to use a disabled toilet if I've got the buggy?

[MrsHelsBels74]

Pretty much as the thread title says, if you're out in public & need to loo but can't fit the buggy into a normal cubicle is it acceptable to take the buggy into the disabled toilet? I'd never use a disabled parking space but did this today in desperation. So, is it ok or still a no-no?

ravenAK ok well what should I do with my 7 month old while I'm on the loo, leave him on the floor? Honestly, I don't believe you would do that either so just get off your high horse.

I suppose it depends on how usable the other 'public' bogs are really doesn't it?
I remember once at Liverpool St station it was a choice between the disabled bogs or a flight of stairs with a turnstile at the bottom, with a double buggy.
and I needed a pee badly. Of course if a genuine disabled person had been there i would have squirmed and writhed and let them go first, but as it happened they were deserted ...except for a cleaner who came and yelled 'YOU AIN'T DISABLED LUV' at me....

and by urgent I mean you cannot wait, or literally are in a proper state about it and yes, that can include someone with a young baby and no reasonable means of using the other toilets.
It's a bit subjective though as to the exact requirements.

I'm quite shocked that some people on this thread would prefer a mother to leave a baby alone in a buggy, with shopping, or put said baby on the floor.

I am not a mother, nor disabled. I have disabled friends, as well as mother friends. So I am not biased at all.

But it sounds ludicrous to me.

And in a lot of cases the disabled toilet doubles as the baby changing loo. So you'd have to wait in that case anyway so what difference does it make?

I think some people are being purposely obtuse on this thread, as it's an emotive subject. A bit of common sense is all it takes really. There's a disabled toilet unoccupied, if it means a baby being safe then there is no problem that toilet being used. You can't live on 'what ifs'.

And talking about disabled children who need to go at once, well what if it's already occupied - by a fellow disabled person?

And don't come the 'we fought for these things', yes of course and it's brilliant and deserved, but I wouldn't deny someone in need on that basis.

Equality for all yes? Why not give the mother a chance to be able to use the toilet just like you want.

Well, I always held mine in one arm & yanked my pants down with the other hand, nightowl.

I did find it easier when I left the horse outside mind you. Tied up to the trolley....

Love a bit of Trago Mills. DS wees and poos everywhere with impunity. Ah well. Is NT, just deeply lazy. Poo is poo, wee is wee. It is horrid to deal with accidents regardless. Would ask to jump queue in ladies for DS tbh or whip the potty out to make a point.

But it is not equality of access - the mother can use the other toilets, the person with disabilities (who is an actual person, with feelings) cannot.

i said this earlier but i just put the pushchair right outside the cubicle door and go to the loo, leaving baby in pushchair, older walking toddler or pre-school age child squeezes in toilet cubicle with me. by say age 5? the children van stand outside the cubicle whilst i go to the toilet.

slings for babies or in pram outside the cubicle, have done it with all five. did it today with dd(23mths) she sits strapped in pushchair whilst i nip into toilet.

if i am organised i go to the library which has a big parent and child toilet or mothercare has one big enough as do john lewis or m&s in my town centre so plenty of options for parents, not so many for those with disabilities :(

Alone in a buggy the other side of a door, more than close enough you can still talk to the baby. Or even in the cubicle with you without shutting the door. It's surely not that hard to do?

If it's occupied by a disabled person... he still pisses.
Bit like when the housing association cut off our water after a leak and didn't restore the supply, DS2 smeared shit everywhere.

No concept of the effect on others.

That's just the way it is.

ravenAK

I'm not sure which loos you lot are using whilst your out shopping but there's no fecking way I'd be leaving my hypothetical baby in it's pram outside the cublicle.

And in MANY toilets the cubicles are facing each other, making it impossible for the pram to be right outside.

Funny how many of the people on here would have a problem with children being left unattended in other situations, but not in this one

Pre kids disabilities becoming apparent, when DS1 was a 'normal' baby I took him out of whatever he was in and took him in the cubicle with me.

Did everything one handed. Made sure mooncup was empty before I went and wouldn't need to do anything necessitating two hands.

By the time DS2 was born it was clear DS1 couldn't cope with being in the ladies (hand dryers freak him out) so we were in posession of a RADAR key then anyway.

Loving Ghostship total crush on appliance of logic.

sirzy that is exactly what i have always done!! i dont see the problem with that?

Whenever you experience poor toilet planning, you can make a comment about it btw, sometimes that can be the start of things changing. I always point things out if they haven't been spotted and most places will make an effort to listen to their patrons.

Well Crashdoll, i suppose if there were not toilets available that i could fit into then i would campaign for some too or i wouldn't go out (i'm not shy tho, so i have also left the cubicle door open to see the baby when a smaller cubicle is available). I also have used the mens if the queue for the ladies is massive and the alternative is soiling myself.

I don't think it is fair to expect someone to wet themselves when a toilet is available, on the off chance someone else may need it.

I used to use the disabled toilets if I had the pushchair with me. I was always in and out quickly, and not once did I see a disabled person using it. Whats the point in struggling with a pushchair into a small toilet, getting in everyones way and taking twice the time to use the toilet when there is a perfectly good toilet there with more space. More often than not they shove the baby change station in the disabled toilets anyway. I would never dream of using it if there was a disabled person waiting to use it, they would take priority every time. I think its a judgement call.

All those who say the disabled people take priority - what do you do stop mid wee and let them in?

I don't see anyone on here telling people what to do with their children GhostShip, (well except the person who reckons equality means disabled children should be allowed to wet themselves and wait in a queue for the toilet like NT children), I just see debate about whether a disabled toilet is purely for disabled people or whether it is for all. And most responses have been that it's not too much of a problem most of the time to nip in and use them, but there is a definite issue that needs to be addressed because sometimes disabled people cannot get access to accessible toilets due to them being accessed by other people, particularly queues of mums with prams.

I used the disabled loo (which is also baby changing room and also has a curtained off area with chair which i can only assume is for BFing) in morrisons on thursday to be sick

im pg and have HG (so am sick pretty much all the time)

it was the closet loo, and i had a choice between vomit in the disabled toilet or on the floor...
Yes i chose the toilet and would (and almost certainly will) do the same again.

and i wont apologise for it either, and i would expect anyone else in the same situation to do the same.

It's just a shame in your case nannyl that p&c provision happened to be thrown in with disabled.

That shouldn't really happen. That's down to Mozzas, not you.

Perhaps it is time to start a campaign to get the baby changing provision removed from the disabled loos and put elsewhere. I can't think why anyone would like to bf their baby in a toilet.

I don't expect people to be apologetic about needing the toilet, I am just trying to put across the other side. I think temporary illness is just as disabling as long term illness or disability, so would certainly never grudge anyone the use of a toilet. It would be nice to have somewhere for buggies separate from the accessible toilet, just to avoid the scenario where there are queues for the changing table and space within and someone disabled needs to use it..

Fucking hell! How many more times does it have to be said? How do you know that there isn't a diasbled person waiting to use the toilet, if you are inside with the door shut?