Page 14 | 3 year old peeing in a potty in the corner of a museum

Griddlesizzle · 2021-10-16T17:41:17+00:00

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?

ohthestruggles · 17/10/2021 09:02

Interesting that you think the presence of actual exposed human urine (yes, that's "all" it was) in a small closed public space isn't worth a cleanup effort. I don't think our customers would agree.

A bunch of staff to clean up a baby pee. there is ACTUAL exposed human urine in many places you don't even realise. Sorry but this does seem an OTT reaction.

Rosesareyellow · 17/10/2021 09:20

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.

I agree 100%. Accidents from time to time are normal and you just deal with. Even schools deal with that from time to time, especially in the infants. And it doesn’t always involve a massive puddle on the floor - often they will wee a bit, realise and hold so it’s just a wet pair of pants or trousers to change, not a huge clean up operation by any means. Mine does a fair amount of ‘dribbles’ when he’s very engrossed in what he’s doing, then runs off to the toilet - I’ve never had to get a mop out. Or even clean the floor at all for that matter (maybe the sofa on occasion). If you think your child is going to regularly create huge puddles of urine on the floor then they probably just aren’t ready to train.

TirednWorried · 17/10/2021 09:59

It is grim and disrespectful.
Yanbu

JacquelineCarlyle · 17/10/2021 10:45

I'm in the grim camp. Yuck!

rainbowmash · 17/10/2021 12:02

@ohthestruggles

Interesting that you think the presence of actual exposed human urine (yes, that's "all" it was) in a small closed public space isn't worth a cleanup effort. I don't think our customers would agree.

A bunch of staff to clean up a baby pee. there is ACTUAL exposed human urine in many places you don't even realise. Sorry but this does seem an OTT reaction.

Take it up with the company, then. It wasn't my decision.

Do you also buy into the myth that urine is "sterile"? It isn't.

This thread reminds me why I don't have many parents in my social circle.

hangrylady · 17/10/2021 12:25

@Innocenta

Some people really do not recognise or acknowledge the genuine equal personhood of disabled children (and adults).

Somehow it's not supposed to really 'count' for a disabled child to relieve themselves in public? But they deserve as much dignity as any able-bodied child or adult, even if it's not the easiest or most convenient solution.

I agree with this. My friend has an autistic son who wasn't toilet trained until he was about 8 and once she was at my house, with a group of other friends and she changed his soiled nappy in my living room in front of everyone and I felt really bad for him (he was about 5 at the time). I didn't say anything to her but thought why on earth didn't she take him to another room for his dignity.

Beeziekn33ze · 17/10/2021 12:39

A friend reckoned she was the only person to have carried a potty to the top of the Empire State Building. I never asked her whether her son used it there!
Years ago in the UK it was not unusual to occasionally see toddlers being held out to use the gutter or to go behind a bush in a park in an emergency. Maybe this was before the invention of pull-up nappies.

Rosesareyellow · 17/10/2021 13:00

I agree with this. My friend has an autistic son who wasn't toilet trained until he was about 8 and once she was at my house, with a group of other friends and she changed his soiled nappy in my living room in front of everyone and I felt really bad for him (he was about 5 at the time). I didn't say anything to her but thought why on earth didn't she take him to another room for his dignity.

Some parents are just completely oblivious. Dignity wise it’s not great, but it’s also just a bit gross quite frankly. Obviously I don’t think anything of it when I change my own child’s nappy, but I don’t expect others to feel the same. Toileting in general is for the bathroom if possible imo - whether you’re in nappies or not. I’ve always taken my child to another room to change since he was probably around 2, maybe younger, even at home. Especially for a soiled nappy, as in poo - as soon as they start eating solids regularly it reeks, why would you fill someone else’s living room with the smell of poo when their trying to chat and enjoy a cup of tea

Anonymous48 · 17/10/2021 14:32

@EnidFrighten

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

Then she probably wasn't ready to be fully toilet trained. Yes, I would have had her in nappies (or pull ups) when out and about.

ohthestruggles · 17/10/2021 15:37

@rainbowmash no I don't think urine is sterile. However I come into contact with many a bodily fluid both in my work and home life and know that it doesn't take a team to clean up after a baby's nappy is changed. You don't have many parents in your social circle? Because parents and their children are SO disgusting.

AngelDelight28 · 17/10/2021 15:42

@rainbowmash Surely if it was just a wet nappy change, the urine would be in the nappy though? What was there to actually clean up?

rainbowmash · 17/10/2021 16:32

Since everyone is SO interested, and I'm being subjected to CSI Mumsnet:

Small child was put down on his back on top of a fabric-covered bench in the fitting rooms (but not in a private booth) Flimsy bit of cloth was put under baby. Baby was undressed from the waist down, nappy was removed and placed on the bench top, and new nappy was put on just after the mum was asked to leave.

We had to stop other customers coming into the fitting room as there was a noticeable smell (in a warm, windowless room). We also had to disinfect the seat surface as we couldn't guarantee what it had been exposed to (but could guarantee that a diaper change had just happened on it). We then had to rearrange the furniture while we took the bench temporarily out of the area.

