family restrooms?

[HopperFan]

These are Companion Bathroom signs. Two adults male/female and a wheelchair. No children in the picture as children's needs can mostly be met in a traditional bathroom. There are adults that need assistance of someone (companion) of the opposite sex and therefore it is inappropriate for them the take that person into the traditional bathroom. There are guests who's equipment can not fit into the handicapped stall particularly if they need someone with them. There are those with a disabling condition that requires them to have a sink in close proximity to the toileting area. There are guests who are older children but due to special issues not toilet trained and therefore may need some changing that can only be handled in the larger space.

There are many guests with special needs in the parks who NEED the Companion bathrooms, there are very few of them and it is disappointing to see guests using it because it's convenient or telling others they are Family Restrooms. My one exception is a Dad that is traveling alone with a little girl as men's room have urinals.

As a Mom who travels alone often with my 30 year old DS who is very disabled and can not go into the Men's room alone - these Companion bathrooms are our ONLY choice. There are not many of them, and if he has to go we often have to travel quite a distance just to get to one. It is difficult when the bathroom is tied up by those who don't require it and you can usually tell because when they open the door and see my DS waiting there - they become embarrassed, look at the ground, apologize and hold the door open for us. If I have my DH or other DS with me, we don't use them either, they take him in the regular bathroom. I guess until you are the person who really needs them - maybe you don't get how important they are to others.

 

[smitch425]

Just wanting to add that the men's restroom within the Fantasmic area at DHS also has two exits. I was alone with DS8 (now 9) and sent him in. When he didn't come out after 10 minutes, I started to get worried. There were a lot of people in the restroom since the show had just ended, so I hadn't started to panic just yet, but a few minutes later, I backed away from the door to get a better view of the building, and I found him completely alone in the back/side of the building and it was very dark. He looked absolutely terrified. He ran to me when I called his name, and I'm pretty sure I never let go of his hand until we were back in our room at POP.

ETA: As for the age thing, the local YMCA has a sign posted on the women's locker room (which leads to the pool) that no boys are permitted at age 6 and up. I think that is a good age. I mean, they go to the bathroom on their own at school, so it's not like they don't know how to do it correctly, at least I hope they do.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

These are Companion Bathroom signs. Two adults male/female and a wheelchair. No children in the picture as children's needs can mostly be met in a traditional bathroom. There are adults that need assistance of someone (companion) of the opposite sex and therefore it is inappropriate for them the take that person into the traditional bathroom. There are guests who's equipment can not fit into the handicapped stall particularly if they need someone with them. There are those with a disabling condition that requires them to have a sink in close proximity to the toileting area. There are guests who are older children but due to special issues not toilet trained and therefore may need some changing that can only be handled in the larger space.

There are many guests with special needs in the parks who NEED the Companion bathrooms, there are very few of them and it is disappointing to see guests using it because it's convenient or telling others they are Family Restrooms. My one exception is a Dad that is traveling alone with a little girl as men's room have urinals.

As a Mom who travels alone often with my 30 year old DS who is very disabled and can not go into the Men's room alone - these Companion bathrooms are our ONLY choice. There are not many of them, and if he has to go we often have to travel quite a distance just to get to one. It is difficult when the bathroom is tied up by those who don't require it and you can usually tell because when they open the door and see my DS waiting there - they become embarrassed, look at the ground, apologize and hold the door open for us. If I have my DH or other DS with me, we don't use them either, they take him in the regular bathroom. I guess until you are the person who really needs them - maybe you don't get how important they are to others.

