To use the disabled loo when I'm with my son?

[RestingBitch]

My sons 9 months and obviously still in his pushchair. The majority of the time it's just me and him when I go into town/visit places. When I need the loo I get an attack of conscious, I normally use the disabled loo so I can bring him in with me.
Can't use a regular loo as I can't get him in the cubicle in his chair. Don't want to take him out of his pushchair and plonk him on the floor as the floors are manky and he will eat whatever is on the floor. He'll also probably try and crawl under the gap and interrupt someone else. Don't really like the idea of leaving him in his pushchair whilst I nip in the cubicle, so providing there isn't someone waiting for the disabled loos, AIBU to use them? I'm usually in and out and so far I've never encountered anyone waiting for one, or the impatient rattle of the door. If I am being unreasonable, short of pissing myself what's the options?

Not a troll, and don't work for any newspapers :).

Spikey, that's the whole issue though isn't it, people who are using the accessible toilet because they feel they need to or have no other option.

I'm sure you'll get the odd person using it just because there's a queue for the other toilets but the majority I would think are using it for a reason.

sooty I gave my opinion on the subject at hand. You decided to opine on my character. I'm goading no one. Not once did I mention anyone personally or attack their character.

You did.

Again, your opinion of me means next to nothing.

Oh gosh, I've just noticed that I received an email to the effect of mnhqs post upthread, just to me personally.

I'm shocked. I think I need to step away from this for a bit :(

norris that's awful I am so sorry that happened to you.

Why are you shocked m, Beyond?

When Dd was a baby I always used the loo in mothercare or boots as they had big toilet cubicles with space for a pushchair. Do they still do these?

Then when she was a toddler if there wasn't space I would leave her outside but she had to have a foot poking under the door so I could see she was still there.

I'm talking about specific disabled ones (most of which you need to either go to customer services to get a key for or have a radar key)

Yeah whats that about tbh. I used to work somewhere that had the disabled loos constantly locked and people had to come to reception to get the key to go to the loo. As many have pointed out, often a disabled persons need is very urgent, so making them go to reception and back to the loo is unacceptable surely? Never really thought about that before but it is very silly to do it that way.

The radar key thing, does any radar key open any radar loo? Or would you need different ones for different areas?

Disabled people's toilets are big, private and less likely to be occupied. As a result they are open to misuse by the general public.

www.bluebadgecompany.co.uk

Boom.

I agree with many of the other posters YABU.

So many shopping centres have toilet cubicles which cater for Mum & baby.

How do you think all the other Mothers manage - and have done for MANY years?

My Mother was disabled (passed a while ago) but she frequently had to 'wait' to use the disabled toilet due to other people like yourself.

Most places have a plentiful supply of regular toilets but disabled toilets are in very short supply.

Please stop using the disabled toilet.

ilovesooty unfortunately there are selfish ignorant people in this world.

norris
Im so sorry, some people really are arseholes who couldn't care less if you messed yourself as long as they weren't inconvenienced.
Just think, they are the ones who are ignorant who are sadly raising their kids the same way.
There is nothing wrong with you, don't let them get to you
The fact they said that to you sadly says a lot about them!

kali110 - sadly, as evidenced by this thread.

Just because you disagree with others does not mean they are ignorant or selfish, it is a different view.

I went to a venue last week which had 'accessible toilets' - 'not all disabilities are visible' toilets. Very impressed.

Everyone does what they need to do to get through the day. If that means using an accessible toilet so someone else with accessible toilet needs needs to wait so be it. If we all had a little more compassion for what other people need to get through life humanity would be a lot better off. Stuff I did with my PFB I have 'got over' now I've got 2 but understand the first time mum anxiety as a transient mental state.

I have plenty of compassion
but we have the op who uses a disabled toilet(her words) for connivence
some gf who uses them when they have too much shopping and countless other s who use them because ....of baby snatchers!!
no wonder you don't see a que of disabled people outside(yep cos they can always tell.....!!) cos they have just given up going out.

The radar key thing, does any radar key open any radar loo? Or would you need different ones for different areas?

Radar keys open any radar toilet.

Unfortunately near me, many of the baby changing facilities need a radar key to access them (due to also being a disabled toilet), even in shopping centres.

Several of the large supermarkets near me don't have a toilet in the baby changing room and you cannot physically get a pram into the ladies (the main bit, not got as far as the cubicles). Are parents who need the loo who have non walking children just ment to wet themselves?

umm no
they just wee quick
its not hard

twelly when somwone uses a disabled loo for example to breastfeed or becauae they have shopping, then yes ignorant and selfish right there.
Massive example in poor norris case.
Calling her disgusting and smelly, yes ignorant and selfish right there.

RestingBitch
Ghosty. And the numerous other people who are complaining I've '[expletive deleted] off', I've gone nowhere. I've posted, I've put the baby to bed and done my shopping then I've come back. Didn't realise I had to respond within a specific time window hmm

This has happened to me before. I have posted, and then gone to bed (I live on the other side of the world from the UK) and woken to a barrage of posts accusing me of being a troll since I hadn't replied...

I mean, I have to sleep. Eat. Work. Shop. Do something other than sit in front of the computer 24/7. But that's not good enough for a lot of people here, who need lives in the WORST way if they think sitting obsessively refreshing MN and criticizing those that don't is a normal way to live.

I think we are being a bit unfair on mothers here, this being Mumsnet righ?
Now , don't get me wrong , unitising the disabled loos for no reason is out of line , sure , but what does that mean ?

I'm a teeny bit horrified at the scorning of mothers' genuine fears here , especially when terms such as "excuse " and "baby snatchers" appears in the same sentence .
Anyone recall the McCanns ? Not to derail with a debate about them and although not exactly the same , baby snatchers DO exist and I'm betting the same people who monster women taking buggies into disabled loos would be the first to monster any woman who's child met harm by being left outside .
So please don't .

Also , we cannot know that a particular toddler of young child isn't still in nappies . I know you can change a nappy anywhere but seriously , how many nappy disposal units do you see in the main loos ? I've never seen one . Not one .

Some disabilities are invisible . People don't want to be changing stoma bags or injecting insulin in the main loos , and many are leery - even if menses aren't a disability - of cleaning mooncups in public either .

Then there's the choice between a unisex loo or a disabled one , with no women exclusive to use . I always use the disabled one in that case because lurkers aside , men piss everywhere , and I resent my hems , if in maxi dress or trousers , speaking up man piss , or risking the same happening to my bags . Sorry not sorry .

Now , I never linger , I never queue jump , and I do my best to make sure nobody is discomfited beacause of me , and I'm sure the vast majority of women are the same , so can we go easy on each other , lest this just descend into a bun fight of goady-ness and virtue signalling , PLEASE ?

Madeleine McCann was not snatched from outside a toilet cubicle where her mother had placed her pushchair in her line of sight with an open toilet door as she went for a wee.

Anyone recall the McCanns ?

Yes which has absolutely nothing to do with this.

HTH

I'm rather suspicious that anyone dragging the McCanns into this knows that it's a sure fire way of getting the thread shut down.

What a load of tosh anyway.

I've done this absolutely loads of times. It's absolutely fine. I've also used the accessibile changing rooms too - been offered by sales assistants.

It's absolutely fine.

For whom?