Where should mothers take young sons in public restrooms?
Mothers out alone with a young son face uncertainty over whether to bring him into the women's restroom or send him into the men's room, risking discomfort for others or lack of supervision. Furthermore, public restrooms frequently lack child-sized toilets and accessible sinks, forcing parents to physically hold or brace young children to prevent them from falling.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Where should mothers take young sons in public restrooms?
- 1Taking young sons into the women's restroom until around age 5 to 7Did this help you?
- 2Standing outside the men's restroom door or just inside the doorway while the child uses it independentlyDid this help you?
- 3Holding and bracing the child on a standard toilet seatDid this help you?
- 4Carrying a travel potty seat or portable potty seat reducerDid this help you?
- 5Lifting and holding the child up to reach standard sinks to wash handsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“why are there child-sized toilets NO WHERE!? Office spaces, restaurants, random retail stores, sure okay fine. But children’s museums? Children’s gymnastics facilities? MAJOR AIRPORTS!?”source ↗
“He can’t reach the ground AND we’re dealing with one of those narrow wide oval seats??? No way this kid can relax his pelvic floor enough to poo, even if I’m bracing him.”source ↗
“when he starts using public toilets should I take him into the male bathroom? Is that ok if I take him in or would men get really uncomfortable with a woman entering their space?”source ↗
“My son’s dad doesn’t go out with us super often because of his health so it’s not that I can just get his dad to take him.”source ↗
“My 5-year-old can't reach most sinks, and it's hard to hold her up.”source ↗
“so I don't have to literally hold up my kid while she washes her hands”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 9How to handle too many bathroom breaks during class
- 4Are expensive toilets worth it over builder-grade models?
- 8How to report a broken toilet in a public restroom
- 16How do I start potty training when I don't have a yard?
- 3How to handle potty training while out and about
- 16How do I choose a school for my young child?