After surviving the 3-Day Potty Training with Annabel there was only one thing left to do – take her out in public without a diaper! Now, to be honest with you, I was pretty nervous about it, so when I was unable to accompany Heather in taking Annie (sans diaper) to her gymnastics class on Monday, I wasn’t exactly heartbroken. That didn’t stop me from worrying, though. Every few minutes I texted Heather things like:
“Everything okay?”
“So…”
“Just checking in…”
“????”
The whole time Annie was there I had horrible visions of her having an “accident” in the foam pit. They can wash foam, right? Luckily, Annie made it through the lesson just fine and got out of there high and dry.
Annie’s second diaper-free trip into the world was this morning, and this time I was steering the boat. As we sat down for breakfast at a deli (while Heather was at her prenatal appointment), I felt a sense of dread.
“Of course things went okay at gymnastics,” I thought. “Things usually go okay the first time you do something. It’s the SECOND time! That’s when things go wrong!”
It was then that it hit me just what kind of a genius I was – the kind who, while afraid my kid was going to have an accident, took her to stuff her face on pancakes and a giant glass of milk. Nice work, Einstein. Luckily, I was prepared. I’d packed my diaper bag with a portable potty seat Heather had bought for Annie to use in public restrooms, and spent the previous night reading the instructions and testing it out on our toilet.
We had a nice breakfast, but I was paranoid the whole time Annie was going to have an accident. This is basically how things went while we were there:
ME: “Let me know if you need to use the potty, okay?”
ANNIE: “Okay.”
ME: “Those pancakes good?”
ANNIE: They’re yummy.”
ME: “Good. Now, uh, don’t forget to let me know if you need to use the potty.”
ANNIE: “Okay, Dada.”
(a few seconds pass)
ME: “So, yeah, don’t forget to let me know when you need to use the potty.”
Annie made it through breakfast, but as we left she told me she had to use the restroom. The big moment was here! I hurried toward the men’s room with Annie and the portable potty seat, and, with all the preparation I did the previous night, I was feeling pretty confident:
“I got this!”
But then we pushed through the bathroom door and got a look at the place:
“That is not okay.”
How nasty was it? So nasty that after describing the place to Heather she said, “Yeah, you can’t describe any of that on the blog. No one wants read that.” “Read it?” I replied. “I didn’t want to see it!” Anyway, I’ll spare you the details, but helping Annie take care of her business while making sure she didn’t touch anything or even put a foot on the floor was a nightmare. And since about fifty percent of men’s rooms like like that one, it’s a nightmare I’ll be repeating quite often.
“Too bad you can’t bring Annie into the women’s room instead,” Heather said.
“Seriously. You ladies have, like, couches in your bathrooms.”
“Don’t be silly. Our bathrooms don’t have couches. Well, some do.”
The good news is that Annie has been doing great with her potty training. The bad news, though, is that I’m worried about having to expose Annie to all of these nasty men’s rooms. Anyone have any tips on taking little ones to use the bathroom in public?
Becca Masters says:
Whenever I go out in public and then does bathroom is not clean, the first thing I do is hunt down the attenedant and get the key for the disabled toilet facilities. Not sure how it work in the UK, but most places here the toilet facilities for those with disabilities are always locked so they’re not “misused” and I often find them a lot cleaner than the ladies.
I then make a point of telling the attendant that the ladies bathrooms need some serious cleaning!
Good luck with that Mike!
Becca Masters says:
Ugh, my comment is full of spelling mistakes!
It’s meant to say when I use the *womens* bathroom
And
Not sure how it works in the US (not UK, I know how it works here!)
I’m blaming being sick an autocorrect.
karen says:
My husband often takes our daughter out and when she was little used to get really annoyed by dirty mens rooms and (the worst by far) baby feed and change rooms combined – its most inappropriate to ask a woman who wants to breast feed in private to share the room with a man changing a nappy.
On the plus side disabled toilets ARE good for using with training toddlers and some shopping malls have dedicated small toilets in the toielts and parent toilets.
Our local large mall has the small person toilets before the main toilets so you can take your small of whatever sex into the toilet without them having to go into the grown ups bit. They also have large cubicles in the lobby to the toilets – big enough for a pram – with 2 toilets in so parent and child can go at the same time! Some places do get things right!
Fiona Hayes says:
Disabled toilet (usually clean) or go into the ladies with her. I wouldn’t mind a man being in there helping his daughter go to the toilet!
