Potty accidents/non toddler diaper changing areas

We leave in October. My anxiety is ramping up. One of my kids refuses to use a toilet to poop. He will most likely have accidents while we are at Disney if he doesn't wear a diaper. If I put a diaper on him, where can I change him? He weighs 50 pounds and is 4 feet tall, so he can't fit on a changing table. I know some of you have had to change big kids/adults at Disney - where did you go? All the food changes are going to make things even less manageable. Usually he eats a pretty specific diet, right down to the brand of nuggets and pizza..

Thanks! It's so hard to ask this question. I appreciate having a forum to be able to ask.

Some companion restrooms have changing tables that might work. Also first aid is a possibility

Oh any possibility of changing him standing up? I did that with my girls when they were older and not trained yet

Are there a lot of those? Companion restrooms? I'll have to map that out, thank you!! Are the tables high up? I have never seen one that holds a big kid, that would be awesome! I don't want him to have to lay on the floor. EW!

depends on the day, the food, etc. Sorry to be so..well, you know..detailed..lol.

First Aid may also be a possibility. I think you'll likely want to perfect standing up changing methods before you go, just for your own ease.

BUT, October is a long way away! Is there any chance that you can use Disney/Mickey as a potty training/motivational tool?

He doesn't quite understand things enough to be motived by something in the future. He is limited verbally and I'm not really sure what he does and doesn't understand, I don't think he understands that we are going to Disney. But I do know he will have an awesome time, and once we go, he will know what it is and be able to ask to go again, via his ipad! This happened with Hershey park and we were very excited! HE pressed "I WANT HERSHEY PARK" after we got home from there!
I'm trying a new probiotic to help with stomach issues but he has been refusing it. I don't blame him, it looks gross and clouds up his juice. It just won't dissolve.

The companion bathrooms are usually right next to the regular ones.

Also the changing facilities in the normal bathroom may actually work. Most of they are just a long slab and not the traditional baby changimg table so if you can lift him up there it is possible it may work. Perhaps someone could measure a few for you and see.

HarleenQ said:

First Aid may also be a possibility. I think you'll likely want to perfect standing up changing methods before you go, just for your own ease.

BUT, October is a long way away! Is there any chance that you can use Disney/Mickey as a potty training/motivational tool?

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First Aid has large cots that could be used for changing.
First Aid is usually next to the Baby Care Center, so would not be more convenient.

Treysar said:

Are there a lot of those? Companion restrooms? I'll have to map that out, thank you!! Are the tables high up? I have never seen one that holds a big kid, that would be awesome! I don't want him to have to lay on the floor. EW!

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We have used every Companion Restroom at WDW. Very few have a changing table and even those those do, often have the same kind of fold down tables you see in many restrooms outside of WDW.
The few that have more permanent 'shelf' type ones are not usually longer than the 'shelf' type ones in the regular WDW restrooms. They are pretty much counter height, so would be a high lift.

As a side note, if any other ASD parents have had success in regulating bowel movements and decreasing constipation, feel free to give advice here! I'm running out of ideas!

It made things a big "messy" but a little dark corn Karo syrup with water helped with constipation for us. It was minimal - I want to say 1 tsp per 2 oz of water but don't quote me on that. It tastes very sweet. Maybe you could put it in a colored cup each morning or night? There might be a limit on how many days in a row you use it - I'd check with a doctor first.

We've used a combination of MiraLax and prune juice. Dosing that might depend on how your child handles it but we never used the full dose as recommended on the bottle. It did take a bit of time watching and adjusting how much was helpful without being too helpful. We found approx. 1-2 Tbsp MiraLax plus 1-2 oz. of prune mixed with her regular breakfast juice worked well for DD. We did this for several years and were eventually able to adjust the MiraLax dose down and just recently weaned off the MiraLax completely in exchange for 3 oz of prune juice. Good luck!

as fair as where to change your son I would do first aid the restrooms do have counters that would more then likely hold him not sure how long they are but when you are in the restroom you could see what they look like.you would have to pick him up and put him on as they are hight up.

I agree the floor of the canpaion restroom is not the ideal place but if you are on the opisit side of the park you may find it hard to make it across the park you may want to back a changing pad in case you do have to change him now and use the canpaion restroom

If h re s too big for the counters, you could bring a beach mat to spread on the floor in the companion restroom

First, don't worry about being "detailed." We all know disability sometimes has messy side effects.

Second, I think he will be okay but probably uncomfortable on the changing tables... but that may not be a bad thing. It sounds like he does have control of his bowels, he's just choosing not to use the toilet. If that's the case, it may not be the worst thing for diaper changes to be uncomfortable. One of the reasons we used cloth diapers was that a wet baby is an uncomfortable baby and a wet toddler is more likely to have a little incentive to not be wet next time.

