[quote="pie81"]I still haven't seen anyone explain why the kids can't wee in a portable potty (or even an empty water bottle or one of the clever urine bottles linked to upthread)?

If the answer is "because they don't want to" then that's not a good enough reason in my view - if they can't hold it till they get to a loo then they need to use a portable potty, that's just the way it is.[/quote]

I couldn't agree more. I can't believe that one poster here is suggesting that the fact that her child would throw a tantrum is a reason for letting the child urinate in the playground or that her child not liking a travel potty is a reason for not using it. Our eldest was toilet trained at just over two years and we have other friends whose children were toilet trained at much the same age. For the first couple of months were were a few accidents but they now know that they have to sort out their bladder, e.g. using the potty before they leave home or somewhere with toilet facilities, using the travel potty if they need to, learning to control their bladder for the 10 minutes it may take to get to somewhere that they can use it. This is basic parenting and I'm shocked at how so many parents don't get this.

BTW I'm totally fine with whipping out the travel potty in the park - somewhere pretty private - and having our eldest use it. However, at this stage most of the time even that isn't necessary.

I still haven't seen anyone explain why the kids can't wee in a portable potty (or even an empty water bottle or one of the clever urine bottles linked to upthread)?

If the answer is "because they don't want to" then that's not a good enough reason in my view - if they can't hold it till they get to a loo then they need to use a portable potty, that's just the way it is. Weeing in a public place is surely not acceptable just because your child has a strop about using a potty. I mean I don't like using public loos much but that doesn't mean I can just drop my pants in the park!

Apples4jam - those toilets are disgusting and i would not want a young child use those. i make my kids stand on top when they have to use those. so i am not surprised a 20m old was allowed/encouraged not to go in.

I think it's asking too much if mums have to drag 2 or 3 kids out of a playground to let one of them have a wee outside of playground. and god forbid ever leaving any children unattended, no matter for how short a time!

i think British people are used to generally clean conditions and let their offspring crawl outdoors. it would be unthinkable to let your child do so where i grew up (diesel residue, broken glass, you name it - we have it). my two older children were never crawling in the playground (they were on a beach) and the youngest won't either. and i would recommend others not letting their kids crawl there either, to reduce the amount of germs and dirt and what have you on their tiny hands (and invariably their mouths)!

Sometimes I wonder if all posts are written by parents...anyone tried walking the 10 min home with a four year old that desperately needs to wee? Anyone tried to drag their three year old (who by the way did very well at warning he/she needs a wee) out of the playground to wee responsibly in the nearest toilet (5 min walk, 25 including tantrum)? Oh,and yes of course a portable potty is the first item our four year old packs when we leave the house to the park...because he loves peeing in it so much...
I know the wee tree in question. I have only seen little children wee near it. I don't care about it. I care way more about the broken bottles, syringes, condoms and dog poo we can find in that playground.

We don't use that playground that much these days, but I do remember telling my children not to run around the "wee tree"!!!

I am not saying that this is acceptable but in the 10 years of using that playground (and I spent A LOT of time there !!!) I think I might have seen 2 / 3 kids maximum weeing by that tree. I really do not think children regularly use the tree as a "urinal" as some of the posters say above.

I have never seen anyone weeing by the bins - now that is even more disgusting and I really do hope people don't really let their kids do that ??

On a separate but related note - my boys tend to tell me they need the loo when they are literally about to wet themselves with no warning at all !!! So I have to admit that we have occasionally had to use a hidden bush on the common.. :oops:

You do know urine is sterile so isn't a source of bacteria?

Urine is sterile when it comes out. But it pretty quickly becomes non sterile and a breeding ground for bacteria. That's why old wee smells far worse than new wee.

[quote="Vhopeful"]Sarahroo, if that's your attitude then where exactly should children not wee, should we teach them to just wee wherever they feel like it!!
However if you feel your children's behaviour is equivalent to that of wild animals or junkies I guess that's your problem.

I think the wee'ing in the playground is all about respecting others (letting your kids there shows none) and unfortunately there are too many kids in this area who have little or no respect for others.[/quote]

I could not agree more, and I despair that the basic tenets of respect and decency can be thrown so casually out of the window.

I think the point is children are being allowed to wee very close to play equipment (ie near bins and against trees within a fenced off play park) with no attempt to go out of sight. Certainly the last occasion I saw it the little boy was about 2 metres from the nearest play equipment. I really wouldn't care if he was doing it into a bush on the common.

I can't believe how up in arms people are about a bit of children's wee. You do know urine is sterile so isn't a source of bacteria?

I admit it is a bit disgusting if there is so much it smell (I don't know the wee tree in question) but generally if they are peeing on some earth under a bush or a tree I can't see that it is doing any harm. It will soak into the ground pretty quick and any bacteria present is from natural processes of leaves rotting etc. And unless it's the middle of a heat wave, chances are it will rain on it within 24hrs.

I can't see it is a sign of disrespect to other children, it's not like they are weeing on the tarmac around the play equipment, they have gone a bit out of sight into a bush.

Ah what happened to our lives, I used to moan about drunk lads peeingL in public, now it's little boys in parks...LOL

I'm still with the no-wee brigade on this one. Honestly it astonishes me that people have allowed a tree in a playground to become a urinal. I'm scrunching my face up thinking about it. What next, a 'poo plant' next to the wee tree. I don't use that particular playground (thank goodness) but surely there is somewhere else you can take them? Home perhaps. I've seen adult men having a pee very openly on wandsworth common too, ie right by a path, which I didn't like much either.

Have i actually said that my children have done it before? No i havent so dont try and make them sound like scum. Yes i have let them do it once of twice but apologies if the choice becomes between letting them wee in an area that everyone else wees at or let a 6 yr old wet themselves and feel humiliated in public! Im obviously going to go with the choice that wont humiliate my child.

Very well said vhopefull!

Sarahroo, if that's your attitude then where exactly should children not wee, should we teach them to just wee wherever they feel like it!!
However if you feel your children's behaviour is equivalent to that of wild animals or junkies I guess that's your problem.

I think the wee'ing in the playground is all about respecting others (letting your kids there shows none) and unfortunately there are too many kids in this area who have little or no respect for others.

I dont see the big deal about innocent young children doing a wer against a tree in a playground, foxes wee all over playgrounds at night and your gardens! Also ive seen things from beer bottles/cans to needles in playgrounds so a bit of childrens wee is the least of your worries!