Potty Chairs Or Training Seats
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Nursery & Baby Products · CPSC Code 1535
Up 30% over 5 years
The verdict
Potty Chairs Or Training Seats carry a danger score of 31/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 420 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 30% over the last five years.
- 31/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 420
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.4%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1535 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 31/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for potty chairs or training seats - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume420 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.4%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+30%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Potty Chairs Or Training Seats (CPSC product code 1535, in the Nursery & Baby Products category) generate an estimated 420 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 8,400 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 31/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 30% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2013 (660 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2016 (194 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for potty chairs or training seats is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 1,493 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (1,075 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 6,588 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 1.4% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 39 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how potty chairs or training seats fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 3,532 | 3,056 | |
| 5-14 | 184 | 165 | |
| 15-24 | 134 | 6 | |
| 25-34 | 55 | 554 | |
| 35-44 | 0 | 233 | |
| 45-54 | 16 | 33 | |
| 55-64 | 0 | 153 | |
| 65-74 | 80 | 38 | |
| 75+ | 76 | 88 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Pubic Region | Laceration | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Mouth | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Pubic Region | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Toe | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Foot | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Arm | Fracture | |
| Foot | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
10MOF FELL OFF POTTY CHAIR AND INJURED MOUTH DX ABRASION MOUTH
2YOM MOTHER STATES PT GETTING OFF POTTY CHAIR AND HIT FACE ON THE BIG TOILET AT HOME. DX: CONTUSION OF THE HEAD, FACIAL LACERATION OF CHEEK.
4YOM FELL OFF HIS TRAINING TOILET ONTO THE HARD BATHROOM FLOOR HITTING THE BACK OF HIS HEAD. HE HAS A 1 CM OBLIQUE LACERATION TO THE OCCIPUT. DX: LACERATION OF OCCIPITAL SCALP
3YOM WITH HITTING HIS PENIS ON A TRAINING TOILET DX: LAC TO PENIS
2YOF PRESENTS WITH LACERATION TO CHIN AFTER FALLING ASLEEP WHILE ON POTTY CHAIR AND FALLING FORWARD AND HITTING FACE ON METAL TOILET PAPER HOLDER DX CHIN LACERATION
3YOM WAS GETTING OFF THE TRAINING POTTY AND FELL CUTTING HIS PENIS DX: LACERATION PENIS
17MOF WAS CARRYING A POTTY CHAIR WHEN SHE FELL AND HIT HER NOSE ON THE POTTY CHAIR. DX: FACIAL LACERATION.
21MOF FELL OFF A TODDLER POTTY CHAIR 1 DAY AGO. DX: HEAD INJURY; CONCUSSION.
6MOM WAS ON HIS POTTY CHAIR WHERE HE IS POTTY TRAINING AND HAS BEEN USING IT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS WHEN HE FELL FORWARD BUMPED INTO THEIR METAL SIDE TABLE DX: CLAVICLE FRACTURE, PHYSICAL CHILD ABUSE, SUSPECTED
2YOF PRESENTS AFTER A FALL. PER FOSTER MOM, PATIENT WAS WITH HER OLDER SISTER POTTY TRAINING AND FELL FORWARD FROM THE POTTY AND HIT HER HEAD ON THE DOOR. SHE HAS A HEMATOMA ON HER FOREHEAD WITH A SMALL ABRASION IN THE CENTER. DX: MINOR HEAD INJURY.
3YOM WAS SITTING ON POTTY AND TILTED FORWARD WHILE SITTING. HE CLIPPED HIS PENIS AND TESTICLES BRIEFLY DX: TESTICULAR PAIN
68YOM PT FELL LAST NIGHT, HIT FACE; STATES HE TRIPPED OVER 'SQUATTY POTTY', FELL BETWEEN SHOWER & TOILET DX: FALL #
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The squatty potty toilet stool came with a childs toilet seat, appropriate for a toddler. There is a removable cap on the top of the stool that makes the stool higher, for younger kids. My son fell when he stood up, and the cap disengaged. He fell into the side of the bathtub. We assumed we hadnt had it attached correctly. The next time he used it, we verified it was seated correctly. Again, upon standing, the cap came loose, and he fell to the floor. When I contacted the company, I was told that they are no longer selling them with the cap, as they rework the design. They indicated that they recommend that people either dont use the cap, or use zip ties (it doesnt seem clear that this would fix the problem). However, I just purchased these as new products, one from Bed Bath and Beyond, and one from Amazon, within the last few weeks. I received no warning that these could be dangerous. The company did not seem properly concerned about this product, its availability, and its associated risks. This was especially concerning, when I saw they had a previous, very similar product recalled in 2017.
