunchi/sponge?
i do like the idea, but i also agree with what everyone else has said.. my son is too short to pee into the toilet standing, so he has to take off his pants/underwear everytime he goes to the bathroom. itd justs a pain. something like that product would help, but its also a concern of mine to keep things safe and CLEAN!
ewww...too many boys in this house for that to be clean around here.
I like that it seems like it would be more sturdy than a step stool but I can't tell what material the steps are made out of. Is it hard plastic or squishy? Something else? Either way, I agree with everyone else about the issues with cleaning it. It would just be one more thing to get dirty and have to clean.
I like these for other uses. the sand tray that is too high, a drawer, a kiddie desk or table that is just a little high. I like these. I actually like them for the toilet too. Throw them in the tub and soap them up and Im sure they would be fine.
I have a foam interlocking block area rug, I bet I can configure them to do this step thing.
deebo--I'm glad I'm not the only on whose 2-year-old son has to completely remove pants and underwear every time he uses the toilet. Then he needs help putting them back on. Ugh.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I am actually the inventor of this product. Your feedback and honesty is very valuable to me. To let you know, these pads are 6" X 12" in size. You can align them to the width that is desirable to you. If you have a small bathroom, the space these will take will not be more than a regular stepstool that you would purchase from Target. The idea is that you have more versatality and that you can build them upward as well as sideways to make it easier for your child to use the toilet or the sink. You can wash these in the tub as one of you already suggested. Cleansiness is very important but so is the peace of mind around the bathroom with our little ones. My 4 year old son still uses these and is comfortable with just one layer of these pads (3 inches) rather than being up 8". We are in the process of developing Potty3 and hopefully it will have more advantages than disadvantages for everyone to want to give it a chance. Once again thank you for your comments.
Goli