Public Restrooms and Potty Training - Tucson,AZ

I discovered that it's the noise of the flushing that frightened my daughter, especially the automatic flush. I ususally hold my hand over the sensor until she's done but even to this day she's a bit leery and she's 5 1/2 years old.

I used pull-ups when we were out in public. There are a few reasons for doing this. One... sometimes they are distracted in public and don't give much warning. Also, I don't trust public bathrooms to be clean.

I had this problem with my oldest daughter (who is now 7). I carried post-it notes with me and put one over the sensor in the public restrooms so that the toilet wouldn't flush on her. The key was to show her that the toilet wouldn't flush with the post-it note over the sensor. We practiced removing the post-it and counting how long it would take to flush (usually about 10 seconds or so), which made her realize she really could trust the post-it note "method." When she went to kindergarten, her school had automatic flushers so I put post-it notes in her pocket every day for about the first half of the year. Where your daughter is still small, you can get (I've seen them at Walmart) fold-up potty seat inserts so she won't "fall" into the toilet. For my 2nd daughter, I always go to the handicapped stall so she can old onto the grab bar while I'm holding her on the seat. I also have a potty seat that I keep in the back of my car. I line it with plastic bags and then put the bag in an old margarine container until I can dispose (so if all else failed, I could take them to the car). Good luck! I hope some of this helps.

My baby is only 1 and she is my first but I laughed when I read you question cuz I thought of my husband and some friends of mine. My husband won't use the potties at the store either no matter how bad he has to go. He will drive home. I also work with a few girls who are the same way..haha I guess some kids never grow out of it..lol

I had the same potty problem withmy 2 year old.

Soutwest Plaza Mall has family bathrooms with little potties for todddlers.

I told her that "Look they made little potties just for you"

She got so excited so she used them. Then I took her to the Disney Store for a prize. It took a couple of times but after that she just started using the big potties.

If you live far call around to the local malls, but it is worth the drive for dryness.

Hope this

I had the same problem with my daughter. The problem that I had with her was that I had put her on a public potty one time and it flushed while she was on it twice. This was months ago and she still refuses to use the potty when we are out so what I did was go to babies are us and get their baby bjorn travel potty and I just keep it in the car and have my daughter go in it before and after shopping and such, obviously you have to bring baby wipes to wipe it out when they are done. That is what I have been doing and it seems to be working out just fine.

Hi L.,

I don't know if I have the best advice, but here it goes. My daughter is 3, and we went through the same thing. I personally, have a fear of public restrooms. Unfortunatly, I think that has passed to my daughter.

Here's what I do. I have a padded potty seat that I carry in my diaper bag. I have found that the harder plastic ones can pinch their bottoms. I also have extra large sticky potty covers. I put the disposable potty cover down (they have a sticky back) and then her padded potty seat. It works well for "cleaner" potties. However, in the event of an "icky potty" I have a travel potty in my car. Like this one:

http://www.babyant.com/bv550119.html

I know its a little more work, but my daughter loves it. The travel potty even came with a nice case and I can take it other places as well.

Good luck to you guys!!

I have a folding potty seat for my 2 1/2 year old but she didn't like it. So, one day when she was sitting on the potty at home we decorated it with elmo stickers (like her little seat at home). Now she likes using it in public places (and even asks for her "elmo seat"). In addition, we like to offer her choices and I had read somewhere about having them sit backwards on toilets. She used to like doing this as well ... more of a pain since you have to basically take their pants off, but it gave her the choice (frontwards or backwards) and maybe because she was not facing me or maybe because she was more comfortable she was able to go in public that way.

K.

Hi L.
My daughter was the same way, especially around those toilets that automatically fluch for adults when they are done, but like to flush "mid job" when toddlers are on them. For that problem, I had to stand behind her and put my hand over the sensor until she was done(gross I know-but I didn't know what else to do!). I also remember actually sitting behind her on the toilet (kept my clothes on, just straddled it) and held on to her from the back. She is now 7 and is still very annoyed by the automatic flushers! Good luck! Public bathrooms are so gross!!

Although I am awaiting the arrival of my first this March I'd like to share a possibility. What about having her try sitting on the 'big' potty at home facing the tank. That way she can also have something to hold on to to feel more stable. Maybe she feels like she'll fall in? She might feel more comfortable using a 'big' when out and about if she faces the other way?