Jenn says:
Hey Mike,
When my kids were little we ALWAYS sought out the FAMILY bathroom. It was ALWAYS cleaner. The only suggestion I have about the Men’s room is maybe talk to the manager about sending someone in to clean a stall for you but I’m not sure this is realistic espec. when you have a toddler that HAS TO GO!!!! Sounds like you’re all doing a good job potty training!! WAY TO GO!!!
susie says:
Many places have the “family” bathroom that both sexes can use. Or if you need, just go to the woman’s room. Just yesterday I was in a department store bathroom and a dad with a 4 year old girl opened the bathroom door and yelled in:” Hi, I have my 4yr old daughter who needs to use the bathroom, and I’d rather not expose her to the urinals next door, anyone mind if i come in?” No one had a problem. And besides, it’s not like the women are exposed, we do have stalls and yes sometimes couches. And just one more thing, when I was training, I always carried a container of clorox wipes with me, I didn’t go around cleaning public bathrooms, but sometimes, you just need to use one, Good luck on the potty training adventure.
Heather says:
Best advice? Only go solo to places that have “family restrooms”. Also, tossing a can of Lysol in to the diaper bag is handy in situations where finding a clean bathroom is a problem.
As someone with a husband who *has* a disability, it can be incredibly disheartening to find the accessible washroom is housing a mother/child combo and not someone who needs it for accessibility reasons.
When you don’t live with it, it’s easy to forget that some people with significant disabilities have symptoms that include inability to hold their bladder for more than a moment. While it is embarrassing to have a 3 year old who has had an accident, but be assured it is far more embarrassing to be a 33 year old who has had one.
Heather says:
sorry *parent/child combo. whoops
Dannielle says:
They are called family restrooms because they are not reserved people with disabilities. While it may be disappointing to you to see a mother and child in there, it is perfectly legit for a mother to take her child into one of those restrooms, that is absolutely one of the intended uses of those restrooms. I am an architect and well versed in the ADA.
Babs says:
She is differentiating between “family” and “accessible” (more popularly referred to as handicapped or disabled) restrooms. As I read it, she means that if you’re that (understandably) so grossed out by a men’s room that you refuse to bring your kids in it, the only other option is “family” ones. Therefore, you’re limited to places with family restrooms. She wasn’t saying Mike can’t use the family kind; she was saying it’s inconsiderate for people who don’t need the “accessible” kind to use them anyway, as previous posters are suggesting.
Kim says:
Disabled stalls are not like parking places. Even a parent/child combo doesn’t take *that* long to use a stall. Disabled people get first priority, sure, but they aren’t guaranteed an available toilet at any given moment.
DefendUSA says:
There are family bathrooms in a lot of places…and then you don’t have to feel bad! PS…if you are ever driving and must pull over with no bathroom remember this: Little girls squat to pee and you need to make sure their clothing is all the way down to their ankles or they will get wet!! My husband didn’t know….
Auntie_M says:
Ummm…perhaps it’s just me, but it never mattered if my clothes were down to my ankles: I still peed on them. I always did better (oh, ok, still do better) removing all potential spray obstacles!
Lori says:
I’ve seen many many men take a little girl into the women’s restroom as it tends to be cleaner. Though some ladies will give the side eye, it doesnt bother most to see a daddy in there. And to the women that do give them dirty looks-geeze lady, it’s not a locker room! Everyone is tucked away neatly in their stalls! Added bonus-no having to explain any more than you want to about male anatomy to Annie because of a row of urinals ( and those using them) on the wall.
hdj says:
I’ve always read that it IS ok for a dad to take a little girl into the ladies restroom.
Also – love the nasty face!
Laura says:
I agree on trying to find a Family restroom but that is not always possible. I carry big Wet One antibacterial wipes and woud wipe the toilet and anything else we had to touch. Good luck!
TracyKM says:
My husband has taken all of our kids into men’s rooms many times over the past 10 years, and I can recall only one or two bad ones. However, we’re not germaphobes, as long as there’s nothing on the seat, handles, etc, we’re pretty much fine. I mean…you walked down the hall to get to the bathroom….
mel says:
Public restrooms are horrifying. I’ve learned though it’s better if you have to wipe down the entire area vs cleaning out a carseat. She’ll get there, but I feel for you. The first few weeks of kids being diaper less in public can give anyone anxiety.