Other customers saw and were noticeably disgusted. I'm certain they would all have expected us to respond like we did.

No, I didn't see what the 'damage' to the diaper had been and no, it wasn't a poop explosion, but it was 100% something that needed a responsible cleanup.

Maybe you think baby excrement is magically harmless, or maybe the kind of places you shop aren't as hygienic. I'm sorry about both.

2Two · 17/10/2021 16:36

If they actually bothered to potty train PROPERLY (ie take the week off work and nail it at home first, then short trips not a bloody trek round a museum) there would be no need to do this.

Of course, it's dead easy for every parent to take a week off work at short notice in order to potty train their children. Every parent always keeps a week to spare for that purpose and never works in a job where time off has to be booked well in advance.

Some people on here really do live a rich fantasy life.

highstreetdiestreet · 17/10/2021 16:42

Why would you need to book the week off in short notice for potty training?

You literally choose when to train yourself. There's no unexpected summons through the door.

2Two · 17/10/2021 16:46

Interesting that you think the presence of actual exposed human urine (yes, that's "all" it was) in a small closed public space isn't worth a cleanup effort. I don't think our customers would agree.

Exposed urine on a used nappy? I've changed hundreds if not thousands of nappies, I've never once felt I had to get several people in to do a clean-up of the entire room afterwards.

2Two · 17/10/2021 16:47

@highstreetdiestreet

Why would you need to book the week off in short notice for potty training?

You literally choose when to train yourself. There's no unexpected summons through the door.

Because you don't know precisely when the child will be ready.

Quirrelsotherface · 17/10/2021 16:49

It's the fact it was 10 minutes away to be able to dispose of it. Was it just all sloshing around in the potty, potentially splashing people? It's grim.

Silenceisgolden20 · 17/10/2021 16:51

I always thought if a child needs a potty whipped out in public, they aren't ready as can't hold it yet. They need more time to learn. Why rush a child so much

Anonymous48 · 17/10/2021 17:07

@Silenceisgolden20

I always thought if a child needs a potty whipped out in public, they aren't ready as can't hold it yet. They need more time to learn. Why rush a child so much

I couldn't agree more! What's the rush?

fuckoffImcounting · 17/10/2021 17:15

Let's not wear our judgy pants about other mums, when we don't know about their situation.

highstreetdiestreet · 17/10/2021 17:19

Because you don't know precisely when the child will be ready.

So you would wait for them to be 'ready' (how you would know this before trying isn't clear for all children, but ok), then you would book a week off when you can to potty train.

Still no last minute leave needed.

highstreetdiestreet · 17/10/2021 17:19

@Quirrelsotherface

It's the fact it was 10 minutes away to be able to dispose of it. Was it just all sloshing around in the potty, potentially splashing people? It's grim.

Google potette

rainbowmash · 17/10/2021 17:20

@2Two

Interesting that you think the presence of actual exposed human urine (yes, that's "all" it was) in a small closed public space isn't worth a cleanup effort. I don't think our customers would agree.

Exposed urine on a used nappy? I've changed hundreds if not thousands of nappies, I've never once felt I had to get several people in to do a clean-up of the entire room afterwards.

Yes, but you knew those children and their medical history! It would be the same if a customer got saliva on a surface - very different to one of my family members getting saliva on a surface in my own house.

I respect children and I don't think they're walking contamination zones. I'm not freaked out by baby pee of disputable origin (which is why I was the one scrubbing after our visit from that oblivious, entitled mother)... but my point is that members of the public can and should expect a pee-free experience when visiting a shop or museum. That includes smelling pee, having pee on surfaces, and seeing people peeing into pots out in the open.

Rosesareyellow · 17/10/2021 17:27

@2Two there are signs and indicators that your child may be ready soon - that doesn’t mean you have to start straight away, it can help you plan ahead and do it a few weeks or months later. If they start to tell you that their nappy is wet or dirty, if they have a dry nappy for quite some time or a dry one that then suddenly fills up quickly because they’ve been holding it in, you might just have a potty out and do some role play with toys to test if they understand and are interested in it. You don’t have to jump straight onto the potty training wagon from there you just know that you can at your next convenience.

AngelDelight28 · 17/10/2021 17:27

@rainbowmash Ermm ok, I mean, I wouldn't choose to do a nappy change in the middle of a fitting room personally, but there have been times when I've been caught out and had to do it in odd places, especially when we were at the height of the pandemic and all the toilets were shut.

The staff reaction sounds totally OTT. If there was fabric under the baby (I'm assuming it was a travel changing mat) then it's highly unlikely that the bench would be soiled to the extent it would require to be taken away to be cleaned by a team of people.
I worked in clothes shops when I was younger and I'd have just waited until the woman had left, then given the bench a wipe. I wouldn't have created such a fuss and asked the mum to leave. It's obvious you don't have much experience with children.