To think toddlers/young kids are not thought of

[Doncarlos]

It’s one of those things you don’t have to consider until you’re a parent, but I feel like in certain situations toddlers are totally disregarded.

Two examples;

1. we have a big Sainsbury’s nearby that has a large baby changing room. Inside there’s a set up for a baby change station then a cubicle within that room with an adult toilet, so it’s great you can take a baby in and go for a wee yourself. But there’s nowhere for a small child to use the toilet. The adult toilet is difficult for them to use and when they do manage that, you have to lift them up to the sink (normal height and set back into the changing unit worktop), but the single push down tap releases water that feels uncomfortably hot for my hands, you couldn’t possibly allow a child to use it.

2. visited one of the new parks that have been installed locally. The only thing suitable for young child is a slide but it’s quite high so you have to be confident they won’t drop off the climb up. That’s it, everything else is designed for older kids. The climbing equipment is all open sided so too many points for them to accidentally fall off. I’ve been to so many parks in other countries where smaller kids can play happily on more than just a swing without you fearing they’ll fly off a 6ft drop.

Does anyone else find this a very annoying part of life with a small child?

I think it’s a nice change to see a park catering well for older children! When DS was smaller many had lots of tiny ones but nothing as they got a bit older.

I think both of your complaints fall into the “can’t please all the people all the time” categories. They have made a family friendly toilet area which is great but they can’t have varying size sinks and toilets without it being a much more expensive and space using thing!

I must admit I got very used to the different sizes of park equipment at every park when we lived abroad and now it's very hit and miss as to what each park has in the UK. And toilet training a girl specifically can be really tricky once they're out and about. It's easier for a boy because they can just stand at the toilet but even then some toilets are too high for a small boy to be able to use.

Lots of little boys (toddler ish age) start off preferring to sit too.

Mine didn't. 🤷‍♀️

Those re two examples about two very specific places.
Generally I think society caters far far more for small chosen than is does for teenagers or even the disabled.

I never really studied the toilets, but I disagree with parks. It was much easier to find things for my children to go on when they were younger. Now they are 9 and 10 they have simply outgrown going to the park as there isn't anything to interest them, which is a shame when we see about children not going outside/wanting to be inside on consoles and being overweight. Its the same with activities like soft play and children's clubs. Lots of things targeting younger children but nothing for the older end of primary where they still need a bit more supervision and not to be left wandering in town alone, but are too old for a lot of things for young children. I think this is a real gap in the market.

Note the 'lots', which doesn't mean 'all'.
😬

I might be missing the point but surely 90% of toilets are not toddler friendly? Don't you have the same 'carry and splash' procedure at a friend's/relatives' house? Why should a commercial business be any different?

I always found playgrounds dangerous in the 80's (my children) and 2010's (their children) and visits could be a nightmare. The problem was keeping the little one off the larger stuff that the bigger one was enjoying. I don't remember special toddler equipment and it's disappointing to see nothing has changed. The only place that worked for us all was with my GC, when the older was at primary school, and there was a suitable play area just outside while we waited to collect them. Little one loved it.

I think it's hit and miss - can definitely relate to both your examples but can also think of parks near me where the toddler provision is fab.

Would recommend getting a folding toilet seat from Amazon - great for putting on a big toilet. Agree re sinks and water temp though. My other bug bear now is hand dryers - environmentally I'm in favour of them over paper towels but my toddler hates the noise so I always have to have tissues/kitchen roll in my bag. But she'll grow out of that fear in time I hope!

There are lots of parks with equipment suitable for young children. It's more difficult to find one with equipment suitable for disabled children or adults. Likewise places to change disabled children and adults.

Can’t say toilets are a problem. I just hold Ds on them and lift at sink. Having different sizes would be expensive and take up space.
We only have one height sink at home also.

Ds is a thrill seeker, so massive slides are where he headed anyway. Tiny little baby slides are only really useful for a few months between walking and wanted to try.

I kind of think it’s just life with a baby and toddler, by default can’t just sit around in parks and chill, and I would always expect to have to help.
My Ds is now 5 and I can now sit on a park bench with kindle keeping an eye 80% of the time. But it’s taken many park hours and years to get to this point

I agree taking baby and toddler DS was a piece of cake compared to taking disabled 15 year old DS out!

The baby changing room is designed for babies in nappies and the park is designed for older children. It's a bit self-centred to expect everything to be designed for the paticular life stage of your child.

I'm sure if you were asked to design a park in 10 years you wouldn't be focused on making it toddler-friendly.

DD aged 14 went on a school trip to the zoo recently, which has a play park designed for older children, and they had a great time on it.
Despite there being an almost identical park, just with smaller equipment, next door you still get parents trying to lift smaller kids onto it....

It’s a bit much to expect child sized toilets and sinks in Sainsbury’s. Just take a folding child toilet seat and lift your child to the sink like parents have been doing fine for decades.