Lacey says:
Family restrooms are awesome (they’re my favorite in airports), but they aren’t available in your everyday restaurant. Advice offered to me is to have the child stand on the toilet seat to pee (presumably straight down into the toilet). Then, they are less likely to rub their hands all over everything while sitting, and they aren’t sitting on a nasty seat. Kinda strange, but this works particularly well in a portapotty!
aubrey says:
We always kept a little portable potty in the trunk of the car so our daughter could just use it in desperate times. Just literally sat her on it in the trunk (tossing a towel over her lap to sort of disguise the situation if any people were near). Worked well if we were at parks or any location with no facilities (or questionable ones). Was also really great when you are 10 miles from the next exit on the interstate and she has to go RIGHT. NOW. Trunk potty was a lifesaver many times.
Jackie says:
One tip/idea for you. For toilets with automatic sensors that go off randomly and scare kids, throw a pack of post its in your diaper bag. Once in the stall put a post it over the sensor to stop it from going off while Annie is in there. Good luck!
Courtney says:
The post it note trick was/is the only way my nephew will use a public restroom. Oh and with the next baby being a boy, teach him to stand to use the public bathroom from the start.
Liz says:
I also use a piece of toilet paper draped over the sensor, then just flush it at the end. My daughter always puts her hands over her ears at the flushing part and we count to three so she knows it’s coming.
Elizabeth says:
Was it a single stall? Like, just one person at a time? If so, I wouldn’t have thought anything if you had decided to use the woman’s room instead. In fact, I probably would have said, “Good idea!”
Good luck!
Maria says:
My advice is, NEVER eat somewhere where the bathrooms are in terrible condition. Having had personal experience in the restaurant business, a dirty restroom usually means a dirty kitchen too. Aside from that, what I do with mine when standing an option (ie #2), I lay enough TP on the seat that it almost makes a cushion lol. Take heart though, as they get older they don’t go #2 often in a day and, just like us, their bodies tend to regulate so that they generally go when they are home (ie early in the morning). Trust me, soon enough you’ll be dreading having to do diapers all over again!
Molly says:
We used that potty with the inserts & my daughter would always just go to the bathroom in the car before or after left places. It was so much easier than dealing with dirty bathrooms.
Jessica says:
One trick I learned, is to have her sit on the side, not on the front, of the seat. She will be more stable and comfortable. Also, hold her hands so she doesn’t fall in, but also so she doesn’t touch anything. I tell them not to touch anything a lot and I will say “hands up in the air” to get them not to touch stuff. Also, worn her not to sit on the floor-they like to do that when you’re not looking. The wipes are definitely a good idea. I always have some on my diaper bag. I think if you looked, you could also find a lot of potty accessories, like toilet covers and the like, online. You could also just hold her over the toilet to go. I would do that if I was desperate. I also keep pull-ups in the trunk at all times, just in case. You could always put one on her and let her go in it rather than subject her to the worst bathroom you have ever seen.
Daisy says:
My Mom said when she was potty training my brother & I she had every “family restroom” location in a 30 mile radius memorized. They seem to be the hands down winners of the best restrooms. That or only frequent Nordstrom. They always have nice, clean restrooms and nursing lounges and family restrooms…..
Rachel says:
My husband used to work in a small restaurant & he had to clean the bathrooms when he wasn’t waiting tables (that sounds wrong when typing it, but small staff, you all pitch in) and he swears to this day the WOMEN’S bathrooms were always dirtier than the men’s. He says women are pigs in there. =)
I always wonder “what do these people’s homes look like if they are this messy here?’ Seriously people, clean up after yourself! If you miss the garbage can & drop a paper towel on the floor, pick it up! It’s not rocket science!
If the men’s room was bad where you took Annie, the women’s probably wasn’t much better…
Heather says:
I had to do the same thing in the restaurant I worked in, and I swear the same thing! The women’s rooms were always, ALWAYS disgusting. I think because women crouch over the seat.
Nanette says:
Well, my only advice is what we do when all three of us are out. Since men’s bathrooms — particularly the stalls — seem to be horrific, our deal is that I deal w/ public bathroom outings, but then Brent has to deal w/ potty time at home (aka help w/ wiping when needed, etc.) That’s no help to you when it’s just you and Annie, but it’s something to think about when you’re all out. (Don’t punch me, Heather.)
