How to toilet train your child in Japan: a product guide

For any parents out there who are in the process of toilet training a child, I am right there alongside you! I'm in the process of toilet training my second child, and there are a few products I've found helpful through the process here in Japan.

Here are my recommendations for some "must-haves" we've used on our journey.

For home: Richell Soft Potty Seat

We opted to get these Richell potty seats so we could use them on our existing toilets instead of buying a separate stand alone potty. They are great, and they're made of a sturdy yet soft foam-type material. If you just pair it with a simple step stool, it's (in my opinion) a lot more convenient than having to clean out a separate potty all the time.

These Richell soft potty seats are great to use on your existing toilet - just pair it with a little step stool!

For when you're out and about: a folding potty seat

We've visited some public restrooms here in Japan which had inbuilt potty seats that fold down on top of a regular toilet - usually at child-friendly venues like aquariums - but at other places that's not always the case. We found this great foldable potty seat on Amazon Japan, and it's super simple to just throw into a diaper bag when you're on the go. We appreciate that it's so compact!

We really liked this inexpensive "on the go" potty seat - it folds up in such a compact way that it's super easy to just throw in a bag.

See! Easy peasy!

Pull up diapers - various brands

We're not particularly brand loyal when it comes to our pull up diaper selections, because we've been impressed with a range of different ones here! The diapers we've encountered here in Japan have all been super soft, with excellent absorbency and a lack of artificial fragrance which we appreciate. Right now we have the Pampers pull ups, but we've also used Mamy Poko and Goon branded ones. Most of these brands should be stocked at your local supermarket, drug store, or even child friendly shops like Nishimatsuya, but we often just order ours on Amazon for the sake of convenience.

We have used a range of different brands of diapers here in Japan. These pull-ups are our current "go-to"!

Training Pants

These are the "next step" up from diapers - more like underwear, but with a little extra padding in them in case of an accident. The ones below can be found on Amazon here, and if you simply search for "training pants" you'll find a range of patterns and prints.

Any other items you've found helpful in toilet training your little ones here in Japan?