How to pee in the woods

[Anonymous]

My daughter’s sleepaway camp did a night in the woods last year. She was terrified to pee in the woods, so she basically peed in her pants. She loves this camp, but is terrified by this part. To top it off, she also had her period during the camp out and one of her tent mates told her it would attract all sorts of animals. (It was only her third time getting her period.)
I am, to put it mildly, not outdoorsy, but I know she loves this camp and I hate having this be such a point of stress for her. I’m planning to take her into the woods to try it, and I’ve obviously told her no creatures are going to attack her while she has her period (and that we will send baggies so she can pack out the pad). But I am hoping for suggestions on how to get her comfortable with this. Any tips for teaching the skill? Things I should be aware of? Advice for juggling a flashlight?
Help me Outdoors DCUM!!

[Anonymous]

Teach her to squat down and pee in the bath tub, no need to go to the woods

[Anonymous]

Go on hikes with her and show her peeing in the woods is no big deal?

Buy a headlamp instead of a flashlight?

[Anonymous]

PP, there are flashlights that you wear on your head, no need to juggle anything and your hands are free. Example https://www.rei.com/product/202772/black-diamond-astro-300-headlamp

[Anonymous]

You can buy a pee funnel to help her pee standing up - they come in both reusable ad disposable, so think about her wash water situation vs packing out trash. Have her practice standing in the shower so she can do it without soiling her clothes.

Also, buy her a headlamp flashlight. One with an easy off-on, not 12 flashing settings (although a red light is useful).

[Anonymous]

This would not be the camp for me. Being on my period in the woods with no toilet sounds like hell.

[Anonymous]

I realize this is not helpful advice, but what about finding an outdoorsy camp that has some sort of bathroom, even an out house? I’m not the camping type and this sounds like hell. If she’s stressing about it already does she really want to do this?

[Anonymous]

I can’t imagine trying to squat and pee in a bathtub!

She can practice a couple of squats at home fully clothed. First is wide stance, hips low to the ground, lower than knees. It may be a more comfortable position for squatting but the risk is because you’re lower to the ground there can be more splash is the stream is strong. Your pants are sort of above the stream this way though so not as likely to pee in your underwear, but you still kind of have to hold it up. Second is more of a chair position, with hips kind of back behind the knees, but you still want a kind of wide stance. I prefer this position because usually there’s less splash, but keeping pants and underwear out of the way can be trickier. Note, clothes should never drop to the ground when peeing in the woods. Gotta keep them up. Honestly she can practice this just hovering over the toilet at home instead of sitting on the seat.

I think a great way to learn that second stance in the wild is to face a tree and hold onto the trunk with one hand, and hold your pants at your knees with the other hand. The tree helps with balance, which is key, and also can provide a little privacy, which I imagine is also an issue.

Another option, if there’s a fallen tree log of just the right size, is to squat over the log - feet one one side and hips on the other. This virtually eliminates the risk of splash and is most like sitting on a toilet, but the perfect log isn't always there when you need it.

Another general tip, if on a slope, always make sure you’re facing downhill.

If she’s not packing TP in and out I suggest she get used to shaking a little and going without wiping. For my daughter the biggest issue is feeling wet after she goes. We pack TP for her for this reason.

[Anonymous]

She definitely needs a headlamp!

[Anonymous]

Guy here and this reminds me of taking my three year old girl hiking and trying to teach her how to pee in the woods. No first-hand experience, but how hard can it be? Told her to squat, move underwear to side…didn’t go well. I guess there is more to it?

[Anonymous]

I just checked and there are a lot of videos on this! She might find it helpful to watch some of them.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Headlamp is a great idea—she will love it.
For those who are asking why we are still doing the camp—The outdoor portion is only one night. When the kids are younger, they just sleep on the lawn, but she was in the older group last year and they hike out a bit. Every year when camp is over she has been distraught because she didn’t want to leave (even with all of this last year)—it’s been really good for her. But I totally get the stress of this—I am, as I said, not outdoorsy and wouldn’t have even liked sleeping on the lawn. But I think if she learned to do it, she would be super proud. She enjoys all the other aspects of camping and would like to do more. Mostly my fault for not having her taught her, but I haven’t done it, even in an emergency, in almost 30 years. So I appreciate the pointers! (The funnel won’t work, I think, because they share a pack and she’s worried enough about having to carry pads.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine trying to squat and pee in a bathtub!

She can practice a couple of squats at home fully clothed. First is wide stance, hips low to the ground, lower than knees. It may be a more comfortable position for squatting but the risk is because you’re lower to the ground there can be more splash is the stream is strong. Your pants are sort of above the stream this way though so not as likely to pee in your underwear, but you still kind of have to hold it up. Second is more of a chair position, with hips kind of back behind the knees, but you still want a kind of wide stance. I prefer this position because usually there’s less splash, but keeping pants and underwear out of the way can be trickier. Note, clothes should never drop to the ground when peeing in the woods. Gotta keep them up. Honestly she can practice this just hovering over the toilet at home instead of sitting on the seat.

I think a great way to learn that second stance in the wild is to face a tree and hold onto the trunk with one hand, and hold your pants at your knees with the other hand. The tree helps with balance, which is key, and also can provide a little privacy, which I imagine is also an issue.

Another option, if there’s a fallen tree log of just the right size, is to squat over the log - feet one one side and hips on the other. This virtually eliminates the risk of splash and is most like sitting on a toilet, but the perfect log isn't always there when you need it.

Another general tip, if on a slope, always make sure you’re facing downhill.

If she’s not packing TP in and out I suggest she get used to shaking a little and going without wiping. For my daughter the biggest issue is feeling wet after she goes. We pack TP for her for this reason.

This is SO helpful! —OP

[Anonymous]

I find leaning back on a tree squatted down like I’m slightly lower than a chair is the easiest way.

[Anonymous]

They make pull-ups for bigger kids. Would she consider those as an option in case of an emergency?