Taking the initiative to be child-friendly doesn't ’have to be expensive or time-consuming. Whether a retail store, medical clinic, airport or government office, a child-friendly place is one that parents — one of the largest consumer groups in America — and their children will gladly patronize.
What It Means To Be Child-Friendly
Child-Friendly Restrooms
Excerpted from “Clean & Child-Friendly: Some Thoughts on Restroom Hygiene” by Wilma Flanagan, this piece offers concrete suggestions for why public restrooms need better accommodations for children.
As a mom, I have recently really struggled with the issue of hygiene in public places. I was diagnosed with cancer last Spring, and have tried to maintain as normal a lifestyle as possible for my daughter.
This has been difficult because of my special need to be very conscientious about cleanliness during my treatment. She and I like to go out shopping, to parks and playgrounds, and she loves to eat at fast food restaurants. I have found it very difficult to take her into the restrooms in any of those places, because none of them are truly accessible for small children.
When she sits on the toilet seat, she naturally hangs on, so she won’t fall in. When she is finished, she wants to wash her hands. This is nearly impossible in public restrooms. The sinks are always too high, the soap dispensers are too far away for her to reach, and often the towel dispenser is also out of reach. Not only that, but they all work differently, and she can’t always figure that out, either.
Because of my surgery I was unable to lift and hold her while she washed her hands. What I have done, is put soap on my hand, kneeled on the floor, so that she could climb onto my knee, using it as a stepstool to reach the sink. She gets the soap from me, and then together we get the paper towels, after I have washed my hands, and rubbed the dirt from my knee or clothing. Needless to say, this was not good for me, or my clothing.
I have found that many restaurants are very welcoming to small children, with special menus, and color crayons to play with while they wait for the food. Fast food restaurants all have children's meals.
Their restrooms have signs to remind workers about hand washing, that also provide a good reminder to the public, but: THEY ARE NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE YOUNGEST CUSTOMERS! It would very helpful if step stools would be provided for little ones too small to reach the sink. Please put at least one soap dispenser where a child can reach it, and make sure that one of the paper towel holders is also low enough to reach.