I have never noticed these bathrooms and after doing a quick google search it appears like the only place you can find them are in a Disney park. I only looked quick but everything I saw had something to do with Disney. It is possible that some people have used them and not even realized what they were. When you look quick at them it seems like they are a unisex, handicapped accessible restroom. I do not doubt there are people that don't care and just use them. It seems though that most of them are near the rest of the restrooms. I know if I was looking for a restroom in a hurry and saw that sign it might not register because I am fortunate enough not to have to think about needing a companion bathroom. I am aware now and will keep a watch out that I don't inadvertently use one. In case anyone is looking the wdw site does have a map where they all are and it lists the companion ones as well.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/restrooms/

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Out of curiosity, where would you like moms with strollers to go to the bathroom? My last trip to Disney was mostly just me and my 6 month old; DH was at a conference. I used the handicap stall because of the stroller - I can't think of any alternatives.

This.

Do you expect the mom to just park the stroller in the general rest room while she goes in the stall? I would not do that. Also, in most places outside of WDW, the diaper changing station is located in the handicap stall.

 

[Crl1817]

No pictures of children on regular restroom signs either. I don't think that proves kids shouldn't use any bathrooms anywhere in the parks.

And I have been in restaurants where there are multiple bathrooms designed for single users and they use the woman, man, handicap symbols on every door. They are intended for everyone to use equally. There are no multiple user bathrooms of any kind, just several separate individual bathrooms all labelled in exactly the same way. The intention is clearly not that only handicapped people can use the restroom in that restaurant. (I love this set up, btw.)

So I don't think those signs on disney's restrooms are all that clear if they are meant to convey that they are for handicapped use only.

This is difficult honestly. I try to avoid using handicap accessible facilities as much as possible. But when dd was an infant, it was pretty much impossible for me to go to the bathroom while holding her unless I was wearing her in a carrier. And even that was pretty difficult to maneuver. And I wasn't going to leave her unattended in her stroller while I was in a stall. So what does that leave? I'm not allowed to go to the bathroom if I dare venture in public alone with an infant?

And if I go into a restroom with a newly potty trained kid who is seconds from an accident and the handicap stall is the only one available and no one else is waiting, am I really supposed to stand outside and let the kid pee in his or her pants? I have been there and I decided to use the handicap accessible stall. Was that really the wrong decision?

And I do understand the worry about boys alone in the men's room. I started sending ds in alone about the time he turned seven. But I'm not going to judge anyone who feels differently. And women's rooms have stalls. So I really don't care if older boys come in--I also think it is quite different from a locker room where women are likely to be naked for periods of time. I absolutely think safety trumps discomfort.

I really wish there were family restrooms widely available everywhere!

 

[kaytieeldr]

But this thread isn't about the handicap stalls (there's an active thread for that on the disABILITIES board right now). It's about the exceedingly rare companion bathrooms. There are only about six in each park.

 

[supergoofy]

I feel for you I am a dad and have daughters.

At about age 5 I stopped taking them into the mens restroom and let them use the girls and just waited at the door.

Yes it is unnerving at the start but its something that just has to be done.

 

[becpee]

And at what point do you think you'll finally cut that cord??

Do you allow him to go to the boys bathroom unescorted at school?

If you seriously think that no one (other women, or especially girls) minds healthy school age boys in the women's bathrooms, you are deluding yourself and disrespecting everyone else. A disabled boy is a separate matter, and I would hope that the mother would take the boy with her into the handicapped stall rather than leave him unattended by the sinks. (If for some reason the companion restrooms were unavailable.)

Why are you paranoid about your son using the men's room at WDW?? Do you seriously think he will be all alone at the mercy of a pedophile? Pardon the pun, but with very rare exceptions, there is a constant stream of men and boys going in and out of there all day. What risk is there? To quote another Diser: somewhere between slim and none, and slim is out of town.

It's not just at WDW i'm paranoid, i'm paranoid everywhere.

After hearing a story of a boy who went into a mens room while his mum waited outside and had his throat cut and he made no noise whatsoever.

Paranoid yes, dramatic yes, true yes.

So forgive me for not wanting to "cut the cord" as you so eloquently put it.

My kid waits inside the entry, he doesn't go peeking into stalls and I haven't had one person look sideways at him or me, so thanks for your opinion, it's different to mine

 

[Crl1817]

But this thread isn't about the handicap stalls (there's an active thread for that on the disABILITIES board right now). It's about the exceedingly rare companion bathrooms. There are only about six in each park.

