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iPotty aims to entertain toddlers during toilet training

The iPotty may be set to become the must-have toilet-training accessory for a generation of gadget addicted children.

Introduced by CTA Digital at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — Apple was not involved in its development — the iPotty is a potty with a built-in iPad holder. Little ones learning to use the toilet can do so just like many of their parents do, without having to put down their gadgets.

The colourful kiddie toilet features a clear cover to protect the iPad, a splash guard, and can be disassembled for easy cleaning, CNET reports.

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Starting this March, the iPotty will be available on Amazon for $39.99.

"When the Apple marketing bods said using the iPad was like child's play, I don't think they had this in mind," says Stuart Miles of gadget website Pocket Lint.

CTA product specialist Camilo Gallardo defends the product, claiming there's definite demand for an iPad holder in the bathroom.

"It's novel to a lot of people but we've gotten great feedback from parents who think it'd be great for training."

Macgasm's Toby Wellington worries that the iPotty might contribute to bad habits later in life.

"While I’m all for properly potty-trained kids, I feel as though we would be damaging the human race as a whole if we allow our children to use iPads while learning to properly poop," he writes.

"When we get to the point where we’re directly linking our necessary bodily functions to the action of browsing a 10-inch tablet, I think we need to seriously re-examine ourselves. I don’t want my 20 year old son to be forced later in life to bring an iPad with him wherever he goes in case he has to use the bathroom."

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Jessica Roy of Beta Beat tech blog is equally unimpressed.

"Folks, have a glimpse into the terrifying future, a future in which your child refuses to relinquish the right to have you wipe his butt unless you give him an iPad. This is what could become of our society should the iPotty gain any modicum of popularity," she writes.

And while Growing Your Baby writer Lisa Arneill sees value in distracting a child who is "waiting for things to happen," the issue of connectivity is what most concerns her.

"How connected does a 2-year-old really need to be? Are we so enamoured with technology that we need to be tied to it every waking moment or could this be a treat that ‘you can play a specific game on the iPad’ if you go pee?" she writes.

While there are already potty-training apps available, will an iPad in the bathroom actually keep an impatient young one on the potty long enough to effectively answer the call of nature?