A two-year-old boy got a potty seat stuck around his neck after trying to ‘wear it as a hat’ during a shopping trip.
Claire Watkins, 41, had taken her son Ronnie to their local Asda, where she spotted the toilet training seats on offer.
She handed the toddler a potty to carry around the shop but when she turned her head to attend to daughter Isla, five, Ronnie managed to wedge the seat over his head.
Claire Watkins, 41, was shocked after her two-year-old son, Ronnie (above), got a potty seat stuck around his neck after trying to ‘wear it as a hat’ during an Asda shopping trip
Ms Watkins, from Greenhithe, Kent, had handed Ronnie the potty to carry around. But when she turned her head to attend to daughter Isla, five, he managed to wedge the seat over his head. Above, a member of staff frees the toddler
The mother-of-two, from Greenhithe, Kent, said her laughter soon turned to panic when they realised the seat had become completely stuck.
Staff initially tried to get the seat off by smearing butter over Ronnie’s ears, but salvation would ultimately come in the form of cutting tools.
Ms Watkins, who works in recruitment, said: ‘We had gone shopping in Asda to get some bits and pieces.
‘I’ve been potty training Ronnie, and Asda had a baby event with kids’ toilet seats.
‘I thought I’d try one of those for him, so I was explaining how it worked and he got all excited. I went to put it in the trolley but he wanted to hold it.
‘He kept trying to wear it as a hat but it didn’t look like there was any way it would go over his head – he was just balancing it on there.
The mother-of-two said: ‘I tried to get it off but it was stuck on his ears. I got worried but everyone was really amused because it was a toilet seat.’ Above, Ms Watkins with her son
‘My daughter Isla was calling me for something so I had my head turned for a minute, and when I looked back, it was around his neck.
‘It was really funny and I was really laughing, so I was taking photos. But after a while, he didn’t like it and was getting a bit panicked.
‘I tried to get it off but it was stuck on his ears. I got worried but everyone was really amused because it was a toilet seat.
‘When I realised I couldn’t get it off, it stopped being so funny and the “mum” in me kicked in.’
Ms Watkins says despite her best efforts, the seat was completely stuck around poor Ronnie’s neck.
Luckily, two members of staff rushed to the rescue, armed with a tub of butter and a bag of chocolate chip cookies.
Ms Watkins added: ‘Two members of staff came over to help, we tried to move it at different angles but it just wouldn’t budge.
‘We put butter all over his ears and the toilet seat but it still wouldn’t come off and he was getting more and more distressed.
‘The female member of staff gave him some cookies, and after that he was fine.
‘They took us off the shop floor and into a staff room, and got the tools to cut it off.
‘It took a long time but eventually they managed to cut it all the way through.
‘He’s a bit of a handful so I’m not surprised it happened to him – he’s fine now though.’