Is it alright to have 6 y/o boy share the toilet with mom?

[NotUrsula]

*REMINDER RE: COMPANION RESTROOMS*

Just remember that the "family restrooms" are actually companion restrooms meant for the disabled, who literally need help inside the stall to get their clothing undone or to transfer to the toilet from a wheelchair, so *please* only use them if the situation *really* warrants it, not when it's just the most convenient thing to do.

Also, if you use one of those restrooms (and I think that it is OK for the able-bodied to use them in sticky mixed-sex situations, btw), then make it a point to be as quick as you can, so as not to make someone who really needs that sort of restroom wait for you. Don't take time to fix hair, makeup, etc.

Many times people with that sort of medical condition cannot hold it for very long, or don't get a lot of warning. I'm sure no one here would want to be responsible for them being unnecessarily humiliated in such a public place. Most passerby don't react much if a little one has a toilet accident, but it is a much more embarassing situation for an older child or adult.

 

[frayedend]

*REMINDER RE: COMPANION RESTROOMS*

Just remember that the "family restrooms" are actually companion restrooms meant for the disabled, who literally need help inside the stall to get their clothing undone or to transfer to the toilet from a wheelchair, so *please* only use them if the situation *really* warrants it, not when it's just the most convenient thing to do.

Also, if you use one of those restrooms (and I think that it is OK for the able-bodied to use them in sticky mixed-sex situations, btw), then make it a point to be as quick as you can, so as not to make someone who really needs that sort of restroom wait for you. Don't take time to fix hair, makeup, etc.

Many times people with that sort of medical condition cannot hold it for very long, or don't get a lot of warning. I'm sure no one here would want to be responsible for them being unnecessarily humiliated in such a public place. Most passerby don't react much if a little one has a toilet accident, but it is a much more embarassing situation for an older child or adult.

Okay, this makes no sense. Are these bathrooms labeled "family restroom" or are they labeled "handicapped restroom only"? I am not saying the situation you describe doesn't happen or that there shouldn't be dedicated restrooms for disabled people, but I am saying that in every place I have ever been "Family Restroom" has meant it was for men and women with children to change or potty.

 

[christinadei]

I was at Six Flags New England with my wife and 2 sons. I took my son to the bathroom to change him but there was no changing table. My wife was in another area of the park. I ask an employee if there was a changing table in a mens room and was told no, only the ladies room.

I had no choice so I poked my head in the ladies room and said loudly, "There is a man coming in to change a diaper, is that okay?" Well I got 2 yells back that it was okay, and another that said "honestly go find a mens room" in a very rude voice. I proceeded in and told the woman that she should not complain to me, but to the idiots who design parks and think that only women change their kids diaper. She just shook her head and left. Oh well, what else could I do. Imagine the looks if I changed him on a park bench.

I just want to say "GOOD FOR YOU".

I take DS 5 in with me if it's just us. DH hates it and if he's around, he takes him in the mens room.

If it were a daughter and dad? I think it depends where. If there is more than one door, I wouldn't let her go in there, but if not and I felt it was safe, I'd let her go in and call out to her to be sure she's okay often. That way, you know she's okay and if there is a predator in there, they will know you are there and not going away, so they won't get away with anything.

 

[Miss Park Avenue]

OK....just my opinion only but...


Companion restrooms are just that. For people who need companions, whether it's disabled needed some extra help, or mom with her son, dad with his daughter. OR a mom with multiple kids who could use the extra convenience of a sink in the same room. So I could have one "going" while the other is washing up. I use them whenever I see them, there are no signs that say they are for disabled only.

 

[pixiepower1971]

There are companion/family restrooms all over Disney. I clearly remember them at MGM by TOT and also up the street in the other restroom. Also over by Muppets. I think they have them by most bathrooms.

My girls are 7 and 9. They can go in together if DH is the only one there. If he only has 9 year old she can go into womens room alone but he stays right by the door. 7 year old gets carried by Dad to a stall in mens room with her eyes closed and down on his shoulder. If the family bathroom is available you bet he will take them in there!