Ronda says:
We have a small portable potty from Ikea, and I keep it in the back of my SUV. I’d rather my daughter potty in the back of the SVU than a dirty bathroom. After she uses the potty I just pour the pee into a diaper and wipe the potty out. Of course you’d have to have a vehicle with room to sit on the potty and not mind doing it in the car. And if it’s a poop emergency put the diaper in the potty first! Then you just wrap it up and toss.
Liz says:
I do the same thing. I have a Bjorn potty I keep in the back of my car in a plastic bag for emergencies or if the bathroom is nasty. I never thought of the diaper idea, that is genius!!
Honestly, I have even set it on the ground before and just tried to tuck it between 2 cars or held up a blanket if we are at the beach. I do have space in my SUV and I usually shut the trunk so there’s privacy but sometimes there’s too much stuff back there for that.
anne says:
I’ve done the same thing before. Except the seat holds a ziploc bag so i can just just zip it up and throw it in the next trash can i come across. And i keep a pack of wipes in the car. The diaper thing is a good idea but expensive!
Lisa says:
There really is no great suggestion as far as I am concerned. Ladies rooms can be quite nasty. Any public restroom is nasty. I have a 5 y/o daughter and I still cringe in the pub bathrooms and hold my breath as long as possible. Every time. Especially when her skirt, pants, whatever touches the floor. EWWWW!! I just cover every toilet in toilet paper and hope for the best. And scrub both our hands really good. But the mens room thing is tough man. Good part is Heather is with you alot and she can take her (not so fun for Heather though as taking a child to go potty is like stabbing yourself with toothpicks.) Bad part, Annie will have a very quick education on male restrooms and um, all thats involved. I personally do not care if a man brings a little girl into the ladies room. But I’m more liberal than most ladies. Good luck to you both.
Dora says:
“taking a child to go potty is like stabbing yourself with toothpicks” YES! THIS!
Kristie says:
I have told my husband…if it’s nasty, knock on the women’s room and tell them you are a dad bringing in a little girl. If it’s a single bathroom…I tell him just to automatically use the women’s with our daughters, it’s always cleaner. He’s never had a reaction that was negative.
Kristin says:
We carried a small portable potty in our car when ours were Annie’s age. That helped in places that had disgusting bathrooms and in places like parks, etc where a facility may not be available.
We also used family restrooms in places like the mall, because like other readers said, they are always cleaner.
We tried to make use of one-seater bathrooms as much as possible too and my husband would take our daughter in the women’s one (the door locked, etc).
Finally, I carried a lot of wipes and small bottle of lysol in my bag for instances when my husband was out with the children alone and simply had no choice.
Trisha says:
Use family bathrooms whenever possible and the only other word of advice I have is to keep a spare potty chair in your trunk. I ran into a few occasions those first few weeks where we were driving in no mans land without a bathroom in sight and heard those magical words ” Mama, I have to go now!” They have these cool little travel ones with disposable liners and keep a jug of hand sanitizer and a roll of TP in your trunk too just in case.
Seems like Annie is doing great though. Good luck!
Sarah says:
We have that same “Potette” that you have in the picture above. I have twins and we have a lot of “I have to go now!” when we’re out. I take bags and stick an absorbent maxipad to the bottom and put them into the Potette (same as the ones it comes with, but I just make my own). I keep them in the back of the car with a box of wipes and hand sanitizer and often let the kids go in the car instead of, say, gas station rest stops. Then I tie the bag and throw it out. No problems dealing with a messy travel potty to clean up! It’s perfect!
Sarah says:
just to clarify – the sides of the Potette make little legs so it can be used as a potty (you probably know this, but just in case you don’t; they snap into place so it’s a free-standing potty and not just a seat for regular toilets)
Babs says:
We used the Potette all the time. We had an SUV, so if the kids had to go and the restrooms were nasty, we often went out to the car and used it there. There were a few times my husband had no choice but to take our daughter into the men’s room, so he layered toilet paper on the floor, set up the Potette’s legs so it was free-standing, put a shopping bag in the Potette, loaded toilet paper inside of the bag, had her go, and tossed the shopping bag in the garbage on the way out. I made a basic drawstring bag for it so that when they got home, we could clean the Potette and put the carrying bag in the laundry.
AmyG says:
It’s probably been mentioned, but look for family restrooms as much as you can, when out. Pack your diaper bag with cleaning supplies when you don’t have a choice? You’re doing great!
