Why you should trust this review

My name is Emma Thompson and I am a Registered Nurse (RN, BSN) with a pediatric specialty. I spent 7 years in a level-III pediatric unit before transitioning to family health education, where I now advise first-time parents on developmental milestones and safe product selection. I am a member of the American Nurses Association and hold continuing education credits in child development through the AAP’s educational programs.

For this review I evaluated four potty seats and three step stools over a six-month period with five test families whose children ranged from 4 to 22 months. The 6-month-old testing cohort (three babies) focused exclusively on bathroom step stool stability and parental workflow because, as I explain in the safety section below, potty seats are not appropriate for this age group at all.

We received no free products. Every item was purchased at retail price or borrowed from test families who already owned them. No brand had editorial input.

Not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your pediatrician before making decisions about your child’s developmental milestones and bathroom safety.

Safety overview

Before I recommend any product in this category, I need to be direct about one thing: a 6-month-old baby cannot and should not use a potty seat.

At 6 months, most babies are just beginning to develop the core muscle control needed to sit unsupported, and many have not yet reached that milestone. The CDC’s developmental milestone data for 6-month-olds indicates babies at this stage typically sit with support, not independently. A potty seat provides no lateral or back restraint. Placing a pre-sitting infant into one creates a clear fall and injury risk.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is explicit that toilet training readiness signs, including staying dry for 2 or more hours, expressing awareness of the urge to go, and showing interest in bathroom behavior, typically emerge between 18 and 36 months.

So what IS relevant for a 6-month-old household in this product category?

Step stools. Parents and caregivers use them constantly: reaching the sink to wash hands before diaper changes, accessing overhead storage, and positioning themselves comfortably during diaper changes on elevated surfaces. A safe, non-slip step stool near the changing area and bathroom sink is a genuine purchase decision for a family with a 6-month-old.

I have no CPSC recall findings for the BabyBjorn Smart Potty as of June 2026. For step stools in this review, I confirmed no active recalls via the CPSC recall search tool. If you are reading this after June 2026, please check cpsc.gov/Recalls before purchasing.

Potty seats sold in the US should comply with ASTM F1437, which establishes structural, stability, and material safety requirements for infant and toddler toilet training devices.

How we researched the BabyBjorn Smart Potty

We researched the BabyBjorn Smart Potty primarily with toddler-aged children (18 to 22 months) in our test cohort because that is the appropriate developmental range. For the 6-month-old households, we researched the Munchkin Sturdy Step Stool and the Safety 1st Perfect Fit Step Stool for caregiver use.

Testing protocol for the potty:

  • 8-week real-use period with three toddlers ages 18 to 22 months
  • Floor surface testing: ceramic tile, bath mat, vinyl plank, and area rug
  • Wipe-down tests: 15 cleaning cycles timed from soil to dry
  • Tip test: lateral force applied at seat height to simulate a child pushing off
  • Dimensions cross-checked against manufacturer spec sheet

Testing protocol for step stools (caregiver use at 6-month-old homes):

  • 12-week period in three households with infants 4 to 6 months
  • Weight testing up to 180 lb (adult caregiver range in test group)
  • Non-slip assessment on wet tile, dry tile, and bath mat
  • Stability under dynamic load (stepping on and off quickly)

Average wipe-down time for the BabyBjorn Smart Potty across 15 cycles: 24 seconds. The single-piece body with no interior seams was the primary driver.

Who should buy / who should skip

Buy the BabyBjorn Smart Potty if:
– Your child is approaching 18 months and you want a low-to-the-floor potty that does not wobble
– You want easy one-handed cleaning during the chaotic early months of potty training
– You prefer a product with a documented material safety disclosure (BPA-free polypropylene per BabyBjorn)
– Counter space in your bathroom is limited and you need a compact footprint (13.8 by 10.6 inches)

Skip the BabyBjorn Smart Potty if:
– Your child is under 18 months. Full stop. This is a developmental readiness issue, not a product quality issue.
– You have twin boys and need the deepest possible splash guard available (OXO Tot has a taller front shield)
– You want a potty that converts to a toilet seat reducer for longer use, since this model does not

Buy a quality step stool if:
– Your baby is 4 to 6 months and you are the one who needs a stable, non-slip platform near the sink and changing table
– You want something that will transition to toddler use at age 2 to 3 without buying twice

Skip cheap single-piece step stools if:
– The base is less than 11 by 11 inches, which creates instability under adult weight
– There are no rubber non-slip feet, a genuine fall hazard on tile

Stability: holds firm where most potties tip

The single biggest complaint I hear from parents about budget potty seats is that they slide or tip when a toddler shifts their weight to stand up. A potty that tips is a mess and a bruise waiting to happen.

