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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

3 year old peeing in a potty in the corner of a museum

361 replies

Griddlesizzle · 16/10/2021 18:41

As it says in the title. Mother just whips the potty out and the child pees away, without the mum even asking anyone if there was a loo nearby. As a side point, the loo was less than 10m away…

Ai by - it’s pretty vile
Aibu - what else are you gonna do?

OP posts:
DerAlteMann · 17/10/2021 00:48

Surely the real question is how she disposed of it afterwards?

Fleshmechanic · 17/10/2021 01:09

Nah man, when they gotta go they gotta go. Kids that age can't wait, seriously. She definitely would not have got it out if she had the choice. That kid was gonna piss themselves, trust me. The fact they're even carrying a potty tells me everything I need to know. They're probably freshly out of nappies too.

Aria999 · 17/10/2021 01:16

@rainbowmash

does it take 'a bunch of staff' to spray some disinfectant around?

What did the cleanup actually involve?

Namechangedforthethousandthtim · 17/10/2021 01:28

Wouldn't bother me at all.

ReggaetonLente · 17/10/2021 05:46

My friend does this, she thinks public loos are dirty.

So her kids piss and shit where we sit, talk and eat instead. Go figure.

FateHasRedesignedMost · 17/10/2021 06:08

Mine peed in an airport once. Ironically he was wearing a pull up but he pulled it down to wee on the floor. Unfortunately I didn’t notice immediately as I was carrying our trays of belongings from the conveyor belt and DH was stuck in the metal detector. Luckily someone came along with a mop and laughed, apparently he wasn’t the first kid to mistake a wooden booth for a urinal 😳

Glassofshloer · 17/10/2021 07:27

@ReggaetonLente

My friend does this, she thinks public loos are dirty.

So her kids piss and shit where we sit, talk and eat instead. Go figure.

The lack of self awareness with people like this is really quite something isn’t it?
highstreetdiestreet · 17/10/2021 07:34

@Clocktopus

The average three year old has a bladder capacity of 90-100ml, they might have an accident but the majority of the wee would be soaked up by their clothing. There would not be huge puddles everywhere.
That's alright then.
saltontoast · 17/10/2021 07:34

I haven't fully started potty training yet but my boy won't go near the loo because of the dryers, he is absolutely petrified of them.

highstreetdiestreet · 17/10/2021 07:39

@saltontoast

I haven't fully started potty training yet but my boy won't go near the loo because of the dryers, he is absolutely petrified of them.
My advice is, ironically, do not take any potty training advice from mumsnet. Have a look at this group instead.

www.facebook.com/groups/555803697923980/?ref=share

EnidFrighten · 17/10/2021 07:48

Hmm my daughter took at least a year to be reliable in telling us she needed to go and giving enough warning to be able to get to a toilet. Should we have stayed at home all that time, along with our other child? Or put her back in nappies?

I wouldn't use a potty in a museum if I could help it, but if it was a choice between that or a puddle of piss on the floor, I can guess which a museum attendant would choose

Kanaloa · 17/10/2021 08:04

@EnidFrighten

Hmm my daughter took at least a year to be reliable in telling us she needed to go and giving enough warning to be able to get to a toilet. Should we have stayed at home all that time, along with our other child? Or put her back in nappies?

I wouldn't use a potty in a museum if I could help it, but if it was a choice between that or a puddle of piss on the floor, I can guess which a museum attendant would choose

But it’s never a choice between using a potty in the middle of a museum or your child merrily pissing the Thames around the statue of David.

There is a middle ground where parents recognise that their child isn’t able to give warning/hold on, and plans to take their child very regularly before they need to go desperately and stay close to toilet areas.

If you plan to bring a potty along with you you’re obviously not unaware of the issue. You can also plan to visit the toilet very regularly.

Glassofshloer · 17/10/2021 08:06

But it’s never a choice between using a potty in the middle of a museum or your child merrily pissing the Thames around the statue of David.

Sat here ugly laughing over this Grin

CampagVelocet · 17/10/2021 08:10

It's gross. Just grim. If your kid is going to panic about hand dryers it's your job to help them get used to it. What did she do with the potty full of urine after the child had finished? Presumably had to take it into the loo to dispose of it - did the kid go in with her?

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 17/10/2021 08:13

Utterly rank sorry but there is no reason good enough for this behaviour.

OhWhyNot · 17/10/2021 08:14

Since when has this been a thing

Children have always had to go through potty training or learning to use the toilet. Now they have pull up pants which is relatively new

Of course it’s inappropriate but then many feel the whole world revolves around their child

Ds didn’t like the hand dryers he would get upset but somehow he got through it

orangeappleplum · 17/10/2021 08:15

I wouldn't dream of it but I know a few mums who would and wouldn't think anything of them if they did

gannett · 17/10/2021 08:15

So glad I've never witnessed this, horrified that it happened in front of the poor OP, ultra-horrified that multiple people consider it acceptable behaviour.

Human piss and shit belongs in toilets, not in museum galleries. This is not negotiable IMO.

KitchenKrisis · 17/10/2021 08:17

I Csnt say its unreasonable because its human nature etc, teaching.

It's just I managed to train two dc in a short space of time with few accidents and never whipped or carried potties around probably because I just waited until they were ready probably 3.5 or a little older.

Whatafustercluck · 17/10/2021 08:21

I went yanbu but I couldn't get worked up about it because as others have said, you never know the story behind a certain parenting choice.

We were in Pizza Hut several years ago and the couple on the table around 1 metre away decided to change their baby's nappy at the table while we were eating. Now that was grim.

Glassofshloer · 17/10/2021 08:22

‘I can’t get worked up about it’ when did this phrase come into being? Can we make a new one because it’s incredibly annoying and overused? And usually ironically followed be a few sentences on their opinion on whatever the subject matter is?

Rosesareyellow · 17/10/2021 08:25

I haven't fully started potty training yet but my boy won't go near the loo because of the dryers, he is absolutely petrified of them.

So what happens if you’re out and about and need to go to the toilet yourself? Confused

Glassofshloer · 17/10/2021 08:27

@Rosesareyellow

I haven't fully started potty training yet but my boy won't go near the loo because of the dryers, he is absolutely petrified of them.

So what happens if you’re out and about and need to go to the toilet yourself? Confused

Well she has her portable potty doesn’t she? Needs must as the devil drives 😉
AngelDelight28 · 17/10/2021 08:37

My child isn't yet at potty training age so I don't feel qualified to judge but this isn't something I've seen anywhere...I did, however, witness a mother changing a baby's very dirty nappy while standing in the crowd at a royal visit. There was nothing discreet about it either, there were people inches away from her and it was outside on a freezing winter day, poor baby must've been so cold. There were lots of places with toilets nearby but I guess she was desperate not to miss Kate and Wills 🤷‍♀️

Bunnycat101 · 17/10/2021 09:02

I found with my first, it did take her a good few months to be fully reliable and even then she was prone to the odd accident up until around 4. I saw it that the accidents were actually part of the learning process - ie there is only so long you can push it. I’m always quite amazed by the kids who learnt in a couple of days and then cracked it with no accidents.

Tbh the accidents she had weren’t awful as her clothes absorbed the wee. I’d have felt far worse whipping out a potty tbh. She was also and still isn’t a fan of handryers but we’ve made her crack on as otherwise it would be very limiting. We kept her in a pull up for her gymnastics class or car journeys while she was training. A museum trip was too ambitious for a training toddler. I think you do have to suck up some restrictions for a while.