...to expect places catering for toddlers to have potties?

[LizziePizzie]

I have recently potty trained my DD (21 months) and I am at the constantly-carrying-around-a-potty stage at the moment. I have a potette that I take with me everywhere but that is not the point of this rant. Why do places that cater for LOs not supply their own potties? I am talking about play groups, soft play areas etc.

Some more modern public toilets have the mini toilets and adult toilets, but they are few and far between. I am not expecting all village halls, community centres, soft play areas to re plumb their toilets, but why is there not a potty in the toilet along with the changing table?

because people would steal them or not clean them

i'd rather take my own along and know it was going to be clean. and there

Because no one would clean them out properly and they would be horrid. Take a folding toilet seat instead

Good point!

Who is going to clean them?

YABU - well for a start, who is going to keep changing them/cleaning them? I can just imagine some stressed mum in a hurry, toddler does a big fat shit in the potty and off she goes leaving it there in all it's glory!

When I potty trained my DS I never took a potty anywhere with me, there was absolutely no need! I trained him to go from a nappy to the loo, didnt bother with potties at all. However , if you do use a potty there is no harm is there popping it under the buggy in a bag and using it if needed!

Even Ikea doesn't have potties most of the time. Can you image the state they would get in?

Soft play have one, but it's always disgusting.

Some playgroups do have them, but not all do. My dd uses the toilet but will only use it with a seat on it, so I have to bring a toilet seat everywhere to beon the safe side.

Hygiene?
You ABU

I'd hate to have dgc use a communal potty! Yuk!!!!

There is, quite randomly, a potty in the disabled toilet at the local supermarket. It is grim, and it is obviously seen as the job of the attendant to clean it once every so often.

Surely you can just plonk your child onto the seat of the regular loo?

Do these places have loos?

If somewhere has toilets then why would you need a potty? Either get a travel toilet seat thing or hold him on the toilet

Because it's one thing to clean a changing mat that might get the occasional mess on it. It's a totally other thing to clean a potty that is meant to catch pee and poo. Would you want that job? I certainly wouldn't have volunteered to run one of the local play groups if my responsibilities included cleaning up a public potty. YABVU.

She is too little, and as I said in my op that I do take a potette around with me everywhere.

I understand whewre people are coming from with the comments on hygine and who would clean it, but I have been in some pretty dyre places with dirty toilets and changing tables.

As for who would clean them, well if for example it is a soft play area, the responsibility of the owners to ensure all areas and equipment are cleaned at the end of the day, and the responsibility of the lastest user to leave the general toilet area in the manner of which they would have liked to find it. This includes changing tables and high chairs.

I can understand toddlers not wanting to use the toilet - I'm sure some are fine going from nappies to loos, but others, like mine, are scared of the big drop and the fact that they have to clutch on to something to stay on. But yes to everyone who has said about the yukness of communal potties. I think you just have to carry one around.

I personally wouldnt use a communal potty. In sure no one would clean it properly after they'd use it either because they cannot be bothered or there is no disinfectant available - as there will be lots of children nearby.
Folding seat cover is a good idea. My ds likes to wee standing up so I have to lift him to reach over the loo seat!

She's too little to use the loo, is that what you are saying?

So LizziePizzie, you would rather use a poo-streaked, urine covered public potty than either your own potty or a relatively clean full-sized toilet? Because that's the reality.

erm, sorry but why can't your DD use the toilet?

OP's DD is under 2 - she is too small to use a toilet.

Still, OP, yabu. Carrying a potty around is a small sliver of your life. The alternative, of looking at dirty potties in toilets every time you went if they were provided as a matter of course, would be much more inconvenient and unpleasant for everyone.

and why can't you bring your own potty with you if you know she cant use the toilet? surely you woudl prefer that she didn't have to sink her bum in other children's poo?

being under 2 does not automatocally make a child too small to use the toilet. my ds1 used a toilet with no issues well before he was 2.

Yabu, imagine the state the potty could get in. Urgh!

I used to take a portable toilet seat with me when dd was roundabout 2, it folded enough to put it in my bag. Made it much easier.

YABU

I wouldn't expect anywhere to supply a potty and to be honest I don't think I would like to use a communal one anyway.

Under 2 isn't too young to use a toilet. I put mine on the loo at that age on occassion and they managed fine. I also carried a potette around too for a while.

Under 2 isn't too small to use a loo.

Mine used loos as soon as they started potty training at 8.3 months lies a bit.