Being the parent of a toddler is a relentless job. There are power struggles, tantrums, and tears - and it isn’t always just the little ones left crying!
Then there’s a trip to a public restroom. This, for many parents, can be a very stressful part of a public outing. In fact, many parents are so over it, they carry their own potty in public to avoid it!
Why do parents hate taking their toddlers into public restrooms so much? Here are a few key reasons - and what organizations can do to make things better.
They’re Gross
OK, maybe not every public restroom is gross, but enough of them are that they’ve gotten a seriously bad reputation. A survey by Bradley Corporation found that 68% of people had had a particularly bad experience in a public restroom.
Add a toddler to the mix and you have a recipe for some seriously unsanitary situations. Toddlers touch everything. They also are prone to random licking, rolling on the floor, and reaching into anything to find out what’s inside. For parents, these behaviors are even more troubling when they happen in a dirty restroom.
On the other side of the spectrum, some toddlers are very fastidious. These little ones will refuse to even enter a bathroom that is smelly, wet, dirty, or has litter on the floor. Who can blame them? The only problem is, they’ll likely stick to their guns regardless of how desperately they need to pee.
Nobody likes a dirty restroom, but parents with toddlers hate them just a little bit more. (A bathroom cleaning checklist can help!)
They Lack Accessibility
There are a few businesses out there that have amazing family friendly bathrooms that aim to make life easier for families. People notice!
But many public bathrooms just aren’t designed with families - and especially young children - in mind. Standard bathroom stalls are often too small to accommodate both a parent and young child comfortably, and most lack any privacy.
Many public restrooms also lack any hooks or storage to help parents take care of purses, backpacks, and diaper bags while they attend to their little ones.
Even changing diapers is a struggle, as many public restrooms even lack baby changing tables.
Read: How Good Public Restroom Design Contributes to a Positive Customer Experience
Handwashing Is Hard
Another thing people hate about taking toddlers into public restrooms? Washing their hands.
We surveyed 550 parents with young children and found that 93% struggled to wash their child’s hands in public restrooms. The struggle is real! Here are some other things parents told us:
- 89% of parents said the sink was too high for their child
- 77% of parents said lifting their child up to the sink was awkward and uncomfortable
- 60% said that public restroom countertops were too wet or unhygienic for their child to sit on
- 42% of parents said they found it stressful to manage handwashing when dealing with more than one child
As a result, parents either pick their child up around the waist (68%), carry them under one arm and hold them over the sink (39%), or skip washing altogether in favor of wipes or sanitizer.
Kids Are Scared of Them
There are the toilets that flush loudly and automatically, splashing little butts in the process. There are the hand dryers that whoosh without warning, startling little people nearby. And did we mention the lack of privacy? Toddlers who are just learning about privacy may be overwhelmed at the idea of taking their pants down right beside a stranger’s visible feet and ankles!
For a toddler, a public restroom can be a terrifying place. It’s unfamiliar and potentially full of strangers, sure. Plus, public restrooms often do the bare minimum to ensure anyone’s comfort, never mind catering to sensitive little ones.
There's No Privacy
According to Bradley Corporation’s 2024 Healthy Handwashing Survey, 70% of Americans feel that public restroom stalls lack sufficient coverage. And while this style of public restroom stall is the norm in North America, it isn’t the norm in most other countries.
The design we are so familiar with is believed to have come about in the early 1900s. It was cheap to construct and easy to clean, because a mop can easily go right underneath the stalls. In other words, it wasn’t designed with the users’ comfort in mind!
This can be particularly problematic for parents entering a bathroom stall with toddlers, who are shameless about spying through cracks and peeking under stalls.
Read: America's Best Public Bathrooms (and What They're Getting Right)
It's Not Safe
The lack of privacy in a bathroom stall can also make them unsafe for parents with young children. Parents who are using the facilities are, after all, in a vulnerable position. They may not be able to react if their little one shimmies under the stall and makes a run for the door. This lack of enclosed space makes many parents (rightly) nervous.
The Importance of Family-Friendly Spaces
For businesses that aim to cater to families, designing a family-friendly restroom may be more important than they realize.
According to our survey, 52% of parents of young children say they are likely to spend more at businesses with family friendly restrooms. And 39% of parents say they’d actively avoid places without family-friendly restrooms. Family friendly bathrooms tend to be more accessible for other groups too, such as people with disabilities or people with dwarfism.
Plus, you don’t need to go far to find glowing reviews of local businesses that go the extra mile when it comes to their public restrooms. Yelp even lists the best bathrooms in a number of big cities!
Public restrooms are often an oversight - something businesses need to provide but put little care and attention into. Thoughtful touches can help visitors feel cared for, and can have a significant impact on how people feel about your business - and whether they return.
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way
People hate taking their toddlers into public restrooms, often for good reason. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, businesses are likely to benefit from stepping up their game and making things easier for parents. They really appreciate it!
At Step ‘n Wash, we believe that little changes can make a big difference. Our floor-mounted, self-retracting step stool makes it easy for little ones to wash their hands - and takes a load off parents in the process.