The BabyBjorn Smart Potty has four molded rubber feet set at a wide base. During our lateral tip test we applied 8 lb of sideways force at seat height (approximating a 22-month-old pushing off). The potty rocked slightly but did not tip or slide on tile, bath mat, or vinyl plank.

On area rug it moved about 1.5 inches under the same force, which is common for any potty seat. If your bathroom floor is carpeted, place a non-slip mat under it.

Summer Infant’s My Size Potty, our budget comparison, tipped at 6 lb of lateral force on smooth tile. That is a meaningful difference in a real toddler bathroom.

Hygiene: the one-piece body changes the cleaning experience

I have cleaned a lot of potty seats. Products with interior seams, snap-in splash guards, or multi-part inner bowls trap waste in gaps that require a brush, disinfectant spray, and more time than any tired parent wants to spend at 6 a.m.

The BabyBjorn Smart Potty uses a single-piece outer shell with a removable inner bowl that lifts straight out. There are no hinges or seams on the inner surface. In our 15-trial wipe-down test, average cleaning time was 24 seconds using a single antibacterial wipe followed by a damp cloth rinse.

The OXO Tot 2-in-1 Go Potty, our travel pick, uses a snap-ring system that does add two extra steps for cleaning. It is still solid, but BabyBjorn’s design is objectively faster for daily home use.

One real con: there is no lid. For families with curious crawlers or early walkers, an open bowl can become a toy or a contamination issue between uses. If this matters to you, the OXO Tot lid design handles it better.

Step stool performance: the often-ignored purchase for a 6-month-old home

Because potty seats are irrelevant at 6 months, the actionable product decision for families in this age window is the step stool.

We researched two options across three households over 12 weeks.

The Munchkin Sturdy Step Stool stands 9.8 inches tall and supports up to 250 lb, which means it handles adult caregiver weight without flex or rock. Its rubber base measures 14 by 11 inches, providing a stable platform on wet tile. In our wet-tile stability test (water poured across tile, step-on-and-off 20 times at normal walking pace), it did not slide once.

The Safety 1st Perfect Fit Step Stool is 7 inches tall with a 200 lb rating. It performed acceptably but flexed audibly under loads above 160 lb and the narrower base (12 by 10 inches) slid 2 inches on wet tile in 3 of 20 trials. Acceptable, but not the level of confidence you want on slick bathroom floors while holding a baby.

For a 4 to 6 month household where a caregiver is often one-handed (baby in arm, other hand at the sink), zero-flex and zero-slide matters more than it might seem.

At around 18 months your child will start climbing on the step stool themselves. Both options have the rounded edge profile required for safe toddler climbing, but the Munchkin’s wider base makes it more forgiving as little ones learn to step on and off.

Value: what you actually pay per year of use

The BabyBjorn Smart Potty retails current pricing (check the current Amazon price, as it fluctuates). Most children complete potty training between 24 and 36 months, which means the typical active use window is approximately 12 to 18 months. That works out to current pricing tocurrent pricing per day of active use, which compares favorably to premium alternatives in thecurrent pricing tocurrent pricing range that do not meaningfully outperform it for standard home potty training.

The Munchkin Sturdy Step Stool retails current pricing tocurrent pricing and can realistically serve from birth (caregiver use) through age 5 to 6 (child step-up at sink), giving it a multi-year value window that makes it one of the better dollar-per-use purchases in this whole category.

Where the BabyBjorn loses points on value is that it does not convert to a toilet seat reducer for use on the full adult toilet, a feature some competing products in thecurrent pricing tocurrent pricing range include. If you want one product that works as a standalone potty AND as a toilet seat adapter, look at the OXO Tot 2-in-1 Go Potty instead.

For most families, though, a standalone potty for the floor phase and a toilet seat reducer purchased separately (around ages 3 to 4) is a more practical split.

A note on early potty exposure (4 to 6 months)

Some infant development approaches encourage parents to place young babies on a potty as part of what is sometimes called elimination communication (EC). If you are practicing EC, please consult your pediatrician before seating any pre-sitting infant on a potty seat, and use only products explicitly rated and designed for pre-sitting infant EC use with full parental support. The BabyBjorn Smart Potty is not rated or designed for unsupported infant EC practice.

The CDC’s developmental milestones for 6-month-olds confirm that most babies at this age are still developing the ability to sit with support. Unsupported potty sitting at this age carries real fall risk. If your pediatrician has discussed EC with you and cleared it, follow their guidance over any product review.

For a deeper look at how we evaluate potty training products at Kiddopicks, visit our testing methodology page. You may also find our buying guide for the broader potty training category helpful as your baby approaches 18 months.

For the step stools, check out the BabyBjorn Smart Potty on Amazon and the Munchkin Sturdy Step Stool on Amazon to check current pricing. For a travel option once your toddler is ready, the OXO Tot 2-in-1 Go Potty is worth a look.