If you have a potty-training toddler, you know they sometimes need a little extra encouragement. One way you can do that is to make the potty training adventure fun. With the Potty Duck, you can do just that.

This $19.95 toy comes with a Potty Duck, a toilet, and a small booklet you can read to your child. A pediatrician created Potty Duck and designed it for use before, during, and after potty training. You can introduce it to your child before they are ready to start, to help them get more familiar with the concept.

You fill the duck with water by squeezing it in water. Then, you can hold the duck over the potty and help it to pee by squeezing the water. Finally, you can push the button on top of the toilet to release the water. The toilet flushes without noise, which I appreciated with so many noisy toys out there, it was nice to have a quiet one.

There are two strong suction cups on the back of the potty, so you can hook it to the bathtub wall or anywhere else that makes sense. Once you get it hooked up, it sticks well. My toddlers could not pull it off on their own, and often I had to slide it up the wall to get it to release.

My young boys enjoyed playing with the duck during bath time. This worked well, as the water just went right down into the tub and could be played with again and again. They would try to make a flushing noise on their own, which lead to some great laughs.

Both my one-year-old and three-year-old learned how to flush the potty on their own. However, it was a bit of a challenge for my smallest. The size is good for small hands, which encourages independence. The duck fills easily with water, so they quickly figured that part out.

One recommendation the creator suggests is to make a peeing noise when you are helping the duck pee. Then, your children can mimic this sound. When your child is on the potty, you can make the same noise to help them realize they can pee on the potty too, just like the duck.

The Potty Duck comes with a booklet printed on thin paper. Because of the thin paper, I do not recommend handing it to your toddlers. Otherwise, it will not last long. The story is cute. The little duck gets introduced to the new potty and learns how to use it. My boys liked the pictures and wanted to listen repeatedly. Sometimes they would get out the Potty Duck and have it act out the story.

There are excellent directions for cleaning the duck, to help keep it from getting gross inside. It is important to let it air dry completely after each use once you make sure it is empty. The company also recommends rinsing the inside of the duck out with vinegar weekly. This was simple to do and seemed to help keep the duck clean.

If you are looking for a toy that can help prepare your child for using the potty, and encourage them along the way, I highly recommend the Potty Duck.

-Product review by Lisa Tanner, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, September 2020