(Also, if Dad is coming too, remember that Disney puts changing tables in men's rooms too. Dad can share the diaper duty!)

I can sure sympathize with you! My ASD son was exactly the same. He would pee in the toilet, but never poop there until he was quite a bit older. It was over 20 years ago, so no internet or support of any kind. It just wasn't that common of a thing back then and even doctors knew very little. We just literally didn't go anywhere until he was older.

As for the food ... exact same thing. Certain brands of chicken nuggets, pizza, cereal, and Nuti-grain bars. Even when we went to Disney when he was 12, food was a huge issue. The only kinds of kids meals they had back then consisted of peanut butter sandwiches, which he wouldn't touch. It was quite the nightmare. Now, at least chicken nuggets / strips are a common item on adult menus, at the time it was not the case.

Thank you for posting this and don't be embarassed or feel weird. Our vacation is in November and I am stressing about the same thing. My DD does not have ASD but has all of the same issues (she says a few words but we just bought her an iPad to use touchchat). She will not use the potty at all. Sometimes no matter how much Miralax we give her it still does not help. She just started eating humus and it seems to be working a little. Maybe try something bean based?

My son is 26, and only poops in his sleep. (and in an amazing feat, never pees overnight, just poop!) Never has daytime events. EXCEPT AT DISNEY! It is a freaking nightmare, so I sure understand. It usually is days of not going at all, then the inevitable. I try and pre-board Miralax and give him lots of salad (which he LOVES) but it is a fine balance to try and hit it just right.

We use the companion rest rooms, or worst case, the largest HC bathroom inside the ladies room. It is one of several reasons we get a DAS; I can't be stuck in a super long line queue if this happens, with him in a large Convaid chair, it is too hard to exit quickly.

Oh, yes I have to try and do my best with him standing up (at home I lay him on his bed). The First Aid stations are really great, you get a private quiet nice clean room to work in.

I know it really isn't the same, but...

I cared for my Mom for the last 5 years of her life. Her Vascular Dementia (stroke-related) would often cause "catastrophic reactions" to things that we took for common. One night, she became afraid of her poop.

I will spare you the details, but it was horrifying. Not just the logistics of the clean-up (which still haunt me to this day) but just to see someone so afraid to poop, of her poop, of what was happening as she pooped.

Luckily, we recognized the catastrophic reaction for what it was, and so we could deal with it appropriately. She was, oddly enough, able to control her urine and hold her bladder until fairly near the end, but she lost control of her bowels very suddenly and spectacularly, and never regained control.

After that night, we created potty routines that helped to prevent any further meltdowns. Some of the things we did were:

- When she had to transition to adult pull-up diaper panties, we called them "hospital panties" because the first time she wore a pair was at the ER one night. We never referred to them as anything like a diaper.
- (Re-)Taught her to sit on the toilet, and to (while seating) reach with her hands towards her toes (so that she was "doubled over"). This enabled me better access to clean her.
- Kept plenty of wipes, plastic bags, gloves - all the supplies needed - organized right next to the toilet so that one person could help her and didn't have to call for help because something needed was missing.
- When she arrived at the point where sitting on the toilet was just to clean her up and help her change into a new pair of hospital panties, we continued to treat it just as if she was going in the toilet. There was nothing to be gained by behaving any other way, so...
- Gave her a bright, clean bandana to play with in her hands every time - it kept her distracted, and kept her hands out of the toilet. I kept a basket of clean, laundered bandanas next to the toilet with the other supplies. When the bandanas were no longer effective, we tried different things: pieces of ribbon, small "Happy Meal" toys, sponge balls, anything that would hold her interest.
- We made up a "poopy song" that we sang every.single.time she went to the bathroom. As time progressed, she could no longer sing it, but we sang it anyway as part of the routine.
- We made a point to always use the same products, the same procedure, the same steps every time she toileted. If we were going to be away from the house, I had a "go" bag (pun intended!) that was stocked with products that we took with us (yes, like a diaper bag)

Obviously, a lot of these things won't apply to the OP, but if her little person could learn to sit on the potty, and then bend forward to make cleanup easier, this might make using the larger handicap stalls and companion restrooms much easier. I wouldn't want to have to lay any member of my family on the bathroom floor anywhere, and I understand the logistics of trying to clean/change someone in unfamiliar territory.

Treysar said:

As a side note, if any other ASD parents have had success in regulating bowel movements and decreasing constipation, feel free to give advice here! I'm running out of ideas!

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I have a friend that uses Orange essential oil on her ASD daughter to help with constipation. A drop in the hand, and on each shin. I don't know why it works, but it does!