To whip the potty out in the street?

[slatternlymother]

This hasn't happened yet. We have just started potty training DS. So far, it seems to be 'I need the potty mummy' and I've got about 10 seconds. I'm sure that most of the time, we'll be able to use public/customer loos NO PROBLEM, and I'll make sure he goes before we leave etc.

BUT. What if we're in the street and no where near a public loo? Is it ok to whip out the potty and let him go?

I'm sure this wont occur too often; the park, soft play, pool, restaurants we frequent all have loos we can run into and be private.

I know if I saw a parent letting their child use a potty in the highstreet where there aren't any loos nearby, I'd not judge. But my standards have dropped a lot since DS!

Opinions and/or solutions please!

It's been a while since potty training, but with my ds I taught him to wee standing up almost straight away so wee's were never a problem out and about.

IMO it is fine if you are suitably discreet

My dd was frequently dangled over gutters/drains and rushed into bushes when she was potty training - to the point where I have trouble insisting that it's not really acceptable now she's 6...
Lots of shops/cafes etc will let a hopping child use their facilities if you are caught short and prefer privacy.
Try not to stress about wet pants/trousers - just resign yourself to carrying several spares with you for a good while - good luck

Yes, it's absolutely fine to do this IMO. I've got the portable potty out all over the place, in the high street, by the side of a main road, in the park.
And I think that they get more control after a few weeks of practice so this stage passes quite quickly. Before long he will perhaps be able to wait for 5 or 10 minutes until you can find a toilet.

Oh brilliant! I thought I was going to get cats bum mouths and people telling me I should just let him wet himself until I could change him! People get so funny about this stuff!

You may well get a bit of that - but you have MN approval to see you through

What if old ladies tut at me and stuff? Do I ignore or tell them to leave us alone?

I think as I say above that discretion is key. So... Not in the middle of Clarks but behind a tree/fence.

As long as its not in the middle of the pavement then it's fine. Just be as discrete as possible

Oh yes tigress! I'd always attempt to nip down a side street, of course

I thought this was going to be a rant about me! Dd is potty training and we are having a bit of a regression recently so I was really anxious about going to London today- took a million changes of clothes with me and was the annoying mother constantly asking her child if she needed the loo. The result has been a dry day!!!! However, I did have to use the potty in 2 less than ideal places- 1st on the train, the loo was broken, I hid her as best I could and 2nd walking home she actually told me she needed the loo (a major breakthrough) and was tugging at the potty so again we stopped in a little corner, as private as possible. I'm not sure if anyone even noticed but I was very worried about receiving disapproving glares!

Go for it ! I did.

If old ladies tut at you ask if they would like a closer look :)

I think it's fine - for your own sake and your DC's you will tend to be as discreet as possible - it's not like a responsible adult taking a pee in the street, is it.

Go ahead!

mrsX - DD1 also went in her portable potty on the train once when we first started potty training. Discretion is he key .

She's also been in the street/gutter/grassy bit of playground/beside the tree etc. You can't always find a toilet and toddlers don't/can't always hold on for so long. I do try to be as discreet as possible.

Yep, fine (cos I do it!) My auntie had DD for me a few weeks ago and they popped into town. When I put the pushchair in the car afterwards I found a potty of wee in the basket underneath [boggles] She'd been caught short in a shop and DA couldn't empty at the time, then forgot

Personally I think it's pretty horrid taking an actual potty out with you. I was on a crowded bus recently in peak am hour and a woman had one hanging off her stroller like you would an umbrella. People were trying to keep their distance, but one poor woman accidentally leaned into it with her back and bag as the bus went around the corner. I was trying to keep my children away from leaning accidentally into it too. There's just so many bugs around do we really need potties in our faces adding to it?.

And I'm not a grumpy mother whose out of the toilet training stages and forgotten what it's like- I'm in the middle of toilet traing DS. Flame me if you must I don't care (what wrong with a little wee behind a discrete tree)

I think as long as you are discreet and you use public loos instead wherever possible then it's fine. I have a portable potty that comes in a carry case for DS so it isn't swinging in people's faces though! The middle bit is a plastic bag with a big cotton wool pad in it so I just tue up and throw it away - no wee sloshing around while we find a loo!

For boys it is so much easier. I let mine do it in some parks, for example.

However, he should be able to hold it for a while and he should also be able to do a wee if asked after a while.
So that if you take him to the toilet at regular intervals, he should be fine.

so long as you aren't going to wee on it yourself, go ahead.

once they learn to wee 'al fresco' it gets much easier. also, when they can do a request performance , you can get them empty before you go out - much easier.

That sounds great peasant wish bus lady had one of them!

Thought I'd found a nice discrete place at the end of South Ken tube station today. It was until the District Line train trundled in behind us. Doh.

I only read about things like this on MN. To date I have yet to see someone whip their Dd's trousers off and make them go in the gutter or side of the road.

Erm.... Ok.

"If old ladies tut at you ask if they would like a closer look"

Because of course it's only old ladies who tut about this sort of thing. Not young, dynamic mumsnetters, oh no!