To put my 2 year old on his potty in a restaurant?

[Volodya]

I took 2yo ds and 7mo dd up to town yesterday. We're on week 2 of potty training ds. It's going fine but I still carry a potty everywhere I go.

I was planning to get us sandwiches for lunch and sit outside but it was raining so we ended up in a museum cafe at lunchtime. Of course I tried to put ds on the potty before we went in and of course he declined to do anything.

When we were about 15 minutes into the meal, both children in high chairs, everything liberally smeared with pasta bolognese and spinach puree, dd's buggy piled high with all her lunch detritus (cool bag, bits of rice cake, muslin, blah blah), ds announced that he needed his potty. That tends to mean that he needs it NOW.

So rather than clearing everything out of the buggy, strapping in spinach-covered dd, packing everything up, picking up bolognese-covered ds, and heading off to find out where the loos were, I simply whisked the potty under the table between ds's high chair and the buggy and popped him on, crouching down in front of him so that (I hoped) he was virtually hidden from view. (It was not a busy cafe and we weren't very close to any other tables).

Within about a minute and a half I was approached by the waiter asking if we could "transfer your son to the toilets", citing health and safety and saying that he'd already had a couple of complaints from other customers! I said that I didn't see how this could be done, with dd, buggy etc and ds already on the potty...! The waiter was v sympathetic and said he completely understood but that he was in a difficult position because of other customers' complaining. Fortunately the situation was resolved at that point by ds standing up to reveal a clean potty...

So WIBU to put him in the potty in the restaurant in that situation? (WIBU to leave my house on week 2 of potty training?!) How would you have handled this differently?

[moondog]

God ,what is wrong with you??
That is vile!!!!

[morningpaper]

what moondog said

[misdee]

YWBU

i would've justr scooped up both kids, left the bugy there, grabbed bag/valuables and potty and gone to the loos. and pointed out to the waiter/staff that you would be back in a second.

[DisenchantedPlusBump]

Oh my god

that is gross

sorry yes YABU!

Very!

Toilets were available,

it was a restaurant!

[charliecat]

Blergh. YABU.

[TheArmadillo]

you were definately being unreasonable.

In the middle of a resturant honestly, no matter how discreet you were that was still ewwww.

You are not unreasonable to leave the house, but maybe go somewhere where you can drop everything and rush to the toilet. Rather than inflict that on other diners. Take your own sandwiches perhaps?

Really not nice.

[Weegle]

YABU - defecating in a place where food is served?

You grab baby - give DS potty and go to the loo

[nickytwotimes]

Um, I wouldn't put my lo on a potty in a restaurant and I wouldn't like it if someone else did either.
I can see it wasn't a perfect situation, but still think it is bad manners.

[morningpaper]

yes

or ask a neighbouring customer to watch the baby

[expatinscotland]

Sorry, but I think YABU.

I have a 2-year-old and I'd have been pretty grossed out.

[CoteDAzur]

What moondog said.

[FrazzledFairyFay]

YABU. I am potty training at the moment, so I do understand the difficulties - but there is no excuse for excrement in an eating area.

[GordonTheGopher]

Gosh calm down you lot.

[naturalblonde]

Can kinda see both POVs. YANBU, as would have been impossible to get to toilets, but can also understand why other people complained.

Don't see what else you could have done though.

[smurfgirl]

Beyond grim.

[brimfull]

GROSS

if you're at that stage in potty training then better planning needed
don't go out for lunch unitl child able to hold it in a bit

[muggglewump]

Utterly minging.
YAB very very U

[chonky]

Grim.

YABU.

[GordonTheGopher]

Hang on what makes you lot think we're talking poo?

[nickytwotimes]

"....ther is no excuse for excrement in an eating area"

That has to be a contender for quote of the week.

[beansmum]

ew. not sure what I would have done though, just picked everyone up and tried to get to the toilet in time, and not worried too much if we didn't make it.

[expatinscotland]

Still minging no matter what IMO, Gopher.

I'd do what misdee posted - the scoop and run - telling the waiter where I'm headed.

[brimfull]

so was it a poo?

[morningpaper]

You ALWAYS need a Poo Plan when eating out with children

Better learn now

I usually drape a coat over a chair and spy friendly old ladies who will be useful for watching non-pooing child

[TheArmadillo]

whether poo or not that is gross.

And I expect the restuarant could have got into trouble health and safety wise by not asking them to stop.

She could have grabbed him, the baby and her handbag, or she could have not gone.

There are always other options (speaks one who has been potty training ds for a couple of months)