But there's some assertion that those are only for handicap use. Is that correct? And if so, where should my dh take our 4 year old dd? He's not comfortable taking her into a men's room with urinals.

I feel for you I am a dad and have daughters.

At about age 5 I stopped taking them into the mens restroom and let them use the girls and just waited at the door.

Yes it is unnerving at the start but its something that just has to be done.

Girls are different on this topic, IMO. Statistically the men's room gives more cause for concern and women's rooms provide more internal privacy. So it makes sense to be more concerned about safety and less concerned about modesty with boys.

 

[muchado]

At the end of the day, we will all do what we want to do or think is appropriate for our kids. No snide comment or dirty look is going to change that for me. I would not want to break a rule or a law but in this case, it's not a rule or the law.
The pictures of the sign on the companion restrooms shows everyone can use it. It doesn't say anywhere on there that it is for ONLY the handicapped/disabled. Maybe they need to put an ONLY sign along with it.

 

[cattywampus]

Count me among those that believes Handicapped Accessible does not mean Handicapped Exclusive. They are included in the calculation for any building permit, which is based upon the total people expected to need a restroom. They are not "in addition to" regular stalls.

If there is a line and the next stall available is handicapped, I am going to use it. I don't feel compelled to leave it vacant, in case a handicapped person happens by. Being handicapped does not mean you should never expect to wait a moment for a stall to open, That being said, I am very aware that a handicapped person waiting in line only has access to those stalls and I would always defer to them.

Similarly, I don't believe companion/family restrooms are only for a very small demographic such as a handicapped adult and companion of he opposite gender. Certainly, they are one group to benefit, but there are others as well.

 

[kaytieeldr]

And, again, this thread is about non-existent family bathrooms. It's not about handicap stall etiquette.

 

[Gracie09]

I was a foster parent, I've parented 8 children some of whom were bio-siblings. I would not have allowed any of my kids to go some place without me. Not one of us can look at a child and know their needs in a first look. We can't know their history, their medical needs or developmental level. Frankly I could be the woman coming out of the companion bathroom, or filing in with a passel of boys into the ladies. Pretty much whatever you do, someone is going to judge it wrong. I took my son into the companion restroom at DTD. His tummy was upset and I needed the space. It took longer than 'normal' even though I rushed. When we came out a companion to a lady in a wheelchair made snide comment that I needed to realize the companion bathrooms were for the disabled. My son wasn't wearing a be sign that said Autism, laced with other issues full member of he disabled club... somehow we forgot to pack it. So from my point of view, parents should decide what works for their kids, and if some 'tween girl is scandalized be some little boys wee-wee, the teens parent ought to invest in a basic human anatomy book.

I too was a foster parent. And I had a little girl who was abused in every way possible by a relative in a bathroom. It took months before she was able to be in a room (not bathroom) with my husband alone without breaking down. We had assigned bathrooms in the house so she knew a man or boy would not be in her room. She got to the point where she could use a public restroom but if a tween boy (which is what the op was talking about) came in she would freak and have a melt down so great it would take her a full day to recover. PTSD is a ***** for a young kid. She said she was ok with kids smaller than her because she could beat them up. Does she not have the right to feel safe on her appropriate gender bathroom? Even if a mom is worried that the boogy man is lurking around every corner. And how is that mom suppose to protect her precious son if she is locked in a stall with her pants around her legs. The only real solution is for him to be in the stall with her. But we can't have that because they need their privacy, right?
Why is it the girls are drama queens if they are uncomfortable in a bathroom with boys? But the boys aren't (insert a name) when they can't go to the bathroom alone even though they do it every day a school a place, btw. where abuse is much more likely to occur than Disney world, and probably a hundred other different places.

