to think children shouldn't wee behind my car and that you should carry a tub or something

[riskit4abiskit]

On car park as I type. Family next to my car just got back. Little girl just had wee on floor behind and between both cars (I was just getting out and the dangly bits of my sling nearly went in it).

AIBU To think that you would carry around potty, jar or tub for this purpose when your child was this age (under 4ish).

I might be U because I have a baby so have no experience of this stage. Also it is the hospital car park I am thinking they might be stressed from visiting an ill relative.

but... there are toilets next to us in the building on one side, and also a wide vergey bit with trees and a wall - in this situation I would use the verge or a tub.

I am posting from interest really to see what people would do ready for when my dc reach this stage!

How would you rinse out the potty anyway? Or are you supposed to just carry a wee-crusted potty around forever?

What if you don't have a car? Keep it in the bag with the food shopping? Under the buggy with the coats? Tied to the end of your sling?

Surely disposable potty liners (or worse a takeaway container that you throw away after one wee) are horrendous for the environment compared to just letting your child wee on the actual ground.

Actually I do think its a good idea to carry a portable potty around.

We went to a nature reserve at the weekend in the middle of nowhere and my DD (7) was caught short. Travel potty in between car doors meant she wasn't upset and we took the bag away with us meaning there was nothing left to cause any sort of problems to anyone.

Penelope rule of thumb, anywhere that you'd let a dog wee, is generally OK for a little child.

Indoors - never.

Middle of a field - yes.

Granny's prized begonias - no.

Up against a wall/lamppost - probably OK

On the window display of a shop or your neighbour's front door - no.

Middle of your own lawn - well, personal preference really, some people don't care, some would keep a potty in the garden or expect DC to go indoors.

Well the difference between peeing outdoors and peeing in John Lewis shouldn't really have to be explained. Even cats and dogs know to do it outdoors.

I have no objections to toddlers peeing outdoors. It happens. Better on the ground than all over their clothes and you have to change them in full view of people. Although I do remember being a bit when my PILs told ds to 'wash the car wheel' when he had an emergency. At least it was their car.

When dd was small, I had the Tommee Tiptree version of this it's got an absorbsent liner inside - found it really excellent.

Obviously made sure we 'went' before outings and never went out very long at uncertain potty training stage - but good for use in emergencies and on long journeys

YABU, leave the kids alone.

If you really want to moan tell it to the dog owners who take their dog out for the purpose of pissing/shitting in the street.

absorbent

I turned 'round at the zoo the other day to see my 3 year old's little bottom as he happily wee'd in the bush. Very embarrassing but unavoidable sadly. It was also funny. To us.

YABU, if you want to carry around a pot or potty then go for it, but I think most of us agree that we had enough to carry around at that age!
Anyway, maybe the family did normally carry a potty in the boot and they'd taken it out to wash it and forgotten to put it back in?

There have been times as an adult I wished Id had a potty for my own purposes.

YABU. If you were talking about a fully grown woman, I might feel differently.

Ok I was being unreasonable. You live and learn, particularly when small children are involved.At least I know I could do this with mine in an emergency in the future without breaking any social conventions!

Ok I was thinking more of being in public I think rather than whether in or out of doors! Am genuinely trying to get this straight in my head as surely a newly potty trained child is going to be caught short and I am honestly not sure what you are meant to do in various situations! Would hate to end up the subject of a mumsnet thread!

I have no problem with toddlers peeing outside but think it should be done somewhere where it's unlikely to cause a puddle, or at least away from main human traffic.

I think parents should at least make some effort to find a suitable place for their child to wee, rather than let them just drop their pants and wee anywhere. If you let them pee as soon as they announce they need one then they're not going to learn the bladder control they need to be successfully toilet trained. Even with a toddler's 5 second notice period you can whip them over to the side of a verge, or a nearby bush!

YANBU I never let my dc wee outside when they were toddlers- if they couldn't make it to the loo (or in ds's case a potty next to the loo and yes I did carry one around with me at all times just like I used to carry nappies when they wore those) then they wet themselves and learn't.

People are weird.

We have a potty in the car for 2 year olds, can't imagine I would for a 4 year old.
I do now have a picture of dog owners walking round with jars trying to catch their dogs' wee! Lol

Me neither penelope! I need a definitive tick list of what to do and what not. I was actually going to carry a tub in the future because what if you are somewhere where the toilets have queues. You don't want an accident in the queue. Outside I have no problems with bushes or grass verges. Im partial to a bush wee on a long walk myself!

I guess my main problem in the original post was being right next to both toilets in building (tho I was wrong and toddlers prob couldn't wait to get to these) but ALSO a verge with trees etc

i peed behind a car waiting to run a road race :) long distance runners will piss anywhere, maybe they should carry a potty.

I think that us totally reasonable so long as every dog also has to piss in a tub.

riskit - if you can make it to the verge, go for the verge :-)

:)

You will learn op.

Im sure I will and will repost in a few years with a grovelling apology and all my wee adventures!

Well not ideal as OP about to step out of car.

Of course whilst still in the hospital the child prob didn't want to go & the parents couldn't be bothered to schlep back when they decided that they did need to after all!