Fear of the flush. Does your child suffer from autoflushophobia? Okay, we made that word up, but it describes the very real terror many children feel about toilets that flush automatically. The unpredictability and the loud, high-pitched sound can cause anxiety and, for some children, even a refusal to use these toilets a big problem for parents as auto-flushers become more and more prevalent.
A recent New York Times piece by Tina Kelley looks at this growing problem and reports on a few strategies to help parents and kids cope.
Jeffrey Kay developed the Flush-Stopper in 2002 because his daughters fear of auto-flush toilets was impeding her potty training progress. The Flush-Stopper ($2.99) is a small reusable piece of plastic that is placed on top of the toilets electronic sensor rendering it temporarily inactive.
Kelley reports that some parents keep a mental list of local public restrooms with old-fashioned flushers and someone has even started a website to list all the non auto-flushing toilets at Disneyland.
Are your kids autoflushophobic? If so, any advice for other parents?
Find the full Times article here. (Photo by: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times)
Related posts:
The Bathroom Diaries
Kids are scared of lots of things. Mine is scared of auto-flushes. Also, flies, bees, and spiders. Maybe I would think differently if I had a child with a different personality, but I'm a big believer in not trying eliminate things that cause discomfort/anxiety, but helping kids learn how to cope with them. I can't eliminate flies, bees, and spiders from the world, but I can pretend to be them, make up silly songs about them, find books about them at the library, and generally demystify them. Which in my opinion is a good way for all of us to deal with our fears, healthier and more practical than trying to make the scary things go away.
The auto-flush thing came up for the first time this weekend in Hell, sorry I meant at Lowe's, and I had him stand at a safe distance while I flushed it over and over (I know, NOT GREEN) pretending to be scared, until he told me not to be scared.
view mjoe's profile
Sorry, I meant to say mine USED to be scared of flies, bees, spiders. He's pretty much over it now.
view mjoe's profile
Oh my god. I could write an essay myself on this topic. My daughter has had a big fear of these ever since she was about 3, and didn't weigh enough for the sensor, so it would flush while she was still on. Now my son, who just recently potty-trained, is developing the same fear. Maybe it's genetic.
Whatever the reason, I sure hope there is a special spa-style quiet room in the Great Beyond, as a reward for not losing my mind (yet) while taking my kids to the potty, and keeping one hand over the sensor at ALL TIMES, while the other hand pulls down the TP, helps wipe, and keeps a running commentary of assurance the entire time that YES MY HAND IS STILL OVER THE SENSOR. And no, you will NOT get flushed down the toilet.
Now I'm off to follow that link to the non-auto toilets at Disneyland --.
view KellyInCali's profile
My son isn't scared of much, but automatic toilets freak him out. He tries to figure out a way to pee with his hands over his ears every time.
view wertygirl's profile
I'll never forget the time my super precocious, sensible and competent preschool daughter was heard screaming in terror in the bathroom of an Old Navy when the toilet flushed all by itself.
Just heard about a sport stadium that had to hire people to supervise the toilets and decide when to flush due to the drought conditions. Maybe autoflush will become obsolete.
view Kate (NC)'s profile
I find that a well placed post it note keeps automatic toilets from going off (and I always have them in my purse unless little hands have taken them out).
view LinzG's profile
Post-it note? Brilliant!
view pelicolina's profile
Wertygirl...I took a friends preschool-age son to the restroom during a movie the other day, and was completely amazed by the ear-plug-pee...
view Jess2nola's profile