You'd think a baby change loo would at least have the toilet seats with the smaller inner seat. And almost nowhere I've been has soap in an accessible spot for children, even of 6/7 where they might be going by themselves. Always on the wall above the sink.

Our local park has amazing baby toddler friendly equipment, and has just put in a bigger section for older children. We're really lucky. It's not rocket science, it's a series of large square platforms up to a slide with sloped 'climbing' sections and look out bits etc. it was perfect from crawling baby up to about 6, and a more advanced bit that you would usually see.

As my boys have gotten older, it’s becoming clearer to me that this world is not set up for anything past about 7.
Babies and Toddlers have soft play, cafes, parks. You can use the baby rooms in shopping centres as toilets.
I have a 7 and 11 year old. One is autistic. I get nasty looks when I try to take them to the toilet out and about, because “they should be old enough to use the men’s”, I get stared at and shamed when I have to use a baby parking space (because my autistic son will abscond)
My 11 year old is roughly the same size as a 16 year old. If he steps foot in the park near us, he gets mutters of “teenagers!” And if he dares sit on a swing mothers quite often say to him “my little child was playing on that” and don’t realise he’s only just 11 and still quite young himself. He hasn’t even left primary school yet.
Sadly, the world is not designed for older children, they are expected to be mini adults and just deal with it.

If you have a child who is completely dependent on a wheelchair to be able to sit upright there is often nothing accessible to them in our local parks. Soft play isn't accessible as there are no hoisting facilities. Toilets that can cater for a child who needs hoisting are often miles away from our local supermarkets but that's ok because there isn't a single trolley that is usable either.

So the Sainsburys toilet is just a normal toilet? Sorry but I don’t get the issue. When they’re small and newly trained you just take a folding toilet seat or a travel potty with you and hold them up to wash their hands. No big deal. Or am I missing something?

Some parks are great for toddlers, some for older kids, some larger ones cater to both. Which is great! In your local area you tend to get to know the good ones that suit DC’s current stage. Again I do not get the issue. If all your local playgrounds were designed for young toddlers you’d only be complaining in a few years that there was nothing for your 4+ year old.

At that age, I carried a Potette which can either be used as a toilet seat adapter or a potty depending on the facilities/lack of. The soap dispenser position and sink height often annoyed me, but I'm noticing more low sinks in toilets now than 10 years ago.

Few parks near me cater for all ages, but I just switched which ones we visited as DCs have grown. Some are 90% kitted out for preschoolers, others are almost entirely for older DCs. You pick the one suited to DC's age and stage.

This. You just go up the one that has the smaller stuff.

I feel the world revolves around babies and toddlers. As someone above said this “my SMALL child was playing with that” mentality. And that awful phrase “you are entitled to a childfree life not a child free world” to justify letting kids infringe on other people.

Where I live it’s constant giving about teenagers (I don’t have teenagers) btw when there is nothing for them to do.

Also don't get the issue with toilets. There was another thread recently where someone was asking repeatedly how you hold a child on an adult toilet and lift them up to the sink without it being awkward and uncomfortable. To which a few people (including me) were pretty much saying you just do it. It isn't rocket science and if it is mildly uncomfortable it's for a minute or so. It isn't a big deal.

True.

I have a small 5 y.o. It is great when I spot a little sink. But if they don’t have one it’s a two minute job to lift her up. Slightly awkward yes, but for a matter of minutes.

Relative to what some people have to face in life it’s not worth talking about IMO.

I don’t agree. When my little one was little, we just perched her on the toilet. It just wasn’t an issue. We washed her hands. We took her to the park and let her play on all the equipment. I was very anxious about the size of the equipment and I think that’s pretty natural, but it’s good for them to explore their environment and understand their abilities and current limitations.

It's not too much of an ask in terms of space, in this particular loo there's more than enough room to accommodate a smaller toilet and lower sink.

And like I said, the sink is set back into a work top so yes, I do lift him up where I need to wash his hands but as I said, the water is so bloody hot I can't let him wash them.

I don't massively think it's self centred, it's not like I am in a minority having a toddler. I don't expect the world to revolve around us, but now I am a parent I have simply observed where there could be more consideration.

I can certainly see how using facilities with a disabled child or adult would be impossible in lots of situations.

I guess when it comes to parks it's just my local area that they're crap. I have chatted with other parents around about it and they share my thoughts on that element. Again, I don't expect a park to be just for young children, they could all be more inclusive. For example, high apparatus not having open sides so they can't fall off. Sand pits, sunk in trampolines - all things I've seen in other places that work lovely for all ages. There's a park about a 25 min drive away that has these things, plus some really big/wide seesaws, roundabouts, etc. It's a great park so it makes me wish some of those elements were introduced when they build new parks in my local area.