How old is too old to bring my son with me into the ladies room?

Question

With all of the horrible reports of child predators in the news, I am terrified by the idea of sending my son into the mens room by himself.

Answer 1

4yo. by then he should be able to go by himself and pull his own pants up without coming out looking funny. just be close by... it doesn't matter what age he is, if he is young and there is a predator in the washroom, he's still going to have to be careful. teach him to be very careful when in those places, not to talk to anyone, and only go in a stall.

Answer 2

its common in the UK for 8 year olds to use the ladies with their mum - it depends on the facilities really

Answer 3

(I edited my answer as i didn't understand what you meant).

I suppose till 3-4 years as long as you change him in a cubicle.

Answer 4

I'd say 4-5?   Lord knows you're not going to send a 2 year old into the bathroom by themselves!!  You can always wait outside the restroom, and if it takes too long, go in! or knock, or yell his name through the door.

Answer 5

My boys are both 9.  It depends where we are at.  If we stop at a truck stop while traveling and my husband is not with us, I make them go in ladies room with me.  They throw a fit but think about it.  Ladies room have individual stalls.  They aren't going to see anything and when they potty they will be in an individual stall so no one will see them either.  If we go to a nice restaurant then I will take them and stand outside the mens room door.  Gas stations like QT I will also let them go in.  So it really depends on the place.  Rest areas I wouldn't even consider letting them go in by themselves.  Luckily for me my husband is with us most of the time when we travel so I don't have to worry.  I do however travel occasionally by ourselves and I would rather be safe than sorry.  Hope this helped.

Answer 6

My boy is going to be 4 next month and he still comes with me i think about 5 years old. We also use family restrooms which are great. we all go in and wait for him to finish and we all go out togther. sometimes his dad will take him. but he's kind of weary of mens restrooms and dosent like my son to use them that much, i think he just dosent want to bother, oh well , for now our situation works good.

Answer 7

There is no age that is too old if you feel the situation calls for it. My son is very tall (he just turned seven and is 4'5") and if I am suspicious, have a bad feeling, or we're in a very large store like Wal-Mart, he is coming with me. He is just starting to feel funny about it and wanting to wait outside on the bench, which I will allow if there isn't a large crowd. If he does go in the men's room, I am always within listening distance. I wouldn't go in the ladies room while he goes in the men's by himself because that would make me too nervous.

It's your job alone to protect him, so don't listen to what anybody says if someone is rude to you about it. I have heard it all, and I don't care, as long as my son is safe. Follow your mom instincts!

Answer 8

With my oldest son I stopped around 5.  He is almost 10 and I still worry anytime he goes into the restroom by himself. If he is in there too long I will ask someone who came out if they saw him and what he is doing.

Answer 9

We almost lost my little brother this way at the age of 6 (and that was 16 years ago) at a local steak house.  Mom and Dad let him go by himself.  Mom got a bad feeling and went looking for him (Dad has a vision problem and is legally blind) and out he strolls with some random guy leading him by the hand.  SCARY!!!!!!!!

Personally, I think 7 or 8 but it depends on the child.  Lucky for me, most places around here have started doing "family" restrooms where either a mother or father can take their children in.  Generally they have a stall and a urinal.

Answer 10

If you are confident in his bathroom abilities, then it would depend on the place. If it is a really crowded place, I would wait until 6 or 7. If it is a small public place, age 5 should be fine. Also, make sure he is tall enough to use the facilities in the men's room. I have short kids (my husband and I are also short) and have to help and probably will need to help for some time.

Answer 11

16-17...

Answer 12

6??

Answer 13

I would take into consideration the people and surroundings and simply make a judgment call.  Your son's safety is really the only factor here.

For example: My daughter is 5 -

At the public pool where the entry is not blocked by a door and most of the people are small kids I stand outside the restroom and maintain communication with her.

At a "Mall" or any other place where I feel uncomfortable about letting her go by herself. I take her into the "men's" room with me.