HOUSTON – Potty training boys can be a messy proposition. Once you get them to the toilet on time, getting everything in the bowl is a challenge. It's why a Magnolia man created The Splatter Shield.
Marc Lattanzi's full-tme job is running his family-owned restaurant, Magnolia Super Burgers on FM 1488. His son works in the kitchen, but before he was flipping burgers, when he was just 3-years-old, he inspired his father's invention.
"Pee got everywhere," Lattanzi recalled from when his son was potty training in the early '90s "It splattered and splattered and when it hit the back of the tank, then it splattered and then it got on the cabinet next door."
Initially, Lattanzi was only trying to solve his own problem of a bathroom that reeked of urine.
"I've tried everything. I put cellophane. I put aluminum foil. I put Tupperware," he said.
He finally created what looks like an egg-shaped dome. It sits right on the rim of the toilet protecting the back hinges and screws, what he believes are the hardest parts to clean.
"Everything gets funneled into the bowl," he said.
We took The Splatter Shield to the front lines; where Rebecca Castillo is potty training her 3-year-old son, Dash.
"We've had a few mishaps, yes," Castillo said.
When it was time, Castillo placed The Splatter Shield on the toilet. Dash came into the bathroom and tried to go. When he couldn't, he removed the shield, almost as if it distracted him from doing his business.
It may take some getting used to; but Castillo worries about having to take the shield on and off when other family members need to use the bathroom.
"The idea is cool, but being practical, I don't think it would come in use for us," she admitted.
Lattanzi says thousands of other moms disagree. He's been selling The Splatter Shield online for about a year.
"They'll leave comments on Amazon or Etsy or any of the other places that I sell them on, and that makes your whole day." he said. The Splatter Shield costs $19.99 plus $4.99 shipping & handling.
Lattanzi is in Arkansas this week, pitching his product to Walmart in hopes the retail giant will sell it in stores across the country. We'll keep you posted on what happens with Lattanzi's pitch.