Boys going to the gents by themselves what age?

Well in that case, maybe we should just send boy children into the gents alone as toddlers? After all, a 2 year old is still a boy and has a penis just as much as a 7 year old.

What age do you think boys should be banned from the ladies?

This seems like a sensible approach. I' have a health condition that means I have a (legit) radar key. I would rather take him in with me (chances are I need it) than send him alone to the gehts. But he is 6.

This is good to hear. You’d think it was the second circle of hell by the fear on here

It was probably about 5 when my son started going to toilets in cafes etc by himself, and about the same age when I stopped taking his younger sister into the gents and letting her go to the ladies on her own (I’m their father so I guess I know the gents toilets aren’t a scary dangerous place!)

I agree, but think neither is appropriate

I would just continue with him using the disabled toilet, he is a vulnerable child.

To be saying you can’t let your 7/8 year old boy going to the toilets for boys and men is weird.

Girls and women go to the ladies. Boys and men to the gents

it’s not a hotbed of child abduction and assault. It’s a toilet. Bad things happen everywhere. But rarely in this scenario.

Not the point of the thread but its such a strange culture we live in that its acceptable for a grown adult male in a wig to use the women's toilet but an 8 year old accompanied by his mother is deemed inappropriate.

Around 8yo (though he probably looked younger, he's small) but I would wait right by the entrance.
Now he's 10 so I'm usually in the ladies' myself - but if it's especially quiet I'll still wait by the men's just in case.

You think it's weird to take a 7 year old into the ladies?

Why?

I take my DGS8 into town and if he needs the loo we go into John Lewis, not use the public loos. He goes into the gents alone but I assure him I am right by the entrance and I will come in for him if I hear his voice, or if he takes a worryingly long time (he won’t normally poo away from home).

It depends on the location, 7 or 8 mine refused to go to the ladies. However some places..like the airport I take them to the ladies.

It’s totally weird

What age is “male children” though? That is the debate. At what point in your mind does a male child become a male adult for toileting purposes? 12? 14? 18? Because if you think allowing a 17 year old male “child” into the women’s toilets is fine then you’re crazy. It’s totally inappropriate.
What do you think happens to a person between the day they are 17 and the next day they are 18? Nothing happens. Which is why parents should be slowly getting their male children used to the men’s toilets while they are still children. Thankfully most male children will be totally embarrassed to be dragged into the women’s toilets by age 13 despite still being “children”.

It’s also very situation dependent. A mother may think it’s safer for her 6ft male 15 year old in a hoody to be in the women’s toilets at 1am in a quiet service station. But then it’s not fine for any other women who walk in to come face to face with him because he’s just standing there waiting for his mum.

There’s nothing wrong with sending a 9 year old into a pizza express toilet for example where you can see who is going in and out. In the service station late at night I would agree to bring them into the women’s. So it all depends on the situation. But there still has to be an age where they need to be in the mens and mens only.

This^

Ds is really big and tall for his age so I imagine that by the time he's 6ish he'll look older than he actually is so I do worry other women won't be happy with him in the ladies loos with me earlier than other children. But then I think about children with additional needs or vulnerabilities who might need that support for a bit longer as well. Parents have to be able to choose what's the safest option for their kids at the end of the day and that depends on the individual child.

That makes no sense to me at all.

Any of my dc could have done that at 3 or 4 years old.

And by the time they've 'stopped counting' and you get in therr they could have been flashed, pissed on, touched or worse then it's somewhat too late.

7?! No way. Not even 8. It’s neither weird or inappropriate to take your 7/8 year old son into the women’s toilets. Especially not in a world where there are men in there anyway!

Advice from an FBI agent years ago on Oprah, when your son is old enough to count audibly to you outside, "Ok Mum, 1 2 3......". That way he can't be talking to someone else in the loos and anyone in there knows he's not alone. If his counting stops you go in and get him.

The risk of something happening is small but not impossible but the result would be devastating.

There have been two cases in my area over the years where children have been assaulted in public toilets...those are just the ones I remember reading about

Your child is extremely unlikely to be assaulted by a stranger in a public toilet. Its much more likely they will be abused by someone who has built up a relationship of trust with then. Telling them to use a cubicle does not sound safer to me, as at least the urinals are a public space where someone could walk in at any time.

No one would think it was safe for a female child to go alone into a mens toilet...so why would a male child be any safer?

Obviously, as they get older it's no longer appropriate for a boy to be in the women's toilet... usually about 9/10...but I'd still be very cautious and hover around, make it known you're right outside.

DS is 9 and goes into the men's while I loiter right outside. I don't it is fair to girls his age for him to be using the ladies toilets

This is unhinged

Boys not in male toilets until secondary school. The mind boggles

Oldest ds was 8, youngest stopped being willing to go into the ladies when younger so about 7 I think.

I'm more relaxed in sodt play, pizza express etc than more anonymous places like service stations. Anywhere past a big barrier like train stations and I'd still be reluctant now, but would send them together (10 and 8).

I think it's tricky and does make me worry. As a woman I'd have no problem boys going in the ladies up to about 12 as its all cubicles anyway, it's just my ds's refuse the ladies now.