This one is for my potty training moms out there. If you aren’t there yet, save this for later because you will be! If you are past the potty training days, rejoice! And pass this on to your friends who are still in the trenches.
Be aware, we are going to talk about yucky stuff here. And what is the yuckiest part of potty training, aside from the accidents? In my opinion: public toilets.
Think about it: you trained your little one to go on the potty at home, maybe even using the 3 day method, which requires running around without pants for a good deal of the time. The first time you’re in public and your little angel says “I’ve got to go!”, you’re so excited because they actually TOLD you instead of having an accident. Hooray! You happily traipse to the nearest facility, and what do they do? Not only drop their pants, but remove their shoes and socks on the public restroom floor. *cue heart attack*
Ah, so many things to go wrong… Here is a pitfall that some of us have not foreseen: the automatic flushing toilet. Did your preschooler go through a phase where they feared being sucked down the toilet when it flushed? If they haven’t yet, it’s possible they still might. Check out this story from fellow contributor Karla:
My oldest was fully potty trained when I failed to cover up the sensor so the toilet “misfired” (for lack of a better term). This caused her to DIVE off the toilet onto the disgusting floor, which was the beginning of a public toilet phobia phase, also causing her to regress in all her former potty training.
How to prevent this shock and subsequent regression? I have a trick.
Automatic flushing toilet as you found it:
Automatic flushing toilet that no longer flushes automatically:
I just rip off a piece long enough to drape over the whole top, including the sensor eye. No fastening required! Ta-da! My kids know how this works and if they see that sneaky little robot eyeball instead of a handle, they refuse to enter the stall without the toilet paper cover.
Another common problem is lack of soap in the soap dispenser. Of course, there’s always hand sanitizer, but I take it a step further and always carry paper soap in my purse. It’s soap leaves in very thin sheets of paper that dissolve into pure soap when they are held under water and rubbed.
Those paper seat covers? I do not recommend them. When a short-legged child hops off the potty, those things become a grasping, trailing train of toilet water. No good. My advice is to make the “business part” happen as quickly as possible without the cover and just wash up well afterward.
When it comes to malls in the Dallas area, I recommend finding a Nordstrom. Find a Nordstrom bathroom and you are golden. They have huge stalls that even fit a double stroller inside and are very clean.
I’d love to hear other moms’ advice.
What tricks do you have for potty training survival in public toilets?
I found the Mommy’s Helper Cushie Traveler PottySeat Insert to be extremely helpful in potty training my daughter in public places. It doesn’t have a pee guard in the front, so I’m not sure if it would be great for boys (I haven’t potty trained a boy yet!). It folds up, fits in a small bag that’s easy to stick in your diaper bag, and is great when they are too little for ‘big’ public toilets. Fit in every public toilet we encountered. Also, it grossed me out less than having her sit directly on the potty, was more comfortable for her, and I could take it home and disinfect it and wash the bag it comes in.