At what age will you allow your child to go into the restroom alone? At some point you can't accompany them everywhere. But assuming both parents are available (male to accompany your son and a female to accompany a daughter) when do you make the choice to say, Eh, go ahead alone.
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I guess when DS feels ok doing it?
He is 7.5 and we were at a Phillies game and he had to pee (just me and him) and he wouldn't go in the mens room so I brought him with me - I got some looks!
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My instinctual answer is age 5, waiting nearby, but hard to say since my LO isn't even 2 yet so hard to imagine.
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My daughter is almost 5 and not tall enough to get the soap and/or turn on the water. So just for practical reasons I think at least not till 6. For safety reasons it will prob depend where we are.
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My older niece at 10 goes by herself. But my younger niece at eight, wants someone to go with her. Sometimes it's just older sister.
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My girl is 4.5 and she generally doesn't want me in the stall with her (unless it's an auto flush). But I still go into the bathroom with her because she can't always reach the soap or get the faucet turned on.
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@MamaG: yeah I don't go in the stall with DS but I do go in the bathroom with him
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Good question, my son is 5 and I don't allow him to go in alone. I know the end is near for him using the women's restroom with me, but if I am out without my husband, I can't send him in alone just yet.
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I'm very nervous about public restrooms and don't know what age I will allowing my child to go in any restroom without an adult. Growing up, a family friends child was murdered in the bathroom of a public park in San Diego while his aunt stood outside waiting for him.
needlesstosay, my parents didn't let me use public restrooms alone until I was pretty old.
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@agold: oh my that is awful
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A completely random aside on this - if you have a daughter and she's out with your DH, how do they handle the bathroom situation? Do they go to the men's room together or does he go into the women's room with her? I just realized this is going to become relevant shortly LOL
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@Mrs. Carrot: the girl would go in the restroom with the dad. I did this until it was embarassing.
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@Mrs. Carrot: Same here! I haven't even thought about that, and DH solo parents her way more than I do!
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@Mrs. Carrot: my girls go in with dh, even the locker room. he took them out once bc the bathroom was filthy but that's the only time it's been a problem. They both walk in the bathroom and see us change so neither of of them have seemed to care.
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When we go to target or to a restaurant my 7 year old goes by herself but only if I can see the door.
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@Mrs. Carrot: Well, i have a son, but I take him into the women's restroom with me.
If we had a daughter, and my husband was out with her, he'd take her into the mens room.
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Never...
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No idea, when she's comfortable with it and I feel she is responsible enough to handle it?
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Another no idea here!
@Mrs. Carrot: I can remember my dad bringing me into the men's room when I was maybe 5 or so? He called in that he was bringing his daughter in and then covered my eyes on the way to the stalls. I think he may have been overreacting a little.
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My son is 5 and I've done it a few times in the last few weeks. I mean, I stand right by the men's room door while waiting for him and I would absolutely not hesitate to open the door and walk in if I felt like it was taking too long or something was amiss. Granted, the bathrooms I've let him go into by himself have been on the smaller side, like 3 stalls max. I'm not really worried about anything happening.
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Most bathrooms here are unisex. So whenever she's old enough to reach the toilet on her own. It's not an issue otherwise.
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Based on the gender neutral bathroom post I really don't know when I would let my daughter go to the bathroom on her own, what if a guy goes in there and no one stops him because they assume he identifies as female but he actually just uses the gender neutral bathroom to prey on women/girls..... maybe I've been watching too many thrillers
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Like at the mall or grocery store? Haha high school? I honestly can't imagine it now. I think I would always go with her until she's old enough to be out on her own lol. When she's too old to go in the men's room with dh if they're out without me (maybe 10/11?), I'd want him to stand right outside the women's room and wait for her.
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@Ajsmommy: never, ever!
too many news stories about children being sexually assulted in public toilets, I will always go to the parents room when available, and even then I'm on the lookout like a hawk for creepy people.
needlesstosay, my parents didn't let me use public restrooms alone until I was pretty old.
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23 comments