Yuck! The potty-training toy that adds an iPad to its attractions
It has to be the weirdest toilet training toy of all: the 2-in-1 iPotty with Activity Seat for iPad, a training toilet for toddlers that comes with a stand to hold an iPad.
The San Jose Mercury News spotlights the device today. Columnist Mike Cassidy writes in disbelief: "Yes! It’s a real thing that goes for about 30 bucks and today it’s being honored (dubiously) by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood for being about the creepiest toy out there"
Cassidy says there is just an incredible yuck factor with the whole thing. The product description reassures would-be buyers: "A touch screen cover helps keep the iPad clean and protected from smudges and little messy accidents."
The Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood calls its "honour" the 2013 TOADY. That's short for "Toys Oppressive and Destructive to Young children" Award. In a blog post announcing the iPotty as the winner, the organisation quotes one woman who voted for the digitally-enhanced training toilet in an online survey.
"Michelle Salcedo of Greenville, S.C., eloquently explained her vote for the winner: ‘Toilet learning should be a time of positive interaction between child and caregiver. Also, children should be aware of the cues in their bodies as they learn. This toy takes this social/emotional focus out of the process and substitutes the hypnotism of a screen.'"
Cassidy refers to the video on "taking potty training to the next level" and suggests, "by the way, they apparently need an app that tells kids that toilets work a lot better when you’re not wearing pants".