What age to allow daughter to go to the bathroom by herself?

[mjkacmom]

I have 3 girls and 2 boys. With the exception of sketchy areas light highway rest stops or bus stations, I usually start at that age for the opposite sex restroom, school age. I show them exactly where we are meeting, and there is no dawdling. I also have no shyness about yelling in, and would not hesitate to enter the restroom if it’s taking too long.

They are now 14 - 21, never had any problems.

 

[Arielfan98]

I'm not a parent myself, but I'd be concerned about other people being rude to your child. There are crazy people out there, sadly.

 

[holden]

Seek out the less popular bathrooms and then let her go in and wait right outside. Some include: baby center/medical center (usually near an entrance), a restaurant that is physically open but not serving food yet (Electric Umbrella in Epcot in the morning, for example)...those kind of places.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I’m a dad with DD5.5 and DS4. We are theme park veterans and I watch the kids by myself often. We’re going to the parks next month, and there will be a day where my wife will be attending a function, and I will take the kids to the park by myself. Now I have no problem taking all 3 of us into a men’s room stall and taking turns going potty. But my DD is getting pretty insistent that she can go into a public women’s restroom by herself. She’s pretty responsible for her age, and I’ve had no problem letting her go to a smaller public restroom with one or two stalls like McDonalds by herself. I’ve talked to my wife, and she is hesitant about letting her go to the women’s room in a large place like Disney unattended. One thing I do need to keep in mind is that there will be times I will have to take my son into the men’s room because he definitely still needs assistance, and I don’t want to leave my daughter out front alone, but I anticipate this will be a growing issue as they both get older. I also know there are family restrooms. Just seeing what the public has to say about this. Thanks

no family restrooms but companion with handicapped sized toilets meaning higher toilets. something to remember esp with young son. also if someone in ahead of you it can take longer and I mean a lot longer waiting which could be a problem with your kids ages if it is a last minute I have to go now time.

 

[friedela]

I agree, I don't allow my almost 8 year old to go into a washroom alone.

 

[juxtapose]

My DD is also 5.5 and she has started to refuse to use the men's restroom with my husband when they go out alone. I told him to let her go by herself if she is comfortable with it and it wait right outside. I don't want to force her into a men's restroom if she is uncomfortable with it. She also doesn't always love companion restrooms because she wants "privacy" sometimes.

 

[DopeyDame]

Another no vote - take her into the mens room with you.
I'm not concerned about her safety, but I am concerned about her just physically being able to do everything in the bathroom. Unless she's very tall for her age, she may have trouble reaching the soap and towels and in AK may have trouble opening the door.
Of course, almost always there will be a good samaritan there to help her, but why put her in that situation.
- signed, mom still mildly scarred from the time her 6 year old son got stuck in a chick fil a bathroom because he couldn't open the door himself.

 

[starry_solo]

If you decide to let take her to the companion bathroom, help her into the bathroom and if the seat is too high (hopefully not), just make sure to put the toilet seat covers down for her.

Then wait outside (with the door UNLOCKED) in case there are any issues.

 

[Minnesota!]

5 was my cutoff (I have sons). I would point out the closest thing outside the door - water fountain or bench, usually, and tell them to wait there. Never an issue. Even with my spastic, directionally challenged, anxious youngest son.

They relished the responsibility, actually..

 

[NotUrsula]

Assuming she has experience in school, send her into the ladies' and wait outside for her. In the case where YOU or her brother have to go, use a companion restroom and have the two of them wait together outside the door. (In a year or so I'd say she can wait outside of the regular men's room, but there is more traffic there and the number of men can be a bit intimidating, so at first I'd try having her wait at the smaller ones.) If you can get to the child-care centers, great, but most of the time you won't be on that side of the park when the moment hits.

One thing that is very important: if either of the children are waiting for you, PUT them in the spot before going inside. Some of the WDW main restrooms have two exits, and you'll want to know exactly where the child is supposed to be waiting. If they are supposed to come back to you and you appear not to be there, tell them to go directly BACK into the restroom and look for another exit; they should assume that they are at the wrong door, not that you have moved. (Honestly, we still have this problem with my directionally-impaired DH; he'll tell DS to meet him outside the men's room, and if he doesn't see DS when he comes out, never thinks about the possibility that HE is at the wrong door. Note that DS is a grown man now; he doesn't want to look like a perv lurking around INSIDE the men's room either.)

