Toilet

[nori]

Hello,

Probably a bit of a strange question but when you need the loo out and about and have a child in a buggy how do you manage? Its something thats worrying me due to my crohns disease (if im in a flare i HAVE to go and cant wait). If there are disabled toilets then i assume thats the best option? What if there arent? I cant exactly leave the baby outside and wouldnt feel too great taking the baby in with me.

Claire x

 

[LisaJ1986]

In our town the baby changing facilities have a toilet, so i use that. There's plenty of room for a buggy.

 

[DebbieM]

If there are no big cubicles use the disabled loos.

 

[leckershell]

As above... some of the baby changing rooms have large spaced loos in so you can take the buggy in with you, otherwise it's the disabled loos. x

 

[kalia]

I went on a trip to town so that I knew what all the facilities were. So if I want to feed my baby I go to Boots because they have a glider chair. John Lewis is best for loos as they have a section you can use - the door locks like a cubicle but leaves you in an area with 2 cubicle loos and some sinks. So if I'm in town here these are the places I aim for and I use disabled loos elsewhere. Go for a trip round town where you are and have a look at the facilities.

I wouldn't leave baby outside the loo and my bag tends to be in the pushchair too. In extreme emergency I would choose a loo at the end and keep the door open with the pushchair in the doorway to give me a little privacy.

 

[Hazel]

Haven't got baby yet but due to her being a bladder basher I now know where EVERY public toilet is in a 10 mile radius of my house and which ones are cleanest .

 

[lisa282]

I went on a trip to town so that I knew what all the facilities were. So if I want to feed my baby I go to Boots because they have a glider chair. John Lewis is best for loos as they have a section you can use - the door locks like a cubicle but leaves you in an area with 2 cubicle loos and some sinks. So if I'm in town here these are the places I aim for and I use disabled loos elsewhere. Go for a trip round town where you are and have a look at the facilities

This is exactly what I did last time when I was still pregnant so I could suss it out, as I had similar concerns. I was also bothered about breastfeeding in public so also found out exactly where I could do this in privacy. In my local centre, we have a parent & child facility that is ONLY used by parents and kids up to age 5. It has 3 large toilets so you can fit the pushchair in with you, also potties for when the kids are toilet training and there is a lockable private room at the back which is dedicated for breastfeeding mothers. This place is a godsend, and I still use them now with my son who is 3, it is so much easier to cope with him on the toilet when there is more room. I do think we are pretty lucky to have this facility though, as a lot of places dont. If Im heading somewhere strange I usually aim for larger stores where they have baby changing facilities as these tend to have a toilet and allow extra room for pushchairs etc. Supermarkets are particularly good for this, as well as kids/parenting stores like Mothercare, Boots etc who are much more considerate to our needs! Otherwise if all else fails, use the disabled loos. Definitely worth a trip round now though, to prepare yourself before you are thrust into the situation of needing it x

 

[kalia]

Supermarkets are particularly good for this, as well as kids/parenting stores like Mothercare, Boots etc who are much more considerate to our needs! Otherwise if all else fails, use the disabled loos. Definitely worth a trip round now though, to prepare yourself before you are thrust into the situation of needing it x

The Mothercare in Aberdeen is awful! The doors through to the toilets are really heavy and difficult to open with a pushchair, the feeding area is in the loos - basically a place for one person to sit beside the sinks - and it always boiling hot. It's not particularly clean in my experience either! And if you're there with a pushchair you have to use the disabled loo to have the pushchair in with you. It's like they didn't expect parents to go there or something

 

[nori]

I wouldn't leave baby outside the loo and my bag tends to be in the pushchair too. In extreme emergency I would choose a loo at the end and keep the door open with the pushchair in the doorway to give me a little privacy.

LOL.. sorry this did make me smile as i dont think it would be possible when you are in a crohns flare and have the big D.. may get a fair few looks.

Thanks for all your replies.. it maybe a lot easier than i thought and may even be a little less embarassing as i have the baby as an excuse to have a loo of my own! lol

What does surprise me is that some mothercare branches (the reading one) dont actually have toilets. They have feeding and changing facilities but thats it. Id have thought they would have made that compulsary for all branches knowing what the pregnancy bladder is like!

Claire x