Using a disabled loo.....

[countrymousesussex]

This is a weird one that I’m genuinely curious about, and it’s a situation I’ve found myself in a few times.

Being on maternity leave with a 4.5 month old, I am often out with the buggy. We live in a village so often am in a different town/village when shopping, running errands etc - so not close enough to nip home.

Today I was in a market town about 7 miles from our village, shopping. I was dying for the loo so I went into the baby change room at Tesco to find that there was no loo inside it. I then tried to get the buggy into the ladies but there was no room. Someone saw me struggling and said why didn’t I just use the disabled one as there was no one waiting and it has space for the buggy. I didn’t feel right doing this, so trekked in and out of coffee shops till I found one with a large enough loo to get the buggy in.

Was I being ridiculous to not use the disabled? In our village cafe I often leave the buggy in the main room while I nip to the loo and ask one of the girls that works there to keep an eye on the baby, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that anywhere else.

Parents with buggies, what would you have done?

Disabled people, would you have been really annoyed if I’d used the disabled?

I’m just interested to know if I was being a doughnut!

Anyone can use the disabled toilet...it's for anyone's use..unfortunately it's the only toilet that disabled people can use...it's not solely for disabled people...how many times have you been to a toilet and had to wait a few mins..it's just the same if someone is using the disabled toilet..they may have to wait a minute or 2 for their turn

I always had this dilemma and didnt know what to do! In our town the only toilets that will fit a pram are disabled. I had to use them. Some of the toilets have the baby changing in the disabled toilets anyway which is another dilemma!

I'm not disabled but would absolutely use the disabled loo if I needed too when with buggy.

Although on occasion I've used the disabled anyway as I've got bowel problems and needs must sometimes

There was no-one waiting so yes of course I would've used it in your situation.

I think this sort of thing is partly why using the term 'accessible' rather than 'disabled', is preferable.

I used them when I had no option. What can you do when you're not on home ground and want to be able to see the baby.

I hate this, I try to avoid using the toilets when out as its always impossible to use the standard toilets. I will leave the pram outside the cubicle when I have my other children with me but if its just me and the baby I will use the disabled ones.

I would use the disabled loo too.

I would not shove a queue of disabled people out of my way to use it, but if it's there and I know I am going to be quick I would 100% use it.
(I am really quick - the weakest bladder in the world - so I can't stand on ceremony!)

When I had a buggy, I used to take it into the ladies and bring the front wheels under the toilet door so I could see the buggy and hear the baby. It used to be that most mothercares had a large cubicle so you could take a buggy in so I tried to stick to those.

A lot of them have a baby changing table so are for that too. I would have used the disabled toilet in your case.

it's Disabled Access not Disabled Reserved.

Ladies toilet at work, the door sticks open. I'm not going in the gents, so disabled it is.

@Tucobenedicto

Often disabled people can't wait, that's the problem.

No, YANBU as you needed to use it and there was no other option. People who have no need to use it whatsoever however, are being unreasonable.

Ladies toilet at work, the door sticks open.

Why don't you take this up with your employer?

Its frustrating to see peoples attitudes. It may not be disabled reserved but its respectful and quite frankly just human decency to not use it unless you need to. People just "nipping into the disabled loo" when theres a big queue in the ladies is really frustrating. I use the disabled loos when I need to because they're higher and I struggle to stand for long periods of time.

You were being a doughnut, it's fine to use IMO

They're not disabled only, they're disabled accessible.

A lot of disabled toilets have a baby changing drop down mat so it’s really for families too.

I’ve used the disabled loo with the buggy when I’ve been on my own - although I do try and use the parents room when I’m in John Lewis so I’m not using a disabled loo.

But depending on where I am, I have no choice. I would be mortified though if I came out and someone disabled was waiting to use it!

Disabled toilets are accesible nobody is expecting you to take your baby into the regular toile,t the problem lies with toilet planners not the folk using them imo

I really wish ladies/gents/unisex toilets were designed with more room to avoid this. As someone with a child who can only use a disabled toilet this is frustrating. To have to wait and another disabled person come out and clean up the inevitable accident is one thing but it is frustrating when the cause is someone with a buggy because regular use toilets are too damn small. It’s made worse because of the constant fight to make places accessible and ensure what is provided is suitable (hoists) only for some bloody bright spark to decide to stick the only baby change in there

It’s not solely for disabled people. You gave a legitimate reason to use it. As long as there is not a line, you are ok.

If used the disabled loo when all others are in use,,,without having a buggy,,,no disabled people waiting..peeing myself

There are quite a few places near here with parenting rooms that have toilets; department stores, M&S, Boots, Mothercare etc. If possible I'll use those, a couple of them are actually really nice so it's worth seeing if your local town has any.

In a restaurant I'll usually look round to see if anybody's in a wheelchair before going into the disabled toilet with the pushchair (yes, I know others might need it too, but obviously in a wheelchair somebody definitely has no other choice). I've only ever once seen a wheelchair user at the time I'm going in so I asked her if she minded me going in (that time was to change the baby though, not for me to wee too). She was sitting on her own and seemed a bit startled to be asked, so I worried I'd done the wrong thing but then she thanked me when I came out for having asked, so maybe it was ok. Actually I've no idea if asking is a good idea or not, probably it isn't, I was just nervous that she might need to go while I was faffing with a poo nappy.

Don’t use it.

You have choices. Disabled DD doesn’t.

Awful attitudes here. Unsurprising given what we face every damned time we go out.

I only hope none of you face disability in your lives.

It’s not solely for disabled people.

ITS DESIGNED TO BE ACCESSIBLE. if you don't need an accessible toilet then it's not for you. Pram users shouldn't need to use them and it's not great that they often double as baby changes but that's not the pram users/baby changes fault.