 

[Gracie09]

People do realize that Disney is a molesters worse nightmare right? People constantly stream in and out of bathrooms. The entire place except for in the bathrooms are covered in security cameras. There are uniformed and undercover security every where as well as cm in uniform and out. The entire place is crawling with families (unlike other amusement parks that attract teens, young adults, 20somethings). Families are more likely to recognize a child in trouble and react. And they have to pay $$& to get in where they could go to a local park and have access to the same age of kids for free, without cameras, and without as many families.and lots of hidey holes

 

[pampam]

Out of curiosity, where would you like moms with strollers to go to the bathroom? My last trip to Disney was mostly just me and my 6 month old; DH was at a conference. I used the handicap stall because of the stroller - I can't think of any alternatives.

to the dis.

I agree with you about babies in strollers. But I think the OPs son was 9, so it is quite different. The rest of my comments are not specifically directed at you, I just wanted to say hi.


My precious DD is in a wheelchair, and is on oxygen so it is quite a challenge to find a washroom which we can fit into. And of course everyone has their own point of view. The comparison I use, is if there were no Companion restrooms, what would you do? Would you soil yourself because all your children couldn't fit into the stall, would you cram them all in somehow, would you have the older children look after the younger children while you used the washroom, would you bring all the kiddies in the washroom and leave the door open, ...I guess what I'm trying to say, is there are always choices. But when someone needs assistance and is in a wheelchair, or connected to life support with a 7' hose, those choices are quite limited. I respect peoples decisions so while they might not be what I would do, whatever. However, I wish that they would think about other people and leave the companion washrooms to those who need them.

 

[becpee]

I know most of these comments are about whose allowed to use what bathroom and be in what bathroom and the rest of it, and everybody has the right to feel safe, all the time.

An earlier comment really struck something with me, somebody has had a shot at me because i'm "not ready to cut the cord yet", but you don't know my circumstances.
Chances are you don't know the circumstances of anybody walking around the park, the shops, the football stadium and you don't know why they do the things they do.

People have reasons for the things they do, if they're bringing their child into the bathroom with them they may have a really good reason for it...

 

[ladyjubilee]

I too was a foster parent. And I had a little girl who was abused in every way possible by a relative in a bathroom. It took months before she was able to be in a room (not bathroom) with my husband alone without breaking down. We had assigned bathrooms in the house so she knew a man or boy would not be in her room. She got to the point where she could use a public restroom but if a tween boy (which is what the op was talking about) came in she would freak and have a melt down so great it would take her a full day to recover. PTSD is a ***** for a young kid. She said she was ok with kids smaller than her because she could beat them up. Does she not have the right to feel safe on her appropriate gender bathroom? Even if a mom is worried that the boogy man is lurking around every corner. And how is that mom suppose to protect her precious son if she is locked in a stall with her pants around her legs. The only real solution is for him to be in the stall with her. But we can't have that because they need their privacy, right? .

Ah so as long as the situation works for your child then that must be how it is for everyone? What if you next placement is a boy that was molested in the bathroom whose ptsd incidents are triggered by men in the bathroom? Would you send him alone into a crowded mens room? or would you send your fire starter? Or the child you know is a peeper or acts out? Every childs history and experience is different. None of us controls what other people do, but we do decide for our own kids.... not to mention the consequences of severe neglect.... so lets not pretend everyone is afraid of the mythical bogey man. They may have very real reasons that aren't your business.

Oh and since many Disney visitors are non English speakers, would you send your child put of sight on a crowded park in a foreign country? One known for a high crime rate and murders?

 

[Dismama2boys]

to the dis.

Thank you!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

So from my point of view, parents should decide what works for their kids, and if some 'tween girl is scandalized be some little boys wee-wee, the teens parent ought to invest in a basic human anatomy book.

What a terribly dismissive tone you took with that. Thanks for belittling my young teen daughter's concerns and feelings.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I thought anyone was allowed to use the companion or wheelchair- accessible stalls as long as no one with a disability is waiting to use it of course (they would go first)