to think there should be a simpler way of going to the loo with a toddler and a baby

[michie40]

Just had to drop DH at the airport and had to stop at a motorway services on my own with my 6 month dd2 and dd1 3yrs. Got into the toilets desperate for the loo and suddenly thought how on earth am I going to do this. Had to sit dd2 on the cold stone floor propped up by my bag and ask dd1 to sit next to her and stop her toppling. Then had to balance on the loo frantically trying to stop the two of them pushing each other whilst dd2 tried to grab dd1s hair. There has to be an easier way. Why don't they design cubicles with additional seats and play things. How do people normally cope with this? There should be special facilities. Am I being unreasonable?

long live John Lewis and their rather roomy (and unisex!) parent rooms. Hurrah!

i tend to take all 3 kids shopping with me and rarely use a dedicated disable loo if no changing facilities in there. the one place i always use the disabled loo is actually at harefield. because after almost 3years visiting there, i have yet to find a baby changing room, and the disabled loo is the only place i can put a changing mat down on the floor, as due to the layout of the hospital, the other loos dont have enough space.

If I go out with dd 20mths and 2 mindees 2yrs I would not hesitate to use a disabled loo. I am not allowed to leave them unattended in any circumstances with non registered person and all 3 definately cannot fit in a normal loo, no other solution IMHO.

On an equality course I attended recently we were told that it is no longer considered appropriate to refer to the large toilet cubicles/rooms as 'disabled' as this in someway suggests that the toilet itself is disabled. They should be called 'accessible' toilets and therefore accessible to anyone who needs extra room to manovere, for what ever reason.

Message withdrawn

that is clever london

I can't fit my double buggy into any of the public toilets in my town. I just make sure I don't drink anything at all before I go out, and take a travel potty for my dd (ds is still in nappies). Not ideal.

london your post made me laugh. it reminded me of a child describing my house (disabled access) as being "the disabled house" cue me picturing a house in a wheelchair.

I have once used a toilet in an airport where there was a baby seat attached to the wall that you could strap your baby into whilst you had a pee.

Why don't you see this sort of thing more?

had to bump this and tell you all to buy this

I know I'm about to be shot down for this but I'm not disabled and I used the disabled toilet at work. On our floor there are 2 toilets - one for disabled staff and the other for able bodied staff. I know that there is only one disabled person who works in our building (I did a review for our HR dept) and she works 3 floors below me.

I find it a bit strange to queue up for the toilet when there is another one sitting empty and never used.

Awaits backlash.