Kirsten says:
We kept a portable potty chair in the back of our car with a roll of paper towels (for soaking up liquids) and a roll of small trash bags (for other messes). I can’t tell you how many times we used that thing – before grocery shopping…or at a place that didn’t have a public restroom…or sometimes you just don’t know where the restrooms are! We have tinted windows in our car, so nobody was ever the wiser. Saved us MANY times during that potty training period! Hell, now that I’m expecting our 2nd, and peeing every 7 seconds, I sometimes wish I still had that potty chair in the back of our car, LOL.
I always wondered what dad’s of little girls did….must be tricky! Although now that our son is 4, he is starting to now want to go to the “girls” bathroom. Sigh.
Kirsten says:
That was supposed to say NOT want to go to the girls bathroom…ha
Molly says:
Two Words: FAMILY RESTROOM
Usually used by moms with kids, they are infinitely cleaner than a men’s room! Usually you get privacy, too! ONE TOILET…big room…alone!
The ones are Target here are especially nice…which is good since my three year old has to use it pretty much EVERY time we are there.
Lori McBride says:
FAMILY RESTROOMS!!! OR, you can actually take the small potty that you have at home and put it in the back of the car for her to use. I have tons of friends that have done that and swear it’s a life saver in nasty bathroom situations. I have 2 boys so luckily they go with me to the women’s restroom AND they don’t have to sit down.
kathleen says:
As the parent of a disabled daughter, I can’t tell you how dissapointing it is to have to wait for a family to use the dissabled bathroom, she has NO option and quite often has almost no warning. Try and find a way to use the family or regular bathroom.
Leigh Elliott says:
ugh, I so hear you! When we were potty training our now 5 year old daughter, I would shudder upon hearing that while she was out with my husband that she had to use some less than stellar bathrooms.
First off, yes, those “family restrooms” are great but I have only ever seen one at our local Target store. They can be very hard to find, at least where we live.
Second, the first few weeks of potty training you will probably find you are hyper aware of bathrooms and being able to access one the instant Annie has to go, I definitely did that. But it will get much easier. She’ll be able to hold it longer, you’ll get more and more comfortable with each successful outing, and you will bring a change of clothes with you wherever you go for about a year, just in case. You’re smart to go out and do things, we did! We had a couple of times when we were unprepared (change of clothes, having a towel on hand for her car seat) and we had to turn around and go home. And we washed her car seat cushions so many times that we could put the buckles back into it blindfolded
Lastly, it looks like you have the GEM of all potty seats, the “Potette” – am I correct? It has the legs that fold down right? Did you buy the liners for it? They sell them on Amazon. I had that same exact seat when we trained our daughter, and I took it with us everywhere. We have a small SUV and we were able to set it up in the back, let her go to the bathroom and then tie the liner up and toss it into the trash. It took so much stress off of us with car trips and worrying about what state the restrooms we were near would be like. Also, that little “Potette” travels so nicely. We used it at the beach frequently too. It’s like having an instant “pop up toilet” whenever you need it and it’s always clean with a fresh liner. I love that thing and I tell all of my friends that are potty training to get it.
Also, there are some great toilet seat covers out there that cover the entire toilet seat as well as the front, so little legs don’t have to touch a sometimes disgusting toilet. And they are in fun colors/patterns.
You’re doing great! Keep up the good work!
Rebecca says:
Family restroom if available is usually (a bit cleaner).
I’ve also witnessed many a dad take their daughter into the women’s bathroom, once with the announcement, “I’m a dad bringing my daughter into the bathroom, here I come!” While there were a few giggles nobody had any complaint.
Jenny says:
I use an extra large toilet seat cover by PottyCover. It covers all the way down in the front so dangling feet and pants don’t touch the toilet. You can even use this under your portable seat for extra protection.
Ally says:
When my daughter was little and potty training she PERSISTED in putting her little hands on the seat for stability. No matter how often I screamed “don’t touch”, she TOUCHED and got stomach flu. UGH UGH UGH.
Good luck and stay healthy. I don’t know you but am so happy for your pregnancy. If your boy is half as adorable as Annie he’ll be lucky!
Auntie_M says:
*Disabled restrooms
*Family Restrooms
*Knock on the door or the women’s restroom & ask to be let in
*Scope out the men’s restroom b4 ordering: if it’s dirty either leave or (after ordering AND receiving your food) ask the establishment to clean it and then Stop going to places with consistantly dirty restrooms–especially if the chef is male (*gag*) (I get nauseated just seeing wait staff wearing their aprons into “clean” bathrooms! Don’t get me started on kitchen staff doing so….never mind dirty bathrooms!!! Last time I’d go there…)
*GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
Auntie_M says:
BTW-I just read thru the other comments and have to say that while I included using disabled facilities, I would suggest looking for family facilities 1st. I’m disabled myself & it doesn’t bother me if a parent/child combo has to use the facility. But I have full bladder control and confess to rather selfishly not thinking about those who don’t or who need assistance. So I will try to not use those facilities myself, except during those rare times when I have to use a wheelchair.
