to let my newly potty trained son use public toilets?

[waitingforbedtime]

My son is 2yrs 9 months old. He has been out of nappies for almost 2 months. Whislt he often uses a potty in the house as opposed to the toilet he will pee in the bushes etc at the park or wherever and if we are at the shops I just let him use the public toilets and have never used a travel potty.

My friend thinks I am cruel and subjecting him to germs and she takes a travel potty everywhere for her 3 year old. On the odd occasion he has had to use a public toilet she has made him 'hover' (not helpful imo) and then wiped him down with wipes where any of his skin may have come into contact with the loo and also used that no water hand gel stuff on his hands.

Am I being lax in letting my son use public loos (he sits down to wee) and then just wash his hands in the sinks before carrying on as normal? My son has (touch wood) never had a tummy bug and my friend thinks I am asking for him to get one by doing this.

TIA

[Lonicera]

She is weird, you are normal

[ArghhhhmazingBouncingSpider]

Yanbu. im the opposite to your friend my DS has never used a potty apart from the 1st couple of weeks toilet training. After that it was the toilet al the time regardless of where we were. Much easier IMO.

[purepurple]

YANBU
People who carry a potty around are just plain daft.
I'll admit, public toilets are not always nice, but your friend is a bit extreme.
Surely it is better to be exposed to germs in order to build up a resistance than never be exposed and have no immunity?
Also, how long can she possibly keep this up for?
Until he is 18? [grin}

[TheCrackFox]

YANBU. Who on Earth would want to take a potty/potette out with them if they could get their DCs to use a loo?

So long as he washes his hands afterwards it is fine.

Your friend is barking.

[Tombliboobs]

YANBU

Is she going to keep the portable potty with her till her daughter leaves home at 18?

[BooingTheBestICan]

I let me ds use the public toilets,much better then carrying a potty tbh,if he just wants a pee i let him stand up & he doesnt have to touch the seat.

So long as he washes his hands well whats the problem?

TBH there are probably more germs on the door handle to get out then on the actual toilet seat.

[FimbleHobbs]

It's never occured to me not to let dc use public toilets. Your friend sounds a bit over anxious tbh. Plus why create extra work for yourself by taking potty everywhere? Yanbu.

[Tombliboobs]

x-posts with pure purple!

[purepurple]

tombliboobs, you speak a lot of sense

[mumeeee]

YANBU. Your friend is being over the top. Some toilets might not be very nice but you just have to get on and use them. What happens when her 3 year old is at nursery?

[purepurple]

Thinking about it more, your friend is well on the way to giving her DS hang-ups and serious problems about toileting and personal hygiene issues.

[mummygirl]

YANBU, your friend it OTT, but I do use those toilet seat covers for my los to use public toilets. I'm not germ-phobic, but the thought that the woman who was in there before me may have hovered (or made her toddler hover) and therefore "dribbled" on the toilet seat and then just wiped it down.... [shudder] ...or not in some cases.

Now, nobody would have this problem if nobody bloody hovered, right?

there has actually been a study about STDs and public toilets with no connection found

[GoldenSnitch]

I had to use a Potette with my DS at first because he was scared of falling down big toilets!

Now he's happier using a normal toilet, we don't use it as much but it definitely helped at first...and I certainly didn't mind that he didn't have to sit on a mucky public loo seat (especially as he tends to hold onto the seat on both sides with his hands!) - but then my Mum was a 'hover-er' so maybe I've picked that up from her?

[waitingforbedtime]

Thanks guys, glad Im not being lax!!!

Booing and others - he isnt allowed to touch the door handles, taps or anything else either!!!

He doesnt go to nursery yet, starts next year.

Thanks guys!! I do see a lot of mums with pottys under the buggys so wondered if I was alone in not doing that! x

[hanaboo]

i never took a potty anywhere, thought it looked kinda strange lol and anyway they have to get used to using toilets in the end, so why prolong it...
on the other hand, i'm a hoverer and i've taught my dd that anytime i'm not there to 'hover her' that she must cover the seat in as much tissue as she possibly can before she sits on ANY toilet other than ours at home..
and obviously scrub her hands with soap afterwards
so kind of in the both camps here

[crokky]

There are public toilets and public toilets.

I allow my 3yo to use certain ones, but not others. Nursery toilets obviously fine, also fine are swimming pool toilets and that sort of thing.

In a public park near me, there is grafitti all over the toilets, ripped off doors etc etc. NO WAY am I letting my DS use them - I'd be afraid to use them myself.

I often carry a potty round (keep one in the car) as I sometimes need to pull over so DS can wee (when driving, you can't just find toilets at will!). I sometimes have one in the buggy - what if you aren't sure where toilets are and you have a 3yo and 1yo to manage? Just sensible to carry one IMO.

Children are notorious for putting their hands all over toilets when they use them - my DS does and I also caught him taking a close look down ours today with his face through the toilet seat!! I don't think your friend is being silly btw.

[JackBauWooohooohoowaaer]

I do take a potty with me as DD1 has a nasty habit of needing the loo with very little warning. But given the choice I would rather she used the public loo.
It's more unhygeinic to use a potty anyway as you can't wash your hands properly afterwards!

[zebramummy]

i understand your friend actually - public toilets can be FILTHY and beyond lining with toilet paper. i will never forget the one in Hyde Park last year - there was a SEA of thick gloopy poo along the entire back area behind the sea and no poo inside the toilet itself - if i were the janitor i would have RESIGNED on the spot. i will take a small potty until ds is happy to wee standing up

[zebramummy]

"behind the seaT"

[Feelingoptimistic]

You are not unreasonable.
When DD was first potty trained I used to carry a travel potty with me, but only because there are not many public toilets in London. But I always used a toiler if there was one available.
I always have wipes with me, so I just give the seat a wipe before DD sits down.

And people who HOVER really, really annoy me because they are the ones responsible for making toilers dirty !!!!!!!

[slowreadingprogress]

How bizarre not to think of using public loos! Carting a potty around for a kid is far more gross. I know this may need to be done for a short time during potty training but this is to cover a short period while they are still learning the bladder control needed etc not as an on-going thing.

I mean, I am a protective mum but it has never occured to me that DS is too precious even to use a public loo

[GhoulishFan]

ds never used a potty - he simply refused, so I just trained him from the loo straight off

she's a bit strange!

[islandofsodor]

How strange unless she is regurlaly in an area where the public loos are gross.

I did use a portable potty (one of those with the disposable liner thingy) for my two but only because we were often in places where there were no nearby public loos.