Day trips and open bathrooms

[Anonymous]

My kids (4 and 6) haven't been more than 10 minutes from our home the last 3 months. One of the things holding us back is the availability of restrooms. Are there any parks opening up within 45 minutes of DC that have restrooms available? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Just get one of those Potette potties from Amazon. Carry antibacterial hand wipes and sanitizer for hands.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My kids have no problem pissing in the woods, but I'd rather them use a bathroom. Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

Wear running shorts. Pull them to the side. Pee in the woods.
(I am aware this is gross)

[Anonymous]

We enjoyed Sky Meadows State Park and they have open bathrooms.

[Anonymous]

Most of the Md. state parks have open bathrooms. We've been going to them and its been fine. Don't touch anything you don't have too - wash hand - then sanitize hands when you get outside.

[Anonymous]

I don't get the panic here. You go in, you do your thing, you wash your hands, you wear a mask. NBD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of the Md. state parks have open bathrooms. We've been going to them and its been fine. Don't touch anything you don't have too - wash hand - then sanitize hands when you get outside.

Seneca Creek State Park is nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the panic here. You go in, you do your thing, you wash your hands, you wear a mask. NBD.

I don't think OP's panic is about using the restrooms, it's about finding one that is OPEN. Many state parks in VA do not have open facilities, which includes the bathrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the panic here. You go in, you do your thing, you wash your hands, you wear a mask. NBD.

The problem is some parks don't have their restrooms open. I checked the Md parks page and there is no list of which parks have open restrooms. I assume the state parks do, though, but who knows?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My kids have no problem pissing in the woods, but I'd rather them use a bathroom. Any ideas?

Why would you rather they use the bathroom if they are happy to pee in the woods? Obviously this won’t work if you’re in a shopping area, but hiking? What’s the big deal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the panic here. You go in, you do your thing, you wash your hands, you wear a mask. NBD.

There are also studies that Covid lingers in the air for up to 14 minutes. While it's probably rare you'd go in just after someone whose positive did a WHOLE lot of yelling or talking in the bathroom, there is risk in the air, not just on surfaces. This is why being outdoors is much safer. Yes, wearing a mask helps. It also helps if everyone who went inside the 10 minutes before you also wore masks. We've avoided public restrooms for this reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My kids have no problem pissing in the woods, but I'd rather them use a bathroom. Any ideas?

Why would you rather they use the bathroom if they are happy to pee in the woods? Obviously this won’t work if you’re in a shopping area, but hiking? What’s the big deal?

The big deal is that they will then take every opportunity to pee outside, whether it is appropriate to or not. Plus, my bladder isn't what it used to be and I would rather use a bathroom. I thought it was a rather simple question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My kids have no problem pissing in the woods, but I'd rather them use a bathroom. Any ideas?

Why would you rather they use the bathroom if they are happy to pee in the woods? Obviously this won’t work if you’re in a shopping area, but hiking? What’s the big deal?

Dp. Dogs piss outside. Civilized people use bathrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the panic here. You go in, you do your thing, you wash your hands, you wear a mask. NBD.

The problem is some parks don't have their restrooms open. I checked the Md parks page and there is no list of which parks have open restrooms. I assume the state parks do, though, but who knows?

Thank you, I was hoping for some feedback from people who have been out to parks. It's impossible to find out from these website whether facilities are open. I'm the OP. I'm not in a panic about using a public restroom. In fact, I prefer it for my boys because they will otherwise piss on every tree if given the choice.