Etiquette on little boys weeing in public... MN verdict please!

[Picante]

DS (3) is potty trained but not great at holding it.

Where would you draw the line - is it ok to wee in...

a forest?
a big park?
a playground?
in the street?

Or is it never acceptable?

Whoever asked about DDs.

I was the same with DD as I am with DS. Only in an emergency and as discretely as possible. She does not need to go as often as DS though, and does not like going outside.

To begin with we held her up, DH was always more sucessful at that that I was. I normally came out of the long grass with wet feet.

Now she manages herself, just crouches down. It was probably the French toilets that helped there, she had to get the hang of them as our favourite playpark only has the crouch and hang on style loos.

DS recently took a dump behind a tree, I did not realise until he was already done. We were in the middle of nowhere and I had poopscoop bags so just cleaned it up. Thankfully we have a dog.

I think drains are the answer. Who could object, rain will rinse everything away soon enough. dds and dss.
Otherwise behind a tree in park, never in playgrounds AT ALL, except possibly in an emergency through the railings
Waterbottles in car for dss, and washingup bowls in car for dds. Then away add extra water and throw away.
When you think about all the pets depositing in the park who could possibly complain about little boys or girls? If anyone criticized me I would be extremely .

By Sidge:

Does she not realise that Britain in the 21st century has these wonderful things in most dwellings and public places called toilets?

Actually no. There are a lot of parks near me with no toilet. If they have a toilet it is either in a disgusting state or out of order.

Nah Greensneeze, wasn't me.

Funnily enough I don't spend my life hanging around public places looking for puddles of piss and their creators...

insywinsyspider - I do realise that getting to a toilet isn't possible especially on a motorway. I'm not completely ridiculous. I was referring to children that are made to pee up the side of other people's cars. Peeing up your own is fine.

I have dragged the DC into a restaurant or pub to the loo if there has been one nearby. Most places don't mind at all.

A narky shop assistant rang the police about Ds2 peeing up an alleyway behind the shop she worked in once.

angelene where do you think the ducks, geese, swans and fish all wee? Not really gross when you think about it like that.

Saltire what did the police do? Did this woman have nothing better to do?

Picante - just to clarify I was referring to the potty woman StinkyPee knows who took her pre-made potties everywhere.

I think that is largely unnecessary. And if you can pee in a bush eg in a park with no loos then you don't need a potty. Voila! Life made more simple.

I've lived abroad for so long that I don't have any hang-ups about it at all ...they are children for heaven's sake ... they don't wee gratuitously ... only when they have to

and I think fresh urine is a sterile liquid isn't it? (seem to remember learning that on an outward bound survival course many years ago)

I wouldn't let a child to wee against someone's house or car of course but they usually want to be as discreet as possible anyway

having said that, some French friends of ours came to visit recently and their 4 yr old weed enthusiastically (twice) in our (town) garden ...

they were extremely nonchalant about it ...

I had to laugh

child wee far more preferable than dog poo imo

Counting
I was wondering about that. I have never seen anyone in Germany with a portable potty so thought it might be a curious British obsession.

Yes, Mme Lindt, I think it IS a peculiarly British trait to be uptight about perfectly normal bodily functions ... but it took me 15 years of living abroad to fully realise it!

[Digression: The first Christmas I lived here I went to the local pharmacy and asked in broken French for some glycerine. My dh cracked up laughing at their response: "how much do you need Madame? If it's for laxative purposes then I suggest half a litre would be sufficient". I only wanted a tiny amount to ice my Christmas cake ...]

I remember taking a barely potty trained DS2 to lego land with a potty. He refused to use those portable ones with the liners and would only go on his actual proper potty. It is quite a long walk from some parts of Legoland to the loo, so he sat enthroned watching minature Holland and then I tipped the contents onto the grass (no poo, I hasten to add)! I was mortified by the possible reactions of other people but as far as I could see everyone just smiled.

Portable potties are amost peculiar invention aren't they?
What's the point?
When they gotta go, they gotta go as long as you are reasonably discreet then what's the problem?

Picante, I have used the potette and it is brilliant!!!

I don't care where boys pee (mine does it behind trees etc) as long as I'm not going to step in it.

ok i find this really interesting because as the mum of a dd i always insist on her waiting to find a toilet if theres one close by or very discreetly in a bush in the park but i have noticed some friends of mine who have ds seem to just let them whip it out wherever. The other day a friend let her ds 4 yo pull down his pants in the middle of the grass where our toddlers were playing and have a wee.He is often allowed wee in drains and on occasion up against a doorway in town.
Then last weekend a boy of about 7 was having a week up against the tree in the playground instead of going out into the park. His parents were aware. I was

I have a ds who is still in nappies but i can't imagine allowing him free reign to wee all over the place of course there will always be occasions when he's desperate but surely you can be subtle.

I don't think it's a big deal if a small child needs a wee to just let him/her do it behind a bush or down a drain. They don't tend to produce that much, and urine is not hazardous to health unless the person has an infection of some kind.

It might not have health implications but i don't my kids playing in it just the same as i wouldn't want dogs or grown men weeing on the grass where they play.

DD is 2.6 and I let her wee in public if necessary and no toilet near by.

We do usually carry a portable potty for certain emergencies. But in the park I am increasingly prefering to have her squat on the grass (I have to squat and hold her in the right position or it would all end up in trousers anyway). It seems totally wasteful to have her pee her 40mls into a 50p potty liner that doesn't biodegrade when she could water the grass in a discrete corner instead.

We did once spend 20 mins outside the video shop sat on portable potty waiting for a particularly slow poo to emerge. Had I known I would have to loiter over her in the street for that long I'd have grabbed her and made a sprint for home 5 mins away instead!

i have allowed my children to wee in public places and have always tried to be discrete about it, ds when small did not like weeing outside and would only do so if desperate.

dd is now 3 and is not fussed at all, she can wait if we don't have far til we get to a toilet, however if like earlier when collecting ds from school and she needed to go i took her down an alley out of the way to go.

I think young children should be allowed to pee anywhere, well at least where it's least likely to be stepped on.

Legally, I understood that it was ok for children under 5 and pregnant women to pee in public - and pregnant women can go into anyone's house and demand to use their toilet .

I live in a town where there are no public toilets and the supermarket is a mile out of town, you can not use the cafe toilets unless you are a customer. So, i take ds1 to the loo before we go out but what if he needs a wee when we are in town?? I have used a potette but at 3.5 yo, quite frankly, i think its humiliating to make him sit on it in the street (particularly if his mates from nursery walk by). I have let ds1 wee on my tyres in the street and against a wall when he was totally desperate. Once he is a bit older i am sure he can hold on until we get to a loo (10 mins walk) or til we get home. I am more concerned about standing in dog poo in the street than child wee and yes, its sterile.

I must admit we always insist DS1 (9) goes to the loo before we go out and even if he says he has been already or does not want to go.

Its a good 'going out of the house' routine for dealing with boys who just frankly forget and actually do not feel their bladder is full. The number of times he has stood there arguing he does not need to go and then stormed off to the loo to produce an absolute flood!

Is it really true that children under 5 and prg women can pee in public. It does get mentioned on here from time to time, but is it an urban myth?

I would love to see a reference/some proof if possible.

I hadn't heard the claim that pg women can go into anyone's house and demand to use the toilet! What if the owner of the house was pg and already occupying the loo!?

I think it would be pretty silly if it was illegal for the under 5 to pee anywhere, tbh!
A child's wee is the last of my concerns when I walk around town. And - as we say herre in Italy... "little children's wee is totally blessed... " (no idea why, tbh)