by Becky Vieira posted in Parenting

I hate using public restrooms with my child. Loathe it. So much that I find myself not drinking beverages while I?m out to decrease the likelihood that it will happen. Yes, I intentionally dehydrate myself to avoid it. It?s just that awful.
Sure, there are exceptions. Two of them to be exact:

If we?re shopping and my son?s in a shopping cart (all hail the Target family restrooms!)
When we're using the stroller. Actually, this one only works if we can find a single-stall bathroom or have access to a stall large enough to fit our stroller. Otherwise it?s a bust (and I reserve the right to remove this entry from the list of exceptions in that instance).

Even the best laid plans can go awry. Therefore, if I must leave my house, can?t dehydrate myself or don't have the opportunity to contain my child to a cart or stroller, I have to use a public restroom. With my child. Which is where all my misery begins.
Let?s be honest, even on a good day public bathrooms are where hopes and dreams go to die. Adding a child to the mix just intensifies an already bad situation. But I don?t wear adult diapers and I?m not fond of peeing my pants (which has actually happened, more on that later) so I do it. Begrudgingly. The bladder wants what it wants, and sometimes that?s to be emptied.
There are a few ways this happens, each with its own pros and cons. The first scenario is when my son is in the baby carrier. What I like about this is he?s again contain...