The potty’s the place…

I've invited Karin Joyce from Café Bébé to write today's post. She wants to hear your thoughts on a wee dilemma…


While perusing our local newspaper a few weeks ago, I stumbled across an article that caught my eye.  Accompanying the article was a picture of an incredibly sour faced mother with her two-year-old son standing in front of her.  In her hands was a plastic potty like the ones used by many families in their homes for potty training. 

The article went on to tell the tale of this mother and her fury with town residents for their “prudish attitudes” to her pulling out her son’s potty in shops or on the high street when he needed a wee.  She was stunned with the reactions to her son weeing in public. 

Mind you, the potty was not one of those portable, travel potties but the solid, plastic type sold in shops.  Although she claimed to be discreet whilst using the potty, she also claims to tip the wee down public drains after her child uses the potty.

My initial response was to gasp and think, “How very dare she?”  I am the mother of a two-year-old daughter who is in the early stages of potty training.  I have not yet braved going out and about without my daughter being in pull-ups so I don’t have the “on the job experience” that this mother has.  I have to say, however, that I would never pull out a potty in the middle of a shop and have my child squat on it to have a wee.  I want to protect my child from the “weirdos” of the world, not encourage them to approach us!  I would carry around a “travel potty” which could be used in the privacy of a bathroom stall or public toilet or I would ask a shop owner, if we were particularly desperate, if I could possibly use their toilet.  I know that there can be issues with insurance and store policies but I would guess that if faced with a child weeing on their floor, most shopkeepers would feel compelled to assist.

What do you think?  If you’ve had the joy of potty training your child or are currently doing so, would you stop in the middle of a shop or on the high street, plop down a plastic potty, yank down your child’s trousers for all the world to see and let them wee?  If you are in this camp, how do you do so discreetly and best of all, what do you do with the result?  I’d love to know your opinion as in the coming months Little Miss and I will be out there on the High Street with only a pair of pants between us and a potty accident.  What is proper potty training protocol?     

written by Liz Jarvis