How to Make an EC Potty Cozy in 10 Minutes (from an Old T-shirt) – Step by Step
When practicing Elimination Communication with your new baby, you may eventually choose to add a mini potty into the equation. You can start using one at around 6 weeks old (naturally with you holding your baby securely on it).
But...the major problem with putting a young baby on a mini potty is the plastic...it's hard, it's often cold, and it's not very comfortable...for a baby.
It usually just makes your baby cry...which may lead you to believe it's the potty that's the problem...and stop using it altogether.
But the problem isn't the potty. It's the plastic.
And the solution, as I've mentioned before in previous blog posts, is the "potty cozy."
The Baby Potty Cozy, Defined
A potty cozy is basically a soft, oftentimes liquid-deflecting, quick-drying cover for your mini potty. It makes it more comfortable, warmer, and softer for sensitive little baby bottoms.
Many of my readers practicing infant potty training claim the potty cozy is one of their most essential tools.
I found ours to be absolutely indispensable! We used it during months 2-8 and then again at 11 months when my son was resisting the potty a little (turns out that as a young toddler his mini potty was still uncomfortable as-it-was and he needed a little more fluff and cush for that tiny bum).
We now offer potty cozies at my other online store, TinyUndies.com. Or...
For you crafty moms and pops, one of my Swedish readers, Ulrika, has generously shared her step by step how-to photos and instructions on how to make a potty cozy from an old t-shirt! And she wanted me to share them with you.
{No sewing machine, sewing experience, or needle-and-thread required...Yay!!}
Without further ado, here we go....
The 10-Minute Potty Cozy: Step-by-Step
1. Choose an old t-shirt (you may also use an old fleece shirt or sweatshirt if you want a more liquid-repellant, more substantial material)
2. Cut a small hole in the hem at the bottom of the shirt
3. Fasten a safety pin on the end of an elastic band
4. Push the safety pin and the attached elastic band through the hem
5. Cut across the back of the t-shirt right under the sleeves
6. Tighten the elastic band in the hem
7. Pull the cozy over your potty
8. Adjust the elastic band so the opening is a suitable size for the potty and make a knot
9. Turn the potty upside down and make the cozy fit tight around the potty
10. Make a really tight knot with a ribbon or string of yarn
11. Cut off the extra fabric
12. There you go...
13. Ready to use!
Beautiful. My gratitude to Ulrika Casselbrant, my reader in Sweden, for contributing these lovely photos and instructions.
Please leave a comment below sharing your experience with potty cozies, sources of them in your country, and maybe throw in some other DIY EC tricks of your own.
And please click "Like" below to share this article with your friends on Facebook. Thanks! xo Andrea
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Hey, that’s awesome! Useful maybe even for those of us not EC-ing! Tks! It’s so pretty too. Though I might be using my hubby’s vast collection of tshirts ;)
Yes, Lisa! Use those old t’s! :) It’s true, this might even help with toddlers who haven’t ECed and are just doing conventional toilet training…making it less of a struggle for sure. :) Andrea
This is wonderful, thank you for sharing!
Of course, thank you for tuning in!
Oh, gosh… Just perfect!!!! How didn’t I think about it before?
I know! Me, too. We definitely could have used this a long time ago, but luckily Ulrika helped us out :) xo Andrea
Seriously, really great idea. My wife and I are still trying to decide on the perfect baby potty, I’m sure in no time she will be cutting up all of our shirts. Any suggestions would help as well.
Hahaha, I would hide all the shirts! Also if youre looking for a baby potty still my daughter likes this one.. https://mindful-engineering.com/collections/shop/products/be-mindful-moby-potty-trainer she absolutely loves whales and animals so this is the perfect one for my little girl. Happy Potty Seat Shopping :)
If your baby is a newborn, a top hat potty is great. If they are a little older, a mini potty would be perfect. It is lower than other tiny potties on the market so little legs don’t dangle. You can find both of these at https://tinyundies.com/ xx Andrea
So helpful! Thanks!
Welcome Melina!
outrageous. making one asap.
Great! Would love to see a pic of how yours turned out, Tanya. Email to me? xx Andrea
I was so happy to see this! I have a Bjorn potty chair, so the potty cozies I’ve seen for sale wouldn’t work on it. I didn’t have any elastic, so I used some spare ribbon I had. I also added a pinching slide (which I did have) to the ribbon ends. I fit this around the removable potty bucket only, and it works like a charm. The tshirt is so thin that the potty bucket sits flat still. LOVE LOVE LOVE! Thank you so much for sharing!
Woweee Sheena! Thanks for posting this! Your pinching slide and bucket-only modifications are BRILLIANT. Yay!!!!! And that it fits perfectly will probably reduce spillage…which is always a good thing. :) Andrea
Thank you for posting this! I just noticed this morning how cold the potty seat was and how much colder it’s going to get with the changing of seasons.
So glad to help, Susan! It’ll definitely help you thru the season! :) Andrea
AH HA! Penelope has been getting mad at me lately with the potty. I have a cover for the little one but I need to start using the big one with her big booty. ;)
Hi Andrea,
I just came up with a great idea, I made a potty cozy in 30 seconds believe it or not!
I grabbed a old pajama pants, placed the bjorn potty inside, tightened the elastic band, flipped it over, tied the legs closed with ribbon then cut off the excess, and finished! I now have a potty cozy! If you like I xan send you a picture of it, so cool!! :)
Thank you for the tutorial!
I made two!
One with a casing, because the T’s hem was little and surged. And one with an upgrade because:
Just started, bjorn smartpotty was Xmas present, to my DS, 4 months old. He’s slightly too big too hold over it easily, and slightly too small, /unable to sit unassisted/can’t squat right/the small back part prevents my stomach from support his back (now I understand why ppl take just the white part between the knees, will try too)
I rolled up a towel, secured it with ties, all along, so its circumference matched the potty, and the height of the rolled towel was sufficiently high for him to rest his feet, and pulled the t-shirt over them both. It was a men’s medium, the neck fits the potty just fine, no need to cut or sew, just tucked, to facilitate getting the potty and the towel foot rest back inside.
Now to eat, before this nap of his is over.
Thanks for the cool craft project. I enjoyed it.
So clever Vanessa! I love the idea of a foot rest. xx Andrea
Wouldn’t this need to be washed regularly? I’m looking for a more re-usable pattern.
Hi Kristen! If you have my mini potty, we actually make a cozy for it now. If you are using a different potty, I have seen people using fuzzy steering wheel covers from the dollar story as a cozy with success. xx Andrea