Portable potty etiquette...

[jojo28]

Wondering what is considered accepable potty ettiquette when out and about. My friend and I have both just put are ds's in pants (both around 2.6)Admire friends determination at cracking it but almost died when she brought the potty out in Starbucks and sat her son down on the potty right on the seat at our booth! She repeated this in the restaurant of a department store whilst we had lunch. Old ladies sipped their Earl Grey and stared on dissaprovingly. Initially I gave the disgruntled fellow patrons a frosty stare but realised with a jolt that I too did not think it was ok to allow your little one to do a pooh or a pee in the middle of a restaurant or cafe as others ate. I have so far only resorted to whipping out the portable potty in the car park the park and a quiet corner of a shopping mall, wondering if I am being prudish?

I agree with the 'backfire on child-friendliness' concern.

Good for her getting out with new baby and toddler but perhaps wrong time to attempt to train him. I don't think I could go continue to meet her on those terms. Could you do playdates at less "sensitive" places for the time being such as a park with an outside cafe area, or each other's houses.

Surely she could ask you to take him to the toilet for her or watch the baby if needs be. It must be a performance to whip it out which would take almost as long as to take him to the toilet, which she'll have to get him to do at some point.

Yes, each to their own but is it ever acceptable to poo in the middle of a cafe? I mean even at home the potties were in the toilet when I was training my DSs. Would you change a nappy on the table in a cafe? DS1 was training when I was bf-ing DS2 and it was never an issue. I've whipped out our portable potty for DSs by the side of the road, in the boot of the car and in a carpark before but would never do it in full view of other people, I'd always find a shielded spot.

I agree completely jojo, that if he can't wait long enough to get to a toilet then he's not ready to train! Yes she will succeed in the end and think she did the right thing, but in my experience (working in a nursery and trained my own dd) if she waits a few more weeks, he'll train far quicker, stress free and be able to hold on until they reach a toilet.

am also b/f dd3 (8weeks old) and potty trainging dd2 (2.5yrs old), but if she needed a poo, then off to the toilet as it bloomin well stinks, and she gets upset when pooing.

I used to carry a potty under DD's pushchair to use if required whilst out - but we always used loos or quiet corner etc, esp if no child seat available at a friends house etc.

However, once I was at the hairdressers, stuck in the chair, when DD todddles up to her pram, removes potty, removes knickers & wees (on potty)in the middle of the room! All the old ladies & the hairdressers where wetting themselves with laughter! DD did not know what all the fuss was about. I then had to find their staff loo to empty it in. She is now a teenager & they STILL remember it in there.

I have got a portable potty but I got it thinking in those long hours driving during holidays when the child suddenly says, just in the middle of nowhere, that he needs to go, but having it in the middle of the museum, or restaurant.... NO WAY, everybody has a right to enjoy their meal not only the mum who is training a toddler.

I've never even seen a portable potty, much less a child using one in a cafe.

Eeew, I agree with everyone else, totally unacceptable. I know when they're training if they have to go they mostly have to go NOW but in my case that meant knowing where the nearest loo was at all times and being prepared to run like mad to get to it.

rather offend one person than have to clean up wee from cafe floor and deal with crying child because they've peed themselves. Luckily only ever had to do wees on portable potty in public and was always very discreet.

a friend was telling me about a time she had to whip out a portable potty in the corner of a department store because the toilets were on a different floor and they were nowhere near the lift. The alternative was letting her dd pee herself. Is that more acceptable then? Haven't started this business myself yet.

DeseperateHouseWife... are yuo jojo's friend?

just curious

muminlondon, i think thats an acceptableplace to use a portable potty. but in a cafe where toilets arent far away, then no.

I only ever used the portable potty outdoors. yucky to use it in a cafe!!!

I guess my pre-baby self would have been quite disgusted by it too, especially around food. I'm not looking forward to this - was going to start potty training at the end of May when dd is 2.3. Oh dear.

D'housewife.. don't worry have not given her a hard time about it, she really is a great girl and I love her 'I don't give a s--it' attitude (literally!). But for me letting your child use the potty in a place where people are consuming food is anti social behaviour, it simply is quite off putting for others even if they are very tolerant individuals, and if someone decided to make an issue of it I am not sure I could defend it. I do not consider myself to be from the 'children should be seen and not heard' brigade but at the same time I do not think that having a child allows you to ride rough shod over the genral niceties that govern everyday life. I think its reasonable to expect to enjoy a cream tea without the sight and smell of some small person defacating next to you.

IMO it is totally gross to let a child use a potty in a cafe/restaurant, especially to poo! Difficult situation though.