Also–your portable “seat” is cool: it’s so much more than a seat cushion! And I am soooo buying some of those full size toilet cover things for my 4 yr old niece! And, let’s be honest, me!!
Leslie says:
I pretty much just about break my back holding the potty-user up over the bowl. I, too, say hands up, don’t touch ANYTHING. Now I’m the gramma – have my adorable girls one full day each week for “gramma adventures,” and we do end up in public restrooms, the worst sometimes at some great parks, where anyone ( homeless, teenagers, etc) has access. If my old back can handle it, anyone can.
Anne says:
So I’ve ingrained it in my 3 yr olds head that when we walk into a public bathroom we “dont touch anything!!”. and i make her tell me that! “ok babe, what dont we do??” “we dont touch ANYTHING mommy!” ok good.
So we tried the portable potty thing too. But then it grossed me out that the bottom of it was on that nasty toilet, that was then going back in my bag. It came with a bag but it grossed me out that it was in there getting nastiness on that bag that i put the seat in over and over. So i put it in a ziploc bag thinking i can just throw them away. But i still got grossed otu that it was in the ziploc bag festering. So, we got rid of the portable seat cover.
Our 3 yr old is light. And i have to give my husband credit on this one. He came up with a way to hold her over the toilet so she doesnt touch the seat or anything. You grab under her legs and then around her back under her ams so shes in a seated position. Then hover her over the seat! And we say ok, pee! And she does and we’re done! No touching annnnything. Its super quick and gets us out of the nasty bathrooms asap. Now when she gets older and heavier….not so sure. But for now, that works perfectly!
Liz says:
So I didn’t read the previous comments to see if somebody already told you this but you can use a Tupperware container under that portable potty when out in public to avoid men’s rooms. Just remember the Clorox wipes for the car.
jamie v says:
Have you seen this? Truth!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/amber-dusick/potty-training-public-toilets_b_1123409.html
Nancy says:
We just take the kids into a family restroom or hold them hovering over a toilet. Even if the toilets are gross, it hasn’t been too bad doing it this way. Usually, one of us (mainly my husband especially because I’m so overly pregnant) takes both kids, age 4 and 2. We also aren’t germaphobic and don’t carry wipes everywhere we go either. Just lots of handwashing and the kids know when they are done, they don’t touch anything. We also keep a potty in the car in case we are too far from somewhere with a restroom. By the potty is a stack of cloth diapers (the old square kinda called prefolds) and we stick it into the potty to soak up anything. Dirty diaper is just tied up into a bag until we get home to wash.
Tamara says:
Public restrooms are disgusting…especially for kids. We use the portable toilet like you have, but in the car only, like another comment maker suggested. I wouldn’t want the portable toilet touching a public restroom in any way and then putting it back in my bag. My husband has also had to hold one of our boys up above the toilet seat in the public bathroom for an emergency #2 situation when we didn’t have the portable. We have also done the peeing standing up on the toilet seat method for our boys but with toilet paper spread out on the seat to stand on. Good times!
Cam says:
This isn’t always possible, but if you’re planning for a father-daughter excursion, you may call ahead to a few child friendly restaurants/diners in the area and find out which ones have a family restroom? Or if the restrooms are designated male/female but are single-stall (the kind where only one person goes in at a time), don’t even worry about taking your daughter into the ladies’ room, just do it. We don’t mind. I also know most women wouldn’t have a problem with a man bringing his daughter into the ladies’ room in multi-stall situations(after being forewarned, of course!). Trust me, we don’t want little girls to have to use the mens’ room as much as you don’t! And obviously this is completely a case-by-case basis that factors in many things, but I have personally accompanied girls into the ladies’ room before while the father waited outside. They were definitely past the potty training stage, just needed an adult to wait outside the stall, help them wash their hands and then safely return them to their father right outside the bathroom door. The last one isn’t ideal and I think involves a certain level or desperation and trust, so hopefully you encounter many family restrooms or ladies’ rooms that don’t mind a dad accompanying his daughter.