Should I let him go in alone? What are my options?

I hope to answer your questions

 about the generations old problem of children and public restrooms. 

What Age Should My Child Go in to a Restroom Alone?

There are differing opinions on how old a child should be before going to the restroom alone. Ask yourself this question:  Can you live with the consequences if there is a problem and you are not in the restroom to help your child?  I would never personally let my son go into a men’s restroom alone unless he was at least 8 years old or older.  You know your child.  Teach them ahead to scream if anything was to happen.  Teach them ahead to kick wildly and claw with their fingernails if the need arose.  Stand right by the door and listen.  Tell them not to wash their hands as you will have the Purell with you.  This will keep their time in their short.  You can call out to them from the door, but do not use their name. Tell them to answer you loudly so you can hear them. 

Map Out Restroom Locations Ahead of Your Trip to Town

Many parents still need to work out a plan they’re comfortable with.  Not all public restrooms are alike. Some restrooms were designed for one person only. With a single-user restroom you would just need to tell your child to not lock the door as you stand guard outside the door.  This would cover any situation of a jammed lock that the parent couldn’t get open for the child.  Make a point of using restrooms that have single stalls only.  When I was a child in Chicago with my mother, the stalls were pay only.  If you didn’t have the money, you didn’t use the restroom toilet stall.  My mother sent me scurrying under many a stall door to open it from the other side.  Now that I think back on it, I cringe wondering what ended up on my hands!

Family Restrooms at the Malls

Plan your trips around the family-style restrooms or single toilet room.  Did you think about specific businesses having the same restroom set ups all over?  It was built into their plans.  It’s a matter of knowing where you’ll be and finding a restroom for your children before they have an urgent need to go.  Some stores in strip mall discount outlets do not let patrons use their restroom (if they even have one).  All the stores in that outlet are required to tell the customer that the restrooms are in one area by the offices of the mall.  Other outlet malls have more than one location for restrooms.  Larger malls will usually have family restrooms. 

Changing Table in the Stall for Baby

There are numerous restrooms for men and women both that now have changing tables in one stall.  I’ve even seen little harness chairs for toddlers that are walking with their parents to be put in on the inside of the stall, attached to the wall so the parent can have ‘hands free’ for themselves. 

Not a Pretty Sight on a Field Trip Emergency

My daughter was on a field trip for the kindergarten class with her son.  The train had been delayed for over an hour and the children had to use the restroom at the train station.  Upon entering the women’s restroom they found a junkie shooting up on the floor.  Of course my daughter was with her son in the women’s restroom and hurried him into a stall, shutting and locking the door.  Had she another choice she would have taken it, and their were no other options in the area such as a restaurant within walking distance.  She left quickly reporting the incident to the train station personnel.  That would be another reason to not let your young child go into a restroom alone.

Plan Ahead for Your Car Trip

Plan ahead for car trips and carry

• a ‘privacy’ blanket and
• a large super size cup with a taped straw area in the lid (or a child’s urinal) in your car for emergencies. You may never need to use them, but at least they’re available.  I
• always carry a Kleenex in my pockets in case of toilet paper outages in restrooms.  It’s saved me numerous times! Put a
• package of purse size Kleenex packet in with this ‘plan ahead kit’. 
• Keep Purell (anti-bacterial hand wash in a bottle) or hand wipes with the items and
• a gallon-sized ziplock bag.  If the cup is full and there’s no where to empty or throw it away, you’ll need the ziplock bag until you can dispose of the cup or empty the urninal.

Just remember, you’re not helpless.  I don’t know what the customs are in other countries about male children in the women’s restroom, but in the US, we allow this situation and expect the mother to inform the child to be respectful, to not peek through stall cracks or under the doors. 

Has this answered your questions about children and public restrooms?  Have anymore questions?  Leave your comments as we learn from you too!