Toddlers using public toilets

[Gillian]

I've lost count of the times I've been in the next stall and hear a mother carefully explaining how to lay down a mat of strips of toilet paper, then telling the child afterward, "No, don't touch the paper; leave it there. NO, don't touch the handle; it's dirty! Here, see how Mommy uses this paper to open the door; that's so we don't get our hands dirty." And then I leave my stall, glance over and see that the one they were in looks like a tornado hit it. It's maddening.

Really? I think if I had overheard that I might have mentioned that it would be nice to clean up after themselves and use soap & water or antibacterial stuff on their hands when they are finished. Just something to let them know that it's not really fair for the next person to have to clean it up.

Even if you do hover, would you want to hover over someone else's paper?

 

[Gillian]

So in all reality, I would be much more concerned with stray hairs, stray bacteria, etc than a tiny little princess's Stride Rite soles that most likey haven't seen much more action than the footrest of her stroller or her daddy's shoulders.

So I am a good person, I do wipe my seat before I pee, and I do wipe my seat after I pee, case closed. Next topic.....

Good to know! Believe me, I appreciate it! And so will my 2 year old when we bring her to Disney in April. I'm planning to get one of the folding seats with handles.
http://www.onestepahead.com/product/27222/150774/117.html

 

[Em&Bec'sMom]

This may be a bit OT, but since we're already in the bathroom, does anyone else have a problem with kids freaking out over the automatic flush toilets? My girls are 4 and 8 and in most places, are not tall enough to keep the auto--flush from triggering. So I end up bending over and around them to keep my hand over what they refer to as the "electric eye" so the toilet doesn't flush while they're still sitting on it. You don't want to know about the time it did flush on my oldest and she jumped off the toilet and peed on my shoes.
I am happy to say though that the "electric eyes" at WDW are placed much lower on the wall/handle so that DD8 could at least go by herself and we didn't have to have a 3-person parade into the tiny stalls. Two is tight enough of a squeeze!
Thanks, just needed to vent and see if my kids are truly the only weird ones about this.

 

[mickeyfan2]

This may be a bit OT, but since we're already in the bathroom, does anyone else have a problem with kids freaking out over the automatic flush toilets? My girls are 4 and 8 and in most places, are not tall enough to keep the auto--flush from triggering. So I end up bending over and around them to keep my hand over what they refer to as the "electric eye" so the toilet doesn't flush while they're still sitting on it. You don't want to know about the time it did flush on my oldest and she jumped off the toilet and peed on my shoes.
I am happy to say though that the "electric eyes" at WDW are placed much lower on the wall/handle so that DD8 could at least go by herself and we didn't have to have a 3-person parade into the tiny stalls. Two is tight enough of a squeeze!
Thanks, just needed to vent and see if my kids are truly the only weird ones about this.

Post it pads work great. Put it over the sensor and then let them use the batheroom. Remove it when they are done.

 

[lilostitch]

When my DD6 was potty training and for awhile after, I was much more cautious about putting down paper or the seat covers before she went. I am surprised people are able to wipe with a Clorox wipe and let it dry, when my little one had to go, we had a VERY short window before she went

Anway, as time has gone on, as long as the seat isn't wet, I tell her to sit on it. The handwashing is the key!!

If you have ever seen one of those 60 Minutes news shows on germs, when they swabbed a public toilet seat, there were virtually no bad germs on it. The item with the most disgusting germs (e coli, etc.) on it were remote controls from hotels! I found that surprising (and gross)
I now wipe down the remote control in all hotels, as well as the phones.

 

[pezheadval]

This may be a bit OT, but since we're already in the bathroom, does anyone else have a problem with kids freaking out over the automatic flush toilets?

Yes! Yes! Yes!
My dd hates them. I have to remember to pack some post it pads for our next trip. My dd would feel so much more relaxed.

 

[Pigletlover]

I am a New Zealander living in the USA and it amazes me how overly-obsessed some Americans are with germs. Every time I went into theme park toilets I would hear mothers screaming at their kids "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!!!"

It's good to teach basic cleanliness and to always wash your hands afterwards, but these mothers risk giving their kids germ PHOBIAS. Ever heard of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? Believe me, it's not a pleasant thing to have.

And are all these mothers cleaning up their children's mess after they finish going to the toilet while avoiding touching anything? From what I have seen, no they are not. These people are so concerned about getting "germs", yet they leave their own poop and pee behind for the next person.

There have been numerous studies done on toilet seats. YOU DO NOT CATCH ANYTHING FROM TOILET SEATS.

Disney and other theme parks are constantly cleaning their restrooms. Virtually every time I went to the toilet I would see cleaning ladies there. I have also found most other public toilets in America are clean.

Obviously if you encounter "nasty" public toilets that smell and look filthy, you should go elsewhere. Otherwise, lighten up people!

P.S. I am certainly not trying to insult anyone here, but I just don't understand the paranoia in this country.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Really. The thought of someone standing on the toilet disturbs me much more than someone sitting on it. We clean our bodies much more often than we clean the soles of our shoes.

For the record, I am nearly 44 yrs. old, and I have NEVER used a toilet seat protector of any kind in a public toilet. I sit right on the darned seat, and I am pleased to report that I have never had a bladder infection, yeast infection, or mysterious skin rash, either. In recent years, however, thanks to the epidemic of "hoverers" peeing all over the seats, I have begun to wipe them down with toilet paper before sitting, so as to avoid sitting in the puddles that the phobic seem to think it is just fine to leave behind them. If women keep tinkling all over the floors and the outside of the toilets this way, pretty soon ladies' rooms won't smell any better than mens' rooms.

You know, Americans think that they have a corner on toilet cleanliness, but for all our obsessions, I don't think that is so. I changed jobs recently and at my new workplace 90% of the ladies who work there are from the third world. The bathroom stalls stay tidier than at any other place I've ever worked: no urine on the seats, no strips of toilet paper all over the floors, no piles of paper towels near the doors. It's really nice.

Standing ovation!!!!