It’s either potty or genius depending on your point of view.
A mum has turned potty training inventor ... thanks to her toddler.
Hairdresser Alison Toole, of Dalton, has just launched her pop up privacy room and toilet which she hopes will solve toilet training woes.
And it was all thanks to a chance event involving her then two-year-old son, Romeo, that she got the brainwave for her all-in-one rucksack invention, the Petite en Suite, which gives children a place to relieve themselves privately when at home or out and about.
It comes packaged in a 42cm diameter backpack which folds out in seconds to become a pop-up shelter.
Potty liners are attached inside which collect the contents so can be thrown away afterwards.
Alison, 37, said: “It’s great to use while at places like festivals and beaches but also in people’s homes.
“I got the idea in 2009 at the time of potty training my son.
“He was not in the slightest interested in any potty activity, despite all my attempts.
“But one day my daughter Ebony made a den in the living room and suddenly we realised that he had taken the opportunity to drag his potty out of sight in there and used it for the first time.
“My daughter brought down a Little Tykes tent and from then on he used this space as his private bathroom.
“It wasn’t until his friends came over and used it that I realised the impact it was having.
“After doing some research on potty privacy I found embarrassment was common among even children as young as two.
“I think the design encourages children to use a potty and establishes a routine for them which they keep up when out or at a relative’s house”.
Alison decided to try and design her own portable bathroom involving a potty and a mini tent designed to look like the real thing.
But it was not until she heard about a company that helped inventor mums that her invention became a reality.
“The company was called Innovate and they advised me on where to get further advice and I found out how to register the design in the UK and abroad,” said Alison.
“I was having difficulties trying to design the right potty but contacted the University of Huddersfield to see if they could help me.”
The product was taken on by senior lecturer Dr Ertu Unver, principal enterprise fellow in 3D and product design, and Alison was given a Kirklees Innovation voucher of £2,500 which she used to get her new design 3D printed at the 3m Buckley Innovation Centre near the university.
Kirklees-based businesses can apply for and redeem the Innovation Vouchers worth £2,500 for experts and their knowledge through Kirklees Council.
Companies can use the vouchers to improve existing products and services or to research new product design.
Alison added: “A group of business students were then arranged to work on my project and with a £25,000 Government business loan I put my first batch into production”.
The Petite Ensuite is now available on Amazon and on her website and she hopes to sell around the UK and beyond.
“It’s quite scary but it’s a very exciting experience and I’d like to thank the university for their support.
“I couldn’t have wished for anything better.”