Product name is Munchkin sturdy potty seat. Child injured his penis as he was getting off toilet. The device sits on toilet seat. The rim of the device caught the boys penis causing severe injury. This seat should not be used and is dangerous. Parents should be advised on dangers.
My four year old son was sitting on a Bemis NextStep round toilet seat purchased from Home Depot. He was leaning forward, and fell off of the toilet seat. As a result, he ended up with a significant cut at the base of his penis that required a visit to the emergency room. Initially they thought he would require stitches, but they were able to use surgical glue instead. I believe my son's injury was caused by the skin being pulled as it was caught between the front edge of the seat and his body as he fell. (A similar complaint about this seat from someone else on here blamed a sharp edge, but I think my son's injury was from the skin being caught and pulled, rather than cut on an edge) The incident date here is estimated, but I can get the exact date if necessary.
My son was playing with this potty seat and put it on his head. The seat was able to slip over his head and got stuck around his neck. We had a very hard time getting the seat off of his neck and were about to head to the hospital to cut it off when we finally did manage to pull it off.
Sat potty on toilet, placed child on potty chair, child attempted to get off potty chair and friction between potty chair and penis caused penis to become partially severed resulting in an emergency room trip to reconnect severed portion of penis.
My son (2 years 8 months) was sitting on the Primo PRI 4-In-1 Soft Seat Toilet Trainer and Step Stool White with Pastel Blue Seat. He raised himself off of the seat, lifted the seat slightly and inserted his finger between the seat and the seat reducer. He sat down on the seat and lacerated the end of his pinky finger.
Purchased OxGord Toilet Potty Step trainer for kids on Nov 25, 2016 from Amazon. However, started using it for the past 8 months. On 29th July while using the product, it broke and my daughter fell from down and got hurt Thankfully, no major injuries (Scratches on the shoulder and arm on the side she fell) and she was scared, sobbing and was in shock. Note: It was used under parent supervision. I have trashed the product. But, have pictures of the broken item. Kindly look into the issue as its concerned with Safety of kids
We JUST bought my daughter a TOMY The First Years Disney Princess Magical Sounds potty system this morning. The toilet has a training seat that rests on top of the toilet base. Unfortunately, this training seat is VERY easy for a toddler to remove, which I didn't realize was a problem until, within a matter of seconds, my daughter removed it and sat into the base. All of a sudden she was screaming profusely. I immediately picked her up to see blood on my arm...her bottom was so severely cut she bled onto my arm while I was holding her. She had three large cuts on her butt cheeks and several smaller ones on her back. Obviously, sharp plastic on the inside of a toilet base that has a toilet seat that is easily removable (doesnt at all lock in place) is a HUGE hazard for a toddler. My daughter is only 13 mos and removed the seat quickly and sat into the base. I felt so guilty when I googled the product to find many other parents complaining about similar cuts from the inside of the base...some kids got cuts just from sticking their fingers in it. To think I just thought I was buying a little toilet for my daughter to begin potty training on...now well be lucky if she ever sits on a toilet again! I feel so terrible that she is in so much pain from that. I wouldve never thought sitting into the base wouldve done anything to her!!
Showing 8 of 39 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to potty chairs or training seats on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are potty chairs or training seats?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, potty chairs or training seats have a danger score of 31/100 (low risk). An estimated 420 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from potty chairs or training seats?
The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 1,493 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from potty chairs or training seats increasing or decreasing?
Up 30% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for potty chairs or training seats injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 6,588 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by potty chairs or training seats?
Of all ER visits involving potty chairs or training seats, approximately 1.4% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.6%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with potty chairs or training seats?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Nursery & Baby Products
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 31/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 0-4 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