I have no problem with kids in opp sex bathrooms so long as parents remind them that they don't look under the stalls! Not only is it rude but it REALLY upsets "maturing" girls to have a boy do that. Yes, we have experianced that and yes he was old enough to know better!

 

[beattyfamily]

If I'm remembering correctly, the family/companion restrooms are for a family of people to go together and geared more toward a family then a disabled person, although, of course, they can use it as well. There's even a changing table in it. Some even have a picture of an adult and a child to show what kind of bathroom it is.

Anyway, there aren't that many so they aren't always that convenient but they certainly are a great option if you are near one.

 

[Nicolepa]

Anyhow, does Disney have changing tables in the Mens room? I won't need them at this point since he is training, but I am curious.

Yes the mens room at Disney all have changing tables. When we were in the diaper years my dh would take the baby/toddler and change them while I went potty or took the older one potty. There are also the baby care centers.

As for the OP, I have no problem w/a 6 yo in the restroom. There is no way I would allow my 6 yo would go to the restroom alone.

 

[disneyfreak74]

DS is 6 and he MIGHT be able to go to the men's room WITHOUT me (I'm the mom with my foot holding the door open a bit and DS is the boy either saying his ABC's or just jabbering (that way I know he is ok) BUT since DD 2 is now potty trained. There is not WAY!!! What am I to do? Put him on a bench and tell him to sit still? He would do that but I would be scared to leave him. We always walk straight in, hi shead down and I usher him and DD to the FIRST stall!!! Everyone takes their turn with everyone else's nose to the door!!!

Will this scar him for life? I do not think NEARLY as much as if something were to happen to him while he was in the MEN"S room UNSUPERVISED!!!

Now. . . on his end . . . if u ask him!!! HE HATES IT!!!! He is a BIG boy and does not want to go to the GIRL's bathroom!!!

Well tough. . .when DH is not with us, it's to the bathroom with mom!!!!

 

[WantToGoNow]

I still make my 4 y/o ds go into the women’s restroom with me but he is starting to put up a fuss about it. I tell him that I cannot go into the men’s room so he has no choice but to go with me or not go. My dh also takes my dd into the men’s room – granted she is only 2 right now and wouldn’t know if she did see something. I did ask him though how long he thought that would be appropriate. He said you really couldn’t see anything because of the way urinals are made. We will be going in December and I guarantee if my dh is not around to take my then 5 y/o son, he will be going with me. I have gotten separated from my adult daughter at some of those restrooms with two entrances/exits and I won’t take that chance with a small child.

 

[disneyfreak74]

If I'm remembering correctly, the family/companion restrooms are for a family of people to go together and geared more toward a family then a disabled person, although, of course, they can use it as well. There's even a changing table in it. Some even have a picture of an adult and a child to show what kind of bathroom it is.

Anyway, there aren't that many so they aren't always that convenient but they certainly are a great option if you are near one.

They are there but like you said most are companion restrooms. Not like the family restrooms that you can find.

I started to use one at epcot but couldn't bring myself to hold up a restroom that someone with needs could actually have to wait on a 2 yr to "finish" (we all know how long that can take).

 

[vicceja]

Hi!

Absolutely!
If my husband is not available to take the boys to the bathroom and the family bathrooms are taken...believe me they will be walking into the ladies room with me (which they absolutely hate). Just this year I started letting my 10 year old go to the bathroom on his own...but if he's not out in 5 minutes.....

 

[beattyfamily]

They are there but like you said most are companion restrooms. Not like the family restrooms that you can find.

I started to use one at epcot but couldn't bring myself to hold up a restroom that someone with needs could actually have to wait on a 2 yr to "finish" (we all know how long that can take).

I didn't say that most are companion rooms, as matter of fact, I think they are more for families so I disagree. I think they are for both families and the handicapped. I feel no guilt whatsoever using them. I have never ever thought they were for disabled people only.

