As with everything in modern life, it now seems technology may have the answer - even to the frustrations of potty training and persuading a child to stay seated long enough to produce anything.
High tech manufacturing company CTA Digital has come up with the first 'ipotty'. This is a plastic potty unlike any other – it features an ipad stand.
Launched at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it will be available in the UK from March, priced around £25.
Reaction has ranged from outraged, through bemused and jealous (plenty of adults would quite like something like this) to enthusiastic.
CTA Digital product specialist Camilo Gallardo said: "It's novel to a lot of people but we've gotten great feedback from parents who think it'd be great for training."
He points out that there is already a large number of apps to support potty training which are popular with parents. Toddlers could be playing with these while accommodated on the potty, he suggests.
Multi-tasking on the toilet is certainly not new. Potties are often parked in front of the television, or bored parents employed to read endless books in order to keep their children where they need to be. The suggestion that they could be browsing the net while they attend to a call of nature is perhaps a step too far though.
As a mother of three who found potty training surprisingly painful – I'm sorry to admit there were tears all round – I find this concept not just ridiculous, but also rather depressing.
Our children clearly need to get to grips with technology early on in life, but surely not every element of their lives needs to be linked to a screen?
Toddlers may well now learn to use a computer before they can use the toilet, and both are arguably essential skills, but surely a few minutes on the toilet can be managed without an app.
Besides can you imagine the queue for the bathroom?
More on Parentdish: When is the right age to start potty training?