Now then, others can flame me all they like, but this current US trend of taking children into crowded opposite-gender restrooms until they reach puberty is bizarrely paranoid. If a child is in a regular school every day, he or she knows the rules about public restrooms. As long as they are in good repair and have plenty of traffic in and out, they are no less safe than a city sidewalk, and probably more so. If the place is isolated and apparently deserted, yes, by all means, go in and inspect for lurkers before sending children in, but at Walt Disney World there are FAR too many potential witnesses moving in and out of those rooms for them to be dangerous in terms of foul play.

As for the grown woman shoving a kid out of the way, she'd probably do that anywhere that she might be able to get away with it, including a ride line. You can't live your life constantly on guard against oddities like that.

 

[sponica]

Now then, others can flame me all they like, but this current US trend of taking children into crowded opposite-gender restrooms until they reach puberty is bizarrely paranoid.
As for the grown woman shoving a kid out of the way, she'd probably do that anywhere that she might be able to get away with it, including a ride line. You can't live your life constantly on guard against oddities like that.

I'm with you. My dad NEVER EVER EVER took us into a men's room and he NEVER EVER EVER went into the women's room. Granted there were 3 of us girls in a 4 year span, we were like a herd. If he had to go use the men's room, we waited outside. If one of us had to go, he'd send us all in.

 

[srwarden1928]

this current US trend of taking children into crowded opposite-gender restrooms until they reach puberty is bizarrely paranoid

My father did not PERMIT my mother to take me into a ladies room once I was toilet trained--that was at age 2. This was one of the few things he absolutely put his foot down on. My times have changed.

 

[ajwolfe]

Mom to 2 boys here so the opposite issue. Once they were school age I started trusting them to go in the men's room on their own with me waiting outside on them. As they became more comfortable with the concept, I would go in the women's at the same time after we had agreed upon a meeting point - almost always they beat me out since there is never a line in the men's.
If you do let her go - and I think she would be fine - make sure she knows where to go stand when she comes out just in case you don't spot her right away.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'd say around 5 was when I let my ds in the bathroom by himself. He had been using the stalls at school for over a year by that point so I didn't think there would be an issue.
My only concern would be if the bathroom was huge and there were multiple entrances/exits. Sometimes I get "lost" and go out the wring door, so I'm sure its much easier for a little kid to do it.

 

[KrazeeK120]

My father did not PERMIT my mother to take me into a ladies room once I was toilet trained--that was at age 2. This was one of the few things he absolutely put his foot down on. My times have changed.

I have a 2 year old. He isn’t toilet trained yet, but I can’t imagine expecting him to navigate a public restroom by himself! He’s not even tall enough to use the toilet without help!

 

[robinb]

I let my 5 year old use the bathroom alone. You may need to juggle a little while you and your son use the bathroom at the same time.

 

[DopeyDame]

My father did not PERMIT my mother to take me into a ladies room once I was toilet trained--that was at age 2. This was one of the few things he absolutely put his foot down on. My times have changed.

I don't even understand this. A 2 year old isn't physically capable of navigating a public restroom alone - the toilets are typically too large for them to get up on alone and for sure the sinks and soap dispensers are too high.
Perhaps your mom just didn't take you out to public places? (Never mind the concept of a husband "permitting" his wife to do anything.)

 

[mom-2greatkids]

I started letting DS go into restrooms on his own at WDW around age 5. Never had any issues.

 

[mjkacmom]

Here’s th3 thing, kids need to learn situational awareness and how to trust their gut. If a child starts to balk at going into the opposite sex restroom, and feels uncomfortable, to me that’s them listening to their gut. They become uncomfortable with the situation.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Last trip this past September we let our 6 year old and 3 (almost 4) year old daughters use the bathroom without us many times. I always stand at the door and no problems except they like to play in the sink.