I could understand if we are talking about a handicapped stall in a regular bathroom with a bunch of stalls, although I also wait to use them too when I have my two girls with me, but I'm talking about 'family rooms' with changing tables and sometimes, I thought, a picture of a woman and a child holding hands on the sign outside (although I could be thinking of the family bathrooms at the local mall).

I can't wait to go back now and see exactly what the sign outside looks like. If it's meant for a handicapped person or a family or both. I've used the one at Epcot near The Land many times and never thought I was using a handicapped bathroom. I thought I was using a 'family' or 'companion' bathroom. Also, I never thought of a companion room as a handicapped room but rather a bathroom for anyone with more then one person going together.

 

[Talking Hands]

I didn't say that most are companion rooms, as matter of fact, I think they are more for families so I disagree. I think they are for both families and the handicapped. I feel no guilt whatsoever using them. I have never ever thought they were for disabled people only.

I could understand if we are talking about a handicapped stall in a regular bathroom with a bunch of stalls, although I also wait to use them too when I have my two girls with me, but I'm talking about 'family rooms' with changing tables and sometimes, I thought, a picture of a woman and a child holding hands on the sign outside (although I could be thinking of the family bathrooms at the local mall).

I can't wait to go back now and see exactly what the sign outside looks like. If it's meant for a handicapped person or a family or both. I've used the one at Epcot near The Land many times and never thought I was using a handicapped bathroom. I thought I was using a 'family' or 'companion' bathroom. Also, I never thought of a companion room as a handicapped room but rather a bathroom for anyone with more then one person going together.

The ones at Disney have a handicapped symbol on them and a man and woman. THey are not labelled family restrooms at all nor do the have an adult and a child.

 

[beattyfamily]

The ones at Disney have a handicapped symbol on them and a man and woman. THey are not labelled family restrooms at all nor do the have an adult and a child.

Thanks. I still think it's a companion room for anyone to use and I never ever thought I was doing anything wrong by using it with my two girls. I didn't think it was just for handicapped people to use.

 

[NotUrsula]

The signs look like this (page down a bit): http://disney.go.com/vacations/websites/disabilities/mk/welcome.html

I never suggested that parents w/ children should not use them at all; only that it behooves the able-bodied to be considerate of those who might not have any alternative to using this type of restroom. Why on earth would anyone want to argue against basic human kindness?

I believe that Disney has no objection to families using them, but if I'm not mistaken (SueMn could tell us), I think that they don't appear on the regular park maps with this symbol, but only on the special maps for the disabled. By itself, the presence of a changing table means nothing; lots of disabled people have children. The height of the toilet is also a clue.

Note that the restrooms in the baby care centers are of course specifically set up for parents w/ small children.

 

[beattyfamily]

The signs look like this (page down a bit): http://disney.go.com/vacations/websites/disabilities/mk/welcome.html

I never suggested that parents w/ children should not use them at all; only that it behooves the able-bodied to be considerate of those who might not have any alternative to using this type of restroom. Why on earth would anyone want to argue against basic human kindness?

I believe that Disney has no objection to families using them, but if I'm not mistaken (SueMn could tell us), I think that they don't appear on the regular park maps with this symbol, but only on the special maps for the disabled. By itself, the presence of a changing table means nothing; lots of disabled people have children. The height of the toilet is also a clue.

Note that the restrooms in the baby care centers are of course specifically set up for parents w/ small children.

Thanks for the photo.

I'm not arguing against basic human kindness for goodness sake. I just always thought they were family/handicap rooms just like the ones at the mall, to be used by families and/or handicapped people. Like I said before, I never thought I was taking a bathroom away from a handicap person.

Since I'm not at Disney right now in one of those bathrooms, I can't see (or remember) the height of the toilet but I'll take note of it next time I'm there.

Of course, if I saw a handicapped person heading to the companion bathroom, I'd let them go first, but I will continue to use them, just as I use the handicap stall in a regular bathroom. I don't see anything wrong with that if I have 2 little ones to watch. If I'm alone then I'll wait for a smaller stall.

