What do you do in public restrooms?

[ismommy]

YEAH!! Great job! Both my friends and I have found more accidents seem to happen at home. I still carry a change of clothes just in case.
Helene
mommy to Isabella
baby x EDD 1/11/05

[atlbaby]

Whoo Hoo, Beth!! Way to go, Sarah!!! Arielle's doing amazing, too. It's so exciting (and frightening!), isn't it? Things are moving so quickly. I can't believe I said to her this morning, "Now Arielle. There's no potty at the park, do you need to pee?" Who IS this girl I was talking to? :)

And Michelle, I just ordered the fold up potty from BabyCenter--thanks for the suggestion!

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle, 10/30/01
and Daliya, 10/27/03

[Jeanmick]

Whoo hoo!!!! Great job Sarah (and Mommy too, of course :) )!

[raynjen]

We have this seat (the Potette) in our minivan. My DD LOVES to use it - she calls it her 'special potty'. She sometimes will ask to use it when we are in the driveway (like she prefers it to the regular potty). I don't know about their claim that it 'fits right into your diaper bag' - it probably would fit in the diaper bag I carried when she was a baby - but I have been paring down for awhile now and it wouldn't fit into my toddler undies bag (no diapers). I DO prefer it to the folding potty seats which we tried for awhile - DD didn't like that they slid around (never a perfect fit).

We are in a slightly different situation here in Japan for several reasons. In public parks most of the potties are 'squat to pees' - they look like a urinal set flat in the ground. Unfortunately when you pull down their panties little girls can no longer straddle the potty (can't pull their legs far enough apart). So Noelle and I have developed a method of me holding her in a seated position in the air so that she can pee. I'm sure it is quite hysterical to watch. This, however, has served us well when we are out in the woods with no pottys around (I carry tissues for clean-up).

Also, in Japan, a lot of the public restrooms in malls and such have a disinfectant solution dispenser in each potty. So you dispense some of this stuff (looks kind of like Purell) onto toilet paper, wipe down all the touching parts (I do the seat, the handle, and the door latch) and Viola! instant cleanliness. I swear I will miss the toilets more than anything else when we move back to the states!

Jen in Okinawa
Mom to Noelle (2 1/2)