Logistical question about potty trained kids

Paul and I just had this conversation and are a little overwhelmed at how to do this, so I am coming to the pros. This seems somewhat like a gender specific question.

When Paul takes the girls out on his own (which is frequently over the summers especially), how should he handle bathroom trips? He is completely skeeved out by the men's room at Target or Harris Teeter (the usual suspects on his shopping route) and says he can't imagine them in that bathroom. I can see Paul asking an older woman for help if he needed to in unusual circumstance, but that can't be his go-to solution. So... What to do? The girls are definitely not ready for independent potty trips (picture fishing them out of a toilet bowl or them washing their hands for an hour. Plus, they don't get on the toilet on their own yet).

 

Target has family bathrooms, usually around the pharmacy area. That said, dh has taken Annabella to the bathroom on his own, even when I'm around. It's just something you do! You could maye have a pottette potty in the car and have them go before they go into store, etc.

It will be awhile before my kids go solo to the bathroom. I just think the more he does it, the more comfortable he will be with it.

 

Yep, David's always taken the kids when necessary. And ever since pt'ing the twins, if daddy is around, they REFUSE to go with me. So he takes them pretty much all the time when we're out and about. Rarely he'll decide the bathroom is far too disgusting for Rylee and we have to force her to let me take her.

I also carry a potty seat around for them, I bought a little messenger bag that it fits into perfectly. I put it in a shopping bag in their in case there's a little pee on it so it doesn't make the bag itself smell, the shopping bag is easily changeable. Carried it with us into every.single.place we went. Not a huge deal, just one more bag to carry I did it with all 4 of my kids and it works fine, keeps them up off of nasty potty seats, and so they don't feel like they are falling into the big potty's.

 

Yeah, there's family bathrooms at a lot of places! And if they're still in a stroller you could always take a potty seat or something to help with the icks of public toilets. If we're on longer trips we take a potty in the back of the van and the boys can go in there.

Public washrooms are what made me teach the boys to pee standing up, btw. :bad:

 

If there's a parent or older sibling the same gender, my little ones usually go with them. If not, they go with whomever they're with. So the girls go in the men's room with daddy, spencer goes in the ladies room with me or Sage. Lots of places do have family bathrooms, which is nice. But lots still don't. We just make do. My kids don't go in a public restroom (other than ones that are a single locking room) by themselves until 8 or 9.

 

We have the porta-seat, too. Otherwise he can build the bridge with toilet paper.

When they get a little older (5ish), he can ask an employee to check on them. I did that for many a dad while I worked at a movie theater.

 

Yup, at places that has a family bathroom, that is where DH will take both kids. But if they are at a place and there is no family bathrooms & both kids have to go, he just takes them to a stall in the men's room.

 

I always took my boys into the ladies room with me. Just used a lot of hand sanitizer & baby wipes!

 

As PP's said, look into the portable potty. It is discreet and they can use it in the car if they have to go. That worked for us while they were young. But once they were really potty-trained, they demanded to go in the store's bathroom. We try to look for family bathrooms but if there are none, or if it is occupied, DH takes both DS and DD to the men's room. For us (our choice), it is not acceptable that someone else look after them in the bathroom.

 

I just let hubby take them. I don't think he's run into any problem so far. I really wish they'd be more thoughtful and just give men more stalls instead of urinals though. The kids are good about not going into dirty stalls, and we wash hands afterwards. We used the potette for a while, now they don't need them anymore.

 

I agree with the family bathroom, if possible. Hubby and I usually alternate who takes them potty if we are together, of course if he is alone, he takes them, regardless of how dirty the bathroom is. They did have a small spurt where they liked going to the bathroom alone in public places like walmart and I would just wait outside. But now they want someone with them again now. There is no way either of us would ever ask a stranger to take the kids to the bathroom.

 

I read these to Paul earlier when he called me and his response was "why can't they have family bathrooms everywhere? I don't want to expose my daughters to the filth that is the men's room!"

Poor, poor Paul... He'll probably take much of this advice to heart. He just has to rebel against the idea for awhile.

 

Ben is a bit of a germaphobe, too... I think he's thrilled that 99% of the time the boys don't have to sit in the men's room. :lol:

Side note- why is the men's room SO gross? I hear horror stories of feces everywhere regularly. I don't think men are doing that in their own homes, so what gives?

 

Seriously; do they turn feral when they're in a men only environment? Never mind, I already know the answer to that.