AnitaMcC Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Just a question for all of you who send young children into bathrooms alone.....aren't you concerned about the gross factor? I mean, a lot of public bathrooms are icky, have pee on the toilet, etc. Safety aside, I couldn't imagine sending my young children into a public bathroom and expecting them to touch as little as possible. I mean, my 4 year old wouldn't be able to climb up onto a toilet without putting her hands on the seat and pulling herself up....ick, that gives me the willies just thinking about it. I have to lift her onto it and I have her hold onto me (and this is after I put a seat cover on it). Not to mention the fact that automatic flush toilets tend to flush on their own and give your booty a spray. We carry post it notes to put over the sensors. My girls are 7 and 4 and are not allowed to go in alone due to both safety and sanitary reasons. I am with you on this. It is just gross!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin's Song Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Wow. I am seriously surprised at how many people are offended by little boys being in the womens' restroom. My little boy is 5 and he is still a little boy--not some pervert trying to peek at middle aged women through bathroom stalls :tongue_smilie:. I am a conservative Christian and we teach our little ones about modesty and privacy at home. To make someone feel like a pervert for bringing her 6 y/o son into the restroom with her is outrageous. To encourage your children to humilitate another family for doing so is outrageous. Perhaps people should find fewer things to be offended about... This is stranger than the time a lady from church asked me if I minded if she changed her 4 month old daughter's diaper in front of my 4 month old son, and then proceeded to ask me about the status of his foreskin :001_huh::lol: To the OP--When our girls were that age my husband would take them in with him if there was no other option. He always waited until the restroom was empty, but he obviously had no control if someone walked in after him. Usually, though, men can hear the little ones in the restroom with daddy and take care to be discreet. We have a 7y/o girl, 5y/o boy, and a 3y/o girl that we send together into the womens restroom now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 http://www.cnn.com/US/9811/16/boy.killed.02/ This is why I took my boys in the restroom with me. The above story, is it rare? Sure, but I don't want one of my children to be one of those rare stories that you see on the news. If I don't feel like it's safe they go with me. If people get upset about it (and they never have), oh well, I can handle a couple of strangers being mad at me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Just a question for all of you who send young children into bathrooms alone.....aren't you concerned about the gross factor? I guess to me, the sanitary thing is something kids *have* to learn. I do expect my boys to go in the bathroom alone without touching stuff. We started at age 4 in relatively clean public restrooms, but I've sent them into some ones I'm sure are truly disgusting now at age 6 and I always ask if they washed their hands and then I just let it go. To me, parenting is all about letting those kinds of worries go. We wash hands and I just can't dwell on it because if I did dwell on every little thing I'd go nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Ah. I should have read the thread before I answered, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Quoting you from another post you made on this thread (don't know how to double quote): >>My son is disabled and from about 3 he does not go in a girls bathroom.<< That's where I got the age of 3. That's fine that you don't find your children's questions rude, but I don't find it rude or inappropriate to bring a child of the opposite sex into the bathroom. There's also a big difference between politely telling someone that you're uncomfortable with their presence and asking them if they can read. Different strokes for different folks I suppose. At three he went to a pre-k and the teacher helped with boundaries. He has autism, once he knew what those pictures were for he wouldn't go in a girl bathroom after that. My other son was 5 when he stopped. Once they can manage the toilet I let them go alone. They know how to wipe the toilet off by then. I know my younger kids would ask because they have been taught it's wrong. Exactly different strokes but I will not feel bad for expecting my daughters to use the girls bathroom without boys there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaMcC Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Honestly I got lucky when dealing with my kids going in public restrooms. I think about 95% of the time I had an older (teenish or older) go in with the youngers once the kids were about age 5+. I only did this once the youngers were potty trained and didn't need assistance. I just couldn't send my 10 yr old Ds#1 in with his 4yr old brother who still needed assistance. Yes I can imagine it.... Ds#3 to Ds#1... "Brother please wipe my booty", Um wasn't going to happen-LOL. Dh has only had to take Dd into mens room a few times. One time he just asked a male employee to stand outside the bathroom and asked to "warn" other men/boys that a man had to take his daughter in the mens room. This was at Home Depot and Dd just couldn't "hold it". At that time she was still potty training and Dh forgot to put her in a pullup before leaving house. But I was so excited and thrilled when family bathrooms became available!!!!!! Most public places like malls, movie theatres, airports, etc have the family bathrooms. A few travel plazas offer handicap restrooms that are not part of the larger ones. I don't like to use these as it can be a huge inconvenience for a handicapped person not be able to use the restroom designed for them. But in a pinch, well I will use it (thankfully in the 16 years we have had kids I only had to do this once). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaMcC Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 http://www.cnn.com/US/9811/16/boy.killed.02/ This is why I took my boys in the restroom with me. The above story, is it rare? Sure, but I don't want one of my children to be one of those rare stories that you see on the news. If I don't feel like it's safe they go with me. If people get upset about it (and they never have), oh well, I can handle a couple of strangers being mad at me. Exactly!!!! I do not want MY child to be that rare statistic when all I have to do is be vigilant and not let my kids out of my sight in public places. Just heart breaking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I hate these threads. Hate them. My kids use the gender-specific bathroom starting around school age. I think most stories of kids getting killed and molested are urban legend. Or like the "telephone game". The incident changes, grows and so does the frequency of events as people talk. The news stories offer a skewed perception of the risk. I'll say it again - kids are (by far) more at risk in Youth Group, Boy Scouts, at home at Thanksgiving. As for the "gross factor", I have rarely seen truly gross bathrooms in all my 45 years. Even gas-station bathrooms seem to have been cleaned up a bit for the most part. The bathrooms we used when my teens were little were McDonalds, the mall, play places, YMCA, etc. All of them were clean and stocked. I personally would not want a female child in the men's room past 5 or a male child in the women's room past age 7. I think it is unnecessary and discourteous. I would make exceptions at airports and rest-stops. I percieve more safety danger in those settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah C. Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I remember going into a men's restroom with my dad when I was around 4 or 5. My mom wasn't with us. He had me cover my eyes as we went through the open area. At that age, I still needed help occasionally in the bathroom, so the women's restroom may not have been a workable option even if it was completely safe. I would feel better about sending a 5yo girl into a women's restroom by herself than I would about sending a 5yo boy into a men's restroom by himself. I agree with pps that restroom safety also depends on the restroom - if it's a high-traffic area, I would keep my opposite-gender kids with me even at older ages, especially in a place like an airport. I have never seen a women's bathroom without doors on the stalls. I wouldn't use the bathroom if that were the case, period. I've never been offended by moms with little boys in the bathroom with them. It makes sense to me. Also, if I need to adjust my clothing I do it in the stall, not by the sinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 My dh quit taking the girls into the men's room with him when Boo-Boo asked why it was that boys peed out of their hands. :lol: He now stands right outside the ladies room when they go in if he has them out alone. My 9 year old usually goes on her own now but if the 7 year old needs to go, at least her big sister has to be with her. My 9 year old is more responsible than most teens I know. We are never far out of sight of the door though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 [quote=clarkacademy;2848349 Yes my daughters would question an adult who brought a school aged boy in the bathroom and I don't care if you would find it rude. I might be standing there fixing my 6 yr olds panties and I don't want anyones son looking at her booty. It's a girls bathroom and you can be safe and respectful at the same time. So fix your kid's panties in the stall like everyone else. :nopity: Sheesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtney.byrum Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 DS6 goes in the Women's room with me IF I need to go and don't feel comfortable leaving him alone outside the bathrooms. If he needs to go and I don't then I usually will just wait outside the men's room for him. He is super easily distracted so I often have to open the door a bit and yell for him to hurry up and I don't think I'd be ok in certain places (airport, rest areas, etc) doing this but as long as I can wait outside for him I'm usually willing to let him go alone. When he does come in he either stands right outside my stall or uses a stall himself and then waits for me if he is done first. It's never been an issue for us and I've never seen stalls without doors --- I wouldn't use them if I did so I guess it's a non-issue for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 So fix your kid's panties in the stall like everyone else. :nopity: Sheesh. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoorsy Type Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 My 7 and almost 9yo will go in the mens restroom together in places I feel are safe. I started letting them about last year. Most of the time I try to find single stall restrooms or family restrooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 From a practical standpoint, neither my 5 or 7 yo boys can even reach the soap and/or paper towel dispensers in most public restrooms. If they go in the men's room together (which they do if I am out with both of them) then either they have to ask a stranger to help them reach these items or they have to use hand sanitizer (I keep a small bottle in my bag for them in these cases). It seems one can't win for losing sometimes. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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