In most bathrooms I go to, not necessarily Disney's but others, the one and only changing table is located in the handicap stall which leads me to believe they know (and expect) that the handicap stall is not only for the handicapped but also for a mother and her child/children. Again, if I see a handicapped person waiting, of course I'd let them go first.

 

[NotUrsula]

I think that disabled people who would object to your mere presence in such a restroom at WDW are few and far between; I know my mother wouldn't have minded seeing a Dad with multiple small children walk out of one. However, if we had been waiting 20 minutes for the door to open only to see the children run to their Mom waiting outside, that might have brought a frown to her face.

These restrooms *are* more convenient for parents, and one thanks heaven for their existence when is one is alone w/ multiple young kids, or when one is alone with a young opposite-sex child. However, there are MANY fewer of them than stalls in the regular restrooms, so if you have multiple adults in your party, or when the child is old enough to handle toileting solo, it is more considerate to use the regular restrooms if you can, and to be aware of the time if you cannot.

I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty or scold anyone, just to raise awareness. The existence of these restrooms makes Disney visits possible for many people who otherwise might not be able to go. Most people who have never dealt with the toileting needs of severely disabled adults probably never think about what a challenge it is for a husband to have to help his wife use the toilet whilst at a public place, or for a mom to have to change the diaper of her 6-ft tall teenaged son. You need considerable space and real privacy to be able to do those things with dignity.

 

[Lord Fantasius]

I have been in the ladies room on several occaisons where a dad takes a young daughter into the ladies room. I personally don't have a problem with that. When my boys were young I took them into the ladies room with me.

I guess I would have a problem with a dad taking a daughter into the ladies room...no male is above visual stimuli! I don't mind parents taking children in with them into the parent's appropriate bathroom, but into the other bathroom? For every women, in particular, that says she doesn't mind a man coming into a ladies bathroom (unless its empty), there are probably ten others that really do mind.

Do any of you announce you're coming in with a child of the opposite sex if the child is older? I'm not talking about 2- or 3-yo's, but 8- or 9-yo's.

Admittedly it would be nice to have more family bathrooms, or even bathrooms that are marked for fathers/daughters since women's bathrooms tend to have individual stalls for mothers to bring their sons in with them, but it would help alot if people/Disney just kept the men's room cleaner. For some reason the bathrooms in Fantasyland (at both MK & DL) are pretty disgusting by afternoon so I don't know what cleaning Disney does during the day, but the days I've been there it hasn't been much.

I like the individual bathroom idea, but Disney would have to restructure the area, so don't think it's going to happen anytime soon.

-R

 

[NotUrsula]

...no male is above visual stimuli!

Um, *what* visual stimuli? As long as the stall doors are in working order, the most one might [normally] accidentally glimpse in a WDW ladies' room is someone straightening a bra strap or correcting a wedgie. A warning shout-out should take care of that; the voice is immediately noticeable in a room full of women.

Now if your kid was a crack-peeper, yes, that could be a problem, but if you have a crack-peeping kid who's past toddlerhood, you have much bigger issues to resolve.

Most women who object to a man with a child coming into a ladies' room do it out of being startled; you just don't expect men. What most women get embarrassed about are noises they might make; we like to pretend that men don't know we make them. Just don't make eye contact and we can all just pretend that sound never happened.

Weird bathroom incidents do happen at WDW [see the shock thread for details], but the odds of encountering one after shouting a warning and counting to 10 are pretty slim.

 

[znjmom]

My DS's are 11 and 5 1/2. It has been just in the past year or so, that I have let him(DS 11) go in the the men's bathroom alone.(and I still freak out until I can see him again) This means that the 5 1/2 yo wants to go with his big brother....not!! He too will continue on with me until I feel he is old enough to go with his brother or by himself. Anyone who would have a problem, probably doesn't have any children. My kids safety is all that I care about and any normal person should realize that it's a safety issue and nothing else.