Boys going to the gents by themselves what age?

My twins have just turned 7, I think they will be ready within the year to pop in a public toilet without me. My main worry is their consistency in flushing and leaving it in a decent state!

DS is just 8 and has been going by himself for about a year.
We live in a small town and spend most of our time here. When we do go somewhere new, we always go with him the first time, and often prompt him to come along with us when we go anyways, but he's a smart, mature kid. If he is longer than he should be I go after him, plus we usually position ourselves near the toilets anyways.

My son is 7 and I wouldn't let him go to men's loos by himself.
Not sure when I'll let him but it is likely to depend on the toilet set up at a particular venue.

My youngest is 5 and at least 50% of the time he wants to go by himself. I let him in quieter places and some busier places when he's with his older brother. I always wait outside.

Once they started school.

I tell mine to use the cubicle,I'm a worrier though,I don't know if he does.

Surprised so many would allow a 7 year old to go into the men's alone I don't even let my 7 year old daughter to go the toilet alone!

@ohapal in school they also aren't allowed in those facilities with the girls... they are supposed to be separate.

There sometimes is a gap between where it is safe to be unsupervised and where its appropriate to be in opposite sex facilities. Toilets are generally less of an issue due to cubicles however as long as the female carer supervises their child fully.

DS is 9.5, and started going in by himself if we’re out together, but I hover outside and he’s under strict instructions not to speak to anyone in there. It’s only usually in restaurants, the library, costa etc (which is usually only 1 toilet so easier) I wouldn’t let him in a public gents toilet by himself unless he was desperate

Personally, I avoided this for my DS until he was much older than 8. My mum was always terrified of my DBs and then in turn my DS going into men's toilets because there had been a rape of a young boy in a local men's toilet when I was a kid.

I tried to arrange stuff such that public toilets weren't needed.

For swimming, we generally got changed at home and just put one of those long toweling hoodies over with crocs so that they could be taken on and off at the poolside and there was no need to use the changing rooms.

I honestly have no understanding of why it's OK to send an 8yo into a men's toilet alone where they are going to get their privates out to pee (or changing rooms when they are going to get naked) - when considered in the context of safeguarding at school where nobody is even allowed in the premises without a visitor badge and an accompanying staff member. It makes no sense at all to me - it's like the public toilet thing and the school safeguarding thing are in 2 different worlds.

I think around 8 for.my DS.

DS started asking to go by himself about a year ago at 8. I still hang right by the door.

About that age, with me hovering and yelling if it took too long (like it did once in McDonalds, and the cleaner scoped it out for me and let me go in there to rescue him (he'd got himself in a bit of a state because the cubicle was broken and he'd dangled his trousers on the floor and they'd got wet - he exited wearing my cardigan as trousers!)

Luckily I have 2 boys, so they generally get sent in together.

Between 5 and 10 depending on the toilet.

A toilet at a softplay type place where everyone is with kids and you can lurk right outside the door, from 5 is fine.

In a central London underground type one where you need to go through a barrier etc., not until 9/10.

Generally, though I would listen to the child. If he's ready to start going by himself I would honour that wherever possible.

Eldest was 8 and then from age 6 onwards if they were with an elder brother. And yes I used to hover outside and - on occasion- coopted a passing bloke to shout them for me (on one occasion ds3 had got stuck in a cubicle and ds1 was trying to get him out).

There's absolutely no way I'm letting my six year old go in a busy gents by himself. He's only just started going in the cubicle in the ladies by himself and then standing outside while I go (because I've only just started trusting him not to wander off).

We'll work from there and he'll go in the gents around 8 I guess, depending on how sensible he is by then.

Mine was really young as he was insistent and wouldn’t go to the ladies. It was fine.

People taking boys over 6 or 7 into the ladies toilet is weird and inappropriate.

@Scrubberdubber same here. ds not getting raped is my priority. (Although "safe" loos ive been letting him use since age 6, so our health club, kid friendly restaurants etx, altho i will always keep thr door open with my arm and shout it)

I got told on another thread a while ago that it's unacceptable for boys (boys as in male children) to be in the female toilets because a lady may feel uncomfortable.
Sorry to say but I care more about my son's safety than someone feeling "uncomfortable" some of these zealots seem to have no idea of the things that could happen if a child was sent into the men's toilet alone.

I used the pool changing room rule of 8. I gradually got DS used to it from 7.

My son is 6.5 and likes to go to the men’s loos now. I allow it in smaller places or safer places and I wait outside but I wouldn’t let him in a large or busy place just yet

Ask his dad if there's any toilets to avoid (cleanliness, people hanging around etc) and then use your common sense.

Plus if the situation does mean you ate using the ladies for a few more years, supervise hi. To make sure there's no silliness that might make similarly age girls uncomfortable

7-8 here. The busier the place, The closer I would stand to the entrance (and make myself known with a call through the door if he was taking a little too long).

Around 7/8, with me hovering outside the door. You have to cut the apron strings sometime and DS preferred it because it was usually much quicker in busy places than queuing for the ladies with me!

When my son used the gents on his own, I used to call out to him from the door and ask him if anyone else was in there. He used to say yes or no. That way, anybody else inside knew he was being supervised.