Too Old for Ladies Room?

My kids are grown now but when my boys got "too big" to go into the ladies room, I sent them to the men's and kept my foot in the door so I could hear him if he needed me.
I got a few strange looks, but didn't care. I do think if Dad is with him, he should be going into the men's room. It's about safety, not preference.

This is a difficult situation , if we are out as a family then my husband will take my son , but if I am by myself then he goes to the ladies with me (he is 7). I don't care what looks I get , I feel he is too young to go all by himself to a public restroom ,anyone could be watching and follow him in.

Hey A. -

Take this with a grain of salt! But for us (house full of boys) that is pretty old to be going to the bathroom with you. Let him go in the Men's room and stand outside the door. He will be fine. Especially with you waiting by the door - I do this and have never been worried anything would happen to mine. But you are his mom, do what you think is best for you guys - this is just from my P.O.V.

:)

I asked my hubby what he thought since he goes in men's rooms & would have a better idea. He said 8-10 they should be transitioning over, but to always go with your gut instint cause he says even now he gets the ibby jibbies from some of the wacky weirdos that are everywhere. He says not to even get him started on how disgustingly nasty they are either. My hubby has let my daughter 5 go in ladies room by herself for obvious reasons & they have a safe word. If she's taking too long, then he cracks door & asks, "how you doing in there, Katy?" She responds with anything but fine & he waits. She says fine & he is coming in! My son is 4 & he is no where near being ready to go by himself! He gets side tracked way too easily still.
Hope this helps.

Well, I've been wondering this same thing and my son is 4, so I'd say by 8 I'd expect him to be in the mens room. Even now, at small places (one or two stalls) I let my son go in the mens room while I stand at the door and talk to him. I'd imagine that at your son's school he is required to go into the boys bathroom.

From a safety perspective, I see your worry. Maybe you could try having him step in and check that the bathroom is empty, then you can wait for him in the hall until he finishes. If you suspect anything amiss, you can barge right in.

Hope this helps.
T.

Show him what tampons look like in the privacy of your own home. Explain at his level what they are for-- only you know what he is ready for and how much to tell him (by that age, my oldest son had a baby brother so it was easy to talk with him about my uterus and explain things....but however you decide to explain it, once he knows it's for soaking up blood he won't ask for a quarter anymore!!)

As for using the bathroom with you, as long as both of you are still comfortable with it, it's fine. But when he is with your husband, I would have him start using the men's room as often as possible so he can be more comfortable doing so for that day that he does decide he's ready to go in there on his own. I can't remember what age my son started using the men's room, but I think it was somewhere around your son's age or a bit younger. I would stand by the bathrrom door, sometimes holding it with my foot and I'd keep calling out to him to make sure he was OK. I figured if there was anyone fishy in there, they knew I was close by and keeping an eye (or actually an ear) on him!

I have always wondered what is too old to bring my son into the bathroom with me. Friends have said to bring him in as long as I feel it's safer than sending him to the men's room alone. You need to feel safe and secure, and even if it gets you a few stares, don't worry about it. As long as he acts appropriately in the bathroom, doesn't peek under stalls, etc, it's fine.

I do think that if his dad is with you, they should go into the men's room together. It will be good practice for him to start using a men's room in public and, at 8 years old, it is more appropriate if you have the option.

As for the tampons, why not just show him one at home? He'll get over his curiosity and you can control the information you give him.

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

yes he's too old.
My daughter goes to the bathroom by herself when she is out with my husband and she just turned 8 in december. she's been doing this about a year.

many places have "family restrooms" if you feel uncomfortable letting him go by himself you can take him there.

yes! he is too old. if you are someplace weird-like a rest stop-okay, let him go where you are. he is eight for crying out loud!

Wow, great question!
I have to say, though, that I was kind of surprised by how many moms seem to think the worst of the general public. It is good to err on the side of caution, but I think it can sometimes be a fine line between caution and paranoia. It makes me sad that this is the way humans see other humans. Even though I have known 'bad' people, and despite being molested for years (by a family member, not a stranger), I still choose to believe that MOST people are good.

Don't get me wrong, I still stand outside the door, listening, when my boys go in a public restroom ;) I was just a bit surprised at the lack of faith in humanity.

I stopped taking my son in with me at about 9 years old. He was getting embarrassed and when his father was with us, I would make my son go with his dad. I hate when he has to use a public restroom where my "eyes" can't be. I give it a certain time limit, I ask whether he has to pee or poop. I watch like a hawk every person going in and out. I will open the door and say are you ok? Hurry please. I had to give that one up, I couldn't very well let him come to the bathroom with me till he was in jr. high. I just made sure he went with my husband when we were all together so that he was comfortable with the mens bathrooms. My son is 10 now and is happy that we have given him this responsibility.

Yes, he is too old. He is now a second grader(I presume) and goes to the boys bathroom all by himself when he is at school. It is time to cut some of the purse strings and teach him to be confident in the men's bathroom when he is out with you.

Yeah, I have sons as well and I think 8 is too old. If your husband is with you, you really have no excuse. He needs to take him to the men's room.

As for if your alone with him, just stand directly outside the door and wait for him or find a family restroom...there are more and more of those these days, which I think is great!

Good luck!

By the age of eight, he's ready to use to boys bathroom. I completely understand the worries about him being alone