Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to use a potty in the park?

516 replies

garfieldrec · 27/07/2020 15:54

My 29 month old is a month into potty training. When he tells me 'weewee' I grab the potty from under the pram and let him use it. Is this ok?

I empty into a bush out of sight etc. Whole process takes about 20 seconds probably!

OP posts:
QueenofmyPrinces · 27/07/2020 17:19

If you carry a bottle out with you anyway, why not just take an empty one with you and get him to wee in that instead of in a potty?

This is what we used to do with our boys when they were very new to training and we couldn’t get to a toilet in time Grin

Genuine question - when he has a wee in his potty do you then just carry it around with you until you find somewhere suitable to dispose of it?

OhCaptain · 27/07/2020 17:21

You're being very rude @garfieldrec. Calm down!

Mmmmycorona · 27/07/2020 17:21

We have to take a pot. Dd (just 2) has recently potty trained. She drinks for England and although is brilliant at holding, she needs to wee a lot.
I always take her to the toilet indoors though. Although a lot of the toilets are still closed. We nearly had an accident in a shop the other day but a member of staff took pity on us and let us use the staff toilets.

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 27/07/2020 17:22

Well he will never learn to hold it if you pull a potty out as soon as he says he needs to go. If he's doing really well, he should be able to hold it for a few mins till you find a quiet spot or a toilet.

Original poster
garfieldrec · 27/07/2020 17:25

@QueenofmyPrinces

If you carry a bottle out with you anyway, why not just take an empty one with you and get him to wee in that instead of in a potty?

This is what we used to do with our boys when they were very new to training and we couldn’t get to a toilet in time Grin

Genuine question - when he has a wee in his potty do you then just carry it around with you until you find somewhere suitable to dispose of it?

Dump in a bush, a wipe with a dettol wipe
OP posts:
Polkasquare · 27/07/2020 17:25

@soberfabulous

polkasquare yes they do and they are amazing! We still use ours for long car journeys.

OP google potette.

Ah, yes that's what they're called!
Serin · 27/07/2020 17:26

He is a tiny little boy.
If my DDog is allowed to pee in the park I cannot see any problem with a small child doing the same.
Unless you are emptying it down the slide OP?

You do whatever works for your child, it isn't against the law (unless Boris has changed that law as well?)

Original poster
garfieldrec · 27/07/2020 17:26

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion

Well he will never learn to hold it if you pull a potty out as soon as he says he needs to go. If he's doing really well, he should be able to hold it for a few mins till you find a quiet spot or a toilet.
I will work on making him wait a little longer. Still won't help when I'm on the common and home is an hour walk away. But I get your point
OP posts:
ChristmasCarcass · 27/07/2020 17:27

Plan your trip, make sure you know where the toilets are, go before you leave, when you get to your destination and ask regularly if they need to go.

Oh I know exactly where the public toilets are. In our local park (30 mins walk from our house) - shut. In the park opposite nursery, 45 mins walk from home - shut. The station? Shut. The cafes between here and the station - shut. The supermarket? Shut. In the town centre? Shut. The ones in the hospital are open, but children aren't allowed in currently unless they actually have an appointment (we used to walk through sometimes to buy stuff from the M&S).

We pee at home, and if he needs to pee between leaving home and returning home, he goes in a potty or he wets himself. Those are the current options. As an adult, I can wait a few hours, but a three year old can't.

Original poster
garfieldrec · 27/07/2020 17:27

@Serin

He is a tiny little boy. If my DDog is allowed to pee in the park I cannot see any problem with a small child doing the same. Unless you are emptying it down the slide OP?

You do whatever works for your child, it isn't against the law (unless Boris has changed that law as well?)

Haha nope not on the slide!
OP posts:
AccountAntsy · 27/07/2020 17:27

I wouldn’t bat an eyelid if I saw a parent doing this (and I have seen it). Most public toilets are closed and you can’t exactly just nip into a cafe to use the loos now so what exactly are toddlers with small bladders supposed to do?

Original poster
garfieldrec · 27/07/2020 17:28

@AccountAntsy

I wouldn’t bat an eyelid if I saw a parent doing this (and I have seen it). Most public toilets are closed and you can’t exactly just nip into a cafe to use the loos now so what exactly are toddlers with small bladders supposed to do?
Quite.
OP posts:
AdditionalCharacter · 27/07/2020 17:29

No toilets where you want to go, then don't go until he is more capable of holding until you find a toilet. It's a few months of not visiting your favourite places, but it is better long term as he won't be reliant on you whipped out the potty whenever he needs to go, regardless of where you are.

Thenosleepclub · 27/07/2020 17:31

It's fine. My 2.5 year old has been trained a few months now... Never has accidents, but hates going outside of his own house and is scared of big toilets. We have a potty that lives in the boot of the car for when we go on woodland walks etc. Had to use it last week in a carpark corner because he refused to go in the large toilets where we were. I'd rather that than him get ill from holding it too long.

Original poster
garfieldrec · 27/07/2020 17:31

@AdditionalCharacter

No toilets where you want to go, then don't go until he is more capable of holding until you find a toilet. It's a few months of not visiting your favourite places, but it is better long term as he won't be reliant on you whipped out the potty whenever he needs to go, regardless of where you are.
Sorry but I'm not, not going to take him to the swings or elsewhere. I find that silly.

There's absolutely nothing else for him to do, I'm not locking him up in the house with 0 stimulation.

Honestly.. do you really think that's better than using a potty out?

OP posts:
Footlooseandfancy · 27/07/2020 17:31

We take one out with our similar aged toddler - I just go and hide near the bushes with DD, all my friends do the same with their children of the same age.

There's no public loos in any of the parks or beach here and tbh I wouldn't fancy my chances running home with a toddler who needs a piss urgently let alone if I've got the buggy or shopping as well. I'm 6 months pregnant so there might be two accidents with that level of bladder stress.

DancingInDespair · 27/07/2020 17:32

@OhCaptain

Firstly, I was agreeing with someone who'd said it. Why not pick up that poster's post?

Secondly, I've said repeatedly that you should do what suits you.

Thirdly, yes people need to use the toilet when they're home. And adults and trained children that I know can wait until they find a public one.

That's not a comment on your parenting. It's saying that in my experience, children who are fully trained can wait until they're near a toilet.

Or, I suppose, their parents don't take them places were the nearest toilet is two hours away as a PP mentioned.

I don't know many young children who can wait more than 5-10 minutes to be honest.
FourPlasticRings · 27/07/2020 17:32

It's a few months of not visiting your favourite places

In the time of coronavirus it's a few months not visiting any places, realistically. And for what reason?

Laaalaaaa · 27/07/2020 17:32

Fucking hell some of the responses on here are downright nasty. So what she said 29 months, people are ripped apart for saying 2 on here because there’s a big difference between 24 or 36 months. She’s only being accurate as you’d all demand to know exactly how old her child was. As for the person calling her rude, nah, I think you’ll find she’s sticking up for herself after some of the bitchy comments from the perfect parent brigade.

Original poster
garfieldrec · 27/07/2020 17:33

@FourPlasticRings

It's a few months of not visiting your favourite places

In the time of coronavirus it's a few months not visiting any places, realistically. And for what reason?

Exactly. Even in non-Covid times I would prefer he play outside and seeing wildlife etc than constantly at soft play!
OP posts:
Original poster
garfieldrec · 27/07/2020 17:34

Not that I have anything against soft play and really miss it actually

OP posts:
TimeWastingButFun · 27/07/2020 17:34

They're great, I used them for my two. Under a tree out of sight. But I didn't tip it out, they had absorbent liners and I put them in the dog poo bins.

AccountAntsy · 27/07/2020 17:35

No toilets where you want to go, then don't go until he is more capable of holding until you find a toilet. It's a few months of not visiting your favourite places, but it is better long term as he won't be reliant on you whipped out the potty whenever he needs to go, regardless of where you are.

Better for who? This is ludicrous. Have you toilet trained many toddlers during a pandemic?

Heygirlheyboy · 27/07/2020 17:36

Always had a potty under the buggy for first few weeks but if near a toilet at all we'd go there. Never used potty for poo but that was probably just luck! This thread reminds me of an au pair of a friend who we were with once, toddler did a poo by a tree, no potty or toilet and au pair left it there Envy not envy.

SnuggyBuggy · 27/07/2020 17:36

Like fuck am I not going to take a toddler to the park until we have better bladder control

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.