...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?

But she was light enough to comfortably hold over the toilet.

some pretty dyre (?) places with dirty toilets and changing tables.

Well there's your answer really. How much more hygienic would a communal potty be in an environment that can't even keep the toilets and changing tables clean?

I'm not paranoid about disinfecting the outside world but for sure, I'd far rather my child used a potty that came from home. As my grandmother used to say "You know where it has been"!

To be honest, even in pristine facilities, I can see staff being distinctly reluctant to add potty cleaning to their other tasks. Especially if those tasks involve food preparation.

So yes, YABU.

I can't believe that you think it's fair to expect an employee working in a soft play area to clean potties.

To be honest I am always just grateful that there is a public toilet available, that is clean enough to sit on.

I just love the assumption that I would happily use a "poo-streaked, urine covered public potty" :o

I repeat - I take my potette around with me and use it.

And again I would like to reiterate the point that I am talking about toddler groups and soft play areas, not the local public toilets in the shopping centre!

And she is too small to use an adult toilet!

She also doesn't like it when i hold her over the toilet.

OK - I pose another question - why don't soft play areas, toddler groups etc etc not supply toddler toilet seats and steps? My whole issue is going somwhere catering for toddlers but not in the toilet department.

the answers will still be the same from me, they would get stolen or not be clean

And last question - how many of you would leave a potty in a bad state after use, if there were communal potties?

how many of us have had our DCs use the potty/toilet and then get distracted by DC running off..?
you can go back to your dirty potty in your own house and clean it later, meanwhile at the soft play centre another child needs to use the one you've just used....

I used to carry a toilet seat adaptor. Easier to carry (more or less) and not much cleaning required.

my playgroup has toddler toilet seats and potties, and they are usually clean during the session (presumably parents wipe them with wetwipes after use? then wash hands? not difficult). They then get washed, wiped down and then put in the dishwasher after the mugs have finished at the end of each session, so they are sterilised twice a week.

I don't see the problem really. Toilets get disgusting when people are squeamish about cleaning up wee and poo. it's not hard to do, and not unhygenic if you wash your hands well afterwards!

On the couple of occasions they've had a bit of wee still in them, or something when i've come to use them with DS then i've wiped them before using them, and washed my hands afterwards. Just as i would an adult toilet that was dirty. Adult toilets get filthy from people hovering above them and making more of a mess rather than cleaning them before and after use.

and some kids prefer a potty to a toilet. Helps them be more independant when they've toilet trained before they are tall enough to climb up onto a big toilet

And last question - how many of you would leave a potty in a bad state after use, if there were communal potties?

The same people who have no problem leaving public toilets in a deplorable state I expect. Because they do despite the fact that I doubt they treat their own bathrooms with such contempt.

I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect (or even demand) access to clean toilets and changing facilities in places like playgroups but equally, you've got to be realistic about your own child's needs and if that means taking a potty around so be it. I still think it is preferable to some sort of communal potty.

OP our Potette thingy is a toilet seat adaptor as well

I dont like the concept of potties either. They are grim. Emptying them, and cleaning them is a grim job. Not one I would be keen to do with a toddler keen to get back to play, and possibly another sibling around somewhere either.

I carried around a folding toddler seat to pop on top of the toilet. It had its own bag, and was padded, so really cushy to sit on too.

But I do agree that softplay, and other places especially designed for toddlers should have toddler seat attachment on the loo, and a step.

No child is too small to be sat and held on the loo imho. Both of mine did it from 2.2 and small for age, and dniece did it from 18 months. All used potties at home.

To be honest I prefer places not to provide potties as dd2 (now 2.8) insists on using them then I have to somehow clean them as best I can with a bit of loo paper and no antibac spray

ewwww yes, yes yabu!

do you really expect staff to clean out a potty every few minutes after each use?
or would parents have to do that themselves? or use a dirty potty?

have you even thought of the logistics of this?

my 3 all refused point blank to use a potty so went straight on the toilet. when we were out I sat them on a normal toilet but held them up so they didn't fall down.

Dappply. The notion of putting a potty in the dishwasher has honestly never crossed my mind. Do people really do this? Thank God we're passed the potty stage, I have just spent far too long pondering that one...

playgroups and play centres can be just as full as germs as a public loo op its still YUK

OMFG!!!!

you go to a playgroup that puts potties in the dishwasher? and then you give people tea and coffee in mugs that have also gone through?

that has to be one of the most repulsive things I have read on here (after shitty boots in the dishwasher)

seriously, you would be shut down if environmental health came round and foudn you doing that.

an already washed and wiped potty, on it's own. what is the problem with that. things that have come into contact with poo and wee will become clean again if washed you know. and a dishwasher washes hot enough to steralise. calm down dear

YABU, what a revolting suggestion!