AIBU to think a seven-year-old going alone to restaurant toilets is unsafe?

Gosh, that sounds horrific!

maybe they go every week. Maybe they are comfortable that the child won’t get locked in cubicle etc who knows

There have been several cases of children being assaulted in supermarket and other toilets as pp have noted. Why on earth would you say it sounds made up?

There was an horrific case years ago of a girl assaulted in public toilets in a forest/park. And I remember the cases involving the male trans person in Scotland. I think those girls were around 10/12?

This happened at my local sainsburys a few years ago. A young child, cant remember if a boy or girl, was assaulted in the toilets by a trans"woman" which was actually a man😡

How the country's going at the moment I'll be taking my granddaughters to the toilet until they're 30 at least.

Anyone could be waiting in the cubicle waiting to attack. So, no. Sad to think but it does happen and is not worth the risk.

I’d consider a campsite no safer than a public loo.
Campsites are frequented by odd characters. Most harmless. But both my mother and myself were sexually assaulted or attempted at campsites in our youth.

There was a girl who was assaulted in a Morrisons too, 20 years ago. I think of her every time I use ours, just one of those stories that stuck with me. She was 11.

That doesn't mean that was what was best for you tho I'm sorry to say

Well I can't imagine how my dad would've been treated if he had come into the ladies with me.

Well I was in a pizza restaurant at lunchtime a couple of days ago with my grandchildren. I took my grandchildren to the loo and went into a cubicle with them as they are quite young. When we came out to wash our hands there were a couple of girls, aged about 6-8 without an adult. They were climbing on the counter surface where 3 sinks were. Their dirty footprints were all over the surface including the sink. I told them to get down and that they were making everything dirty. They told me that they couldn’t reach the tap from the floor. The sinks were very deep and the taps were at the back. So maybe you do need to go with your children. It is not just about whether your child can use the toilet but are they going to leave the toilet and sinks in a clean state for the people who follow.

My dc definitely managed the loo solo by 7. They go on their own at school by then. I'd only have taken them if I thought it was a particularly unsafe location. Restaurant toilets are fairly safe imo.

If people have a child of the opposite sex (I get in this case adult women might have been there) they sometimes worry about taking them to the toilet. I've heard of mum with kids younger than 7 get other women moaning when they take their sons to the toilet. After that 11 year old boy got attacked in the men's toilets alone, I can see your point about a 7 year old. Some say it's safer for a girl. I've known of women attacking other women in Ladies for fun on nights out, but never heard of it with a girl. Can't be sure it won't happen though.

Ladies loo with door in my line of vision - maybe. Not a chance if unisex/ mixed sex or if vibe suggests men may be present in ladies. Definitely not at all if location as OP describes.

Yes helicopter. I was at the park for hours at that age

If you were that concerned why not raise it with the parents?

Bloody hell, this is really frightening stuff! I’ve let my 5.5yo son go to the loos at the campsite alone throughout our holiday! I’m sure nothing happened to him but now I’m rethinking my parenting. Hopefully a nice family campsite is different to a restaurant or public loos, I wud not have let him go alone there so why did I think it was okay in the campsite? God id never forgive myself if he was ever assaulted.

I live near to there and remember this, Dd was 11 at the time and using loos on her own but I stopped that if they were out of site for a while, and told her and her friends to always go in together in our local town.

No. We are on holiday and I take mini blondes 9 to the toilet - even tho we know the area well in which ever restaurant we are in

yes unlikely a man or even a woman would follow /stop /abuse her

but it happens

and it’s not a risk I’m prepared to take at her age

Not a chance. Why risk it? Lazy parenting.

I don't think any one is suggesting they'll get lost

By that logic, would you let her walk home alone at 10pm because you so let her live in a hosie with her male parent? I mean you can argue statistics, but surely you make reasonable adjustments to increase her safety ever you can.

No I wouldn't have sent her alone op. I have boys so would have sent them together possibly if not with DH (eldest is 11) or the 6 yo would have come in the field with me. And no, I don't think I'm violating the line 7 yos space and putting her in danger by taking my gojg kids in with me.

Oh dear I have been letting mine go in on their own all holidays … 7 is about the age you can be confident they will manage the locks etc.

The thought of them being attacked is horrifying but this could still happen to a teenager or even an adult.

I think supermarket loos and service stations are a bit different from a restaurant though, in that they are busy anonymous places where someone could be hanging around specifically to target the loos. whereas in a restaurant they would presumably be dining there, so staff would have got a good look at them and they couldn’t rush off without paying the bill!

No.
I'd want to check they had flushed and washed their hands.
I went to a chinese buffet restaurant. 2 girls, about 7, came out of a cubicle, giggling. Left a turd in the loo and didn't wash their hands! Made me feel ill thinking of them touching all the serving spoons!
Doesn't matter how you bring them up. They can't be trusted to go on their own.

Maybe they have been there 100 times