When my daughter was that young and potty training I had a fold up seat we could put on the big potties at stores that worked sometimes. It took awhile but I finally realized what scared her was the "Loud Flushers" as she called them. The toilets with out the regular tanks that most public restrooms have. I could not get her on them until finally I had to send her out of the stall she would cover her ears and then I could flush for her after we started that she was ok. The one thing that still bothers her (shes 5) are the motion sensor ones I still have to go in and cover them with my hand until she is finished. It could be something like that bothers your daughter. I think I bought her a balloon at the grocery store the first time I got her to use that potty and coverher ears so I could flush.

My youngest will be six in March and she will not use a potty that flushes by its self unless I cover the lens part of it.:) I know some places have little potties for kids, so keep an eye out for them and for Family Restrooms. I think you can buy a folding seat that will fit over the regular toilet seat and make it appeat smaller.

my daughter was TERRIFIED of using any other potty besides her little kid potty. i bought this thing from target online called the "potty pal." basically it a little potty that hooks to the big potty so it has a smaller hole and they don't feel like they are going to fall in. once i installed it (very easy to do) she started using it right away. i just recently took it off and now she has no issues with using the big, scary potty. good luck!

Have you tried the potty ring that sits on top of a toilet? They have foldable ones, and also nice cushiony ones that require a decent size diaper bag to fit in. You could get a nice princess one or something. Start her using it at home until she's comfortable with it - and then she can use it on public toilets.

They also have portable "On the Go" potties that you might like to try.

Good luck!

Some potty chairs have a seat which is designed to be removed, to place on the toilet seat. They are made for transitioning to the big potty, but make good travel potty's, portable enough to put in a cloth sack or bag. The child fells secure because it fits their body, unlike the big toilet seat which is hard to sit on and also reveals the big hole filled with water underneath them.

those self-flushing potties still scare my 3 1/2 year old daughter. the first time we encountered a problem was at the airport and she hadn't gone in a few hours and we were about to connect to a new flight. i knew she had to go. so i tried coaxing her, rewarding her, punishing her, i just was at my wits end! some lady heard her next to us and suggested maybe i hold her over it. so i tried that and she finally reluctantly went. slowly but surely she's starting to be less scared, but it's hard still! she'll still refuse to go some days. even if she heard the toilet next to her go off she'd freak out and get off the potty she was on. i think i like the idea the other lady said about the post-it notes. i'll try it myself! :o) good luck!

This really won't help you right now but my daughter who turned three in september had the same problem. She would give in and try sitting on the big potties sometimes but could never bring herself to actually go. Now i'm not sure why she changed her mind at all but now she can't get enough of them! I really hate this, if she knows we're going somewhere she will wait despite all my arguments to go until we get there. Every store we go into she absolutely has to go to the bathroom! The only thing I can say is that she is still scared of the loud flushing toilets, so I tell her that we won't flush until she is all the way out. After she is done she goes and stands by the sinks so I can flush the toilets. many times she tells me "See Mommy it's not loud" I don't know if that will help you now but it may prepare you for my situation.

Besides the inserts and foldable seats, maybe bring a pack of mini sticky notes to cover the sensor on self-flushing toilets. With a sticky note over it, it will not go off until you and your daughter are ready for it. If she can stick the note on, she might also feel more in charge of it.

Good luck!
D.

I have not had this problem myself with my daughter and with my son he was not afraid but more distracted so going in public was a challenge. Some of my friends had this issue and one of them got those little potty seat that you can take with you and put on the big potty. You can also bring a potty in the car I have a friend that kept one in the car.. a little wierd but it worked for them. My kids both moved from the little potty to big potty on their own quickly.

At toys r us they have a portable "toddler toilet seat cover". It folds up to about 6" X 6" and I put it in the diaper bag and it unfolds to create a potty. Here is a link.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=230465...

Good luck!

They sell foldable potty seats that can fit in the diaper bag. We got ours at Babies R Us. My son had the same problem. Just be sure to get the better on. We got the store brand first and it folded on him. Also, my daughter (4 1/2) doesn't like the self flushing toilets. The don't detect her real well and if she shifts, they flush while she's on it and scares her. Hope this helps!

We did the folding potty seat and it worked very well. I couldn't find one with a guard for our son, but then a girl doesn't have that problem. We plan to use it for our next little guy. It keeps them from having to sit directly on the disgusting toilet seat.

K