Almost 5 Year Old Afraid of ANY Toilet Out.

I had a few thoughts when reading your post.
First, could you try a sensory training-type thing? Just going INTO the public restroom. Next time going into a stall. Next time try to pee on the toilet?
Secondly, all of us moms know that we can NEVER get our kids to do something that a complete stranger easily could. Not that I'm saying to get a stranger to take her to the bathroom, but will she go at a grandparent's house, an aunt's, etc? What if her dad took her into a family restroom? Do you think that might work?
I know how you feel...my son just hates to take the time to pee. He'll get up in the morning after holding it all night and would wait hours to pee if I didn't tell him/remind him to go. He seems to be able to hold it forever, but I'm sure that can't be a good thing physically. Good luck to you!

My now 10 yo daughter was fully potty trained at 18 mos. Never had a problem until she was about 3 and we went to a public bathroom that had the automatic flush that flushed while she was still SITTING on it and it freaked her out. So she refused after that to go into any public bathroom. Not sure if it will work for you but I finally convinced her that she can go and I promised her we wouldn't flush the toilet. And if it was an automatic one, i would put my hand over the "eye" and block it so it wouldn't flush while she was in there. So I understand but not sure if this will help you or not! Good luck!

A friend of mine got a fold up potty chair that she could put in the diaper bag to take with her to public places. I think she said she ordered it online? Anyway, that's obviously not going to work in kindergarten, but maybe in the meantime, if you can get her to use it at home, then take it with you when you're out and have her use it in the public restroom, she might get desensitized? We're potty training now - thought we'd be past issues like that by age 5, so thanks for the heads up. :) Good luck!

K went through that after seeing the kids movie "Flushed Away". It stinks big time when you have to plan your activites around trips home to go pee, she would only use the low flush toilet in her bathroom, I did it for several months then decided I was done. She did get over it after having several accidents out in public. You may just have to mentally decide to be the bad guy and make her sit there, on a public toilet, until she goes.

You do realize you don't get to go on vacation, go visit family, go shopping in a nearby city, anything...because she is controlling your family with her bathroom habits.

I can be the "B" when I have to, I hate it sometimes because the kids like my husband better, he's nicer, but when it comes down to it someone has to take a stand sometimes.

have you tried using it yourself to show her it is ok? that's what I had to do for my dd who was scared of toilets. This may not be possible on the small kindergarten toilet, but surely would be in a public restroom. Just get the handicapped stall when no one else is using it and bring her in with you. My dd was scared of pooping on the potty until I did it a couple of times in front of her, then she wanted to do it like Mommy. She kept saying "i'm doing it like you, mommy! It's not scary!" I hope this helps!!

My 5 yo is still afraid of loud toilet and/or automatic ANYTHING in public restrooms. Is it the noise or the fear of falling in...? We figured out to cover his ears, and sometimes to face the "wrong" way when sitting down, and that seems to work for us. Not very helpful, but if you can narrow down what exactly she dislikes it may be easier to conquer. Best of luck to you.

Here's another side of the story...the person who wouldn't go in public bathrooms & definitely not use any type of outdoor bathrooms was ME! Obviously I can't remember all the way back to preschool, but I can remember not using the bathroom most of the time in school, if ever. Fortunately, the kids really don't get much to drink while at school, think a couple of drinks from the water fountain & a drink at lunch. Even later in life (junior high age) I did not use the school's bathroom. I went before & after school & that was it. We went to a camp with our Pixie's troop, think between kindegarten & 1st grade...left on Friday, returned on Sunday, bathrooms were outdoor, concrete, flushing toilets, DID NOT go the entire weekend!!! I am better about it now, but still will not go until I have to. NOt that I have a fear of them, just prefer not use public bathrooms. I'm not a germophoic either. Weird, I know. I had a cousin that was hard to potty train & then once she was my aunt carried her potty chair with her, on vacation even. I'm sorry I cannot help you with an answer. I don't know what my issue was. Counseling would be the only thing I could suggest as it's definitely psychological, just as any other type of fear. It's not something you can make someone get over. Good luck & I promise she will survive...I did.

Neither of my girls would use an outside potty. We went to Sears and used the potty there while my older daughter was 2 and it flushed on her. Freaked her out for years and of course because she was so frightened of the potty her sister wouldn't go near them.
I would go in the bathroom with the girls. I held my hand over the sensor and gave them lots of praise for using the potty.
And when my husband was with us sometimes he would take the girls and that was totally cool to go into a men's room. ugh. But htey would go for him. He also had to hold the sensor.
INcidentally my 14 year old still does not use the bathrooms at school.