Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Bathrooms

I hesitate to say it, but I really do think Bronwyn's potty-trained. She hasn't had an accident in a couple days-- not even wetting her bed. This includes a whole morning spent running errands, which is the ultimate test, in my opinion.

Which brings me to this topic of bathrooms.

It's difficult to have a little girl use a public restroom. I've known this, but today made it very, very clear to me. I was trying to figure out ways to get her to go without actually touching the toilet, but it proved impossible. So then that led to me trying to cover the toilet with toilet paper, which only made her laugh hysterically. Eventually the task was completed, but not until after I was very frustrated and she'd almost had an accident!

At any rate, when we take our next shopping trip, I'm bringing the little potty chair along and our van will double as a restroom throughout the coming weeks. Unless, that is, one of you has some brilliant advice for me regarding public bathrooms and little girls.

Side note: I told Bronwyn that when she could keep her pants
consistently dry, I would buy her the D*sney princess underwear she
spotted here during our
last shopping trip. As much as I detest "character" anything, I detest
neglected promises more, so today I bought them for her. And I figure
she'll outgrow them soon enough... if they don't fall apart before then.

9 comments:

  1. I had asked this same question before and the best answer I got was "hold her above it while she goes".  I am sure you and I will both agree at the moment that we have enough infront of us that even thinking of squating and holding her in the air while she goes gives us a backache!  
    I found some portable potty seat covers on eBay that were great but being the cheapo that I am, I made some instead!  I just used vinyl table clothes (so they are washable) and cut them to be larger than the toilet seat itself -my biggest issue was her legs touching the front of the toilet even more than the seat itself which I could wipe.  I carry 2 with me when out on longer trips and just wash them when I get home.  They fit nicely in zip-lock bags and easily slide right in the diaper bag. 
    Guess what...?  I happen to have enough cloth left to make another.  Would you like to try one  

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  2. I always buy the toilet seat covers they sell at Babies R'Us. They seem to cover the toilet very well. Although, reading the above post maybe I'll have to try that. Anyways, it's very hard no matter what. I try to always have the toilet covers in my diaper bag.
    I agree completely with not liking characters!! But Erin doesn't seem to have my same disgust for the issue!?!? Most of her underwear I bought at Baby Gap, for really cheap, during a huge sale last year. I think most will continue to fit into the fall.

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  3. bronwyn spotted underwear that she wanted? 
    she's such a girl.  i love it.

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  4. i think it's cool you bought the character underwear...and princess ones at that. yea! and yea for Bronwyn! :) You're a great mom, Bri! :)

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  5. Horray for going on the potty!  I guess that I'm not as freaked out about bathroom germs 'cause I just let Jocelyn sit on the potty and make sure that we do a good job washing up hands after (you know, she touches EVERYTHING while we are in there!)  I remember in nursing school a classmate bringing up the bathroom thing and our professor pointing out that it's really not quite as germy in most cases as we think- just wash your hands   (who wouldn't want to wash their hands while out shopping anyway?)

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  6. I've given up on the toilet issue.  Like Abby said, I read a doctors report that said toilets are pretty safe to sit on.  I usually just wipe it off with a baby wipe to make sure, if I'm concerned.  FYI: The doctor said hot tubs are way more dangerous!  This only solidified my personal stance that I will never go in another one again!
    Anyways, congrats to Bronwyn! 

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  7. I hate to tell you this but we have Princess underwear from W-Mart that have lasted forever. They have even been passed on to Alyssa. Wow. That sounds much more disgusting now than it did when I found them in the hand-me-down box. Then it seemed like a great idea considering Alyssa was in desperate need of the next size up and they were that size. But hand-me-down undies!? What was I thinking?!

    Oh and Katie - that is a brilliant idea. Love it!

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  8. With hepatitus and AIDs I will not trust a public bathroom to just washing hands.  I know you can't catch AIDs from a toilet seat, but you can from blood which I have also seen on seats(fresh), yuck.  Maybe in your small town it might be safer, but so much disease with people's sin today....I have just done the toilet paper thing, so I haven't been that hyper, and sometimes bathrooms provide those covers.  I hate those divided seats, they're good for boys but....I had put Joy on only one side of the seat and sat her sideways...and of course the toilet paper first because by the time you get both sides covered, one falls off or whatever you have more of a chance with just one side....we've been trying for a while but now she can sit differently she doesn't want to sit on just one side, but I think it was easy for me when I had to hold her.  And it seems cleaner, you avoid that center section.  How is she with those auto flushes?  That's what concerns me, it seems to go off while they're sitting since they aren't big enough to trip the sensor right....   
    The friend that made her own seat covers, that sounds good to me...but I have a question, how do you wash them with the flannel backs, don't they fall apart?  Something thicker than paper sounds good to me.  I used to just perch above the toilet myself, till I gained weight and was pregnant.  That's just too hard to do then!  

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  9. Ok, so you're going to tell me that your children make it long enough in the stall not touching anything while you cover the seat??? Now I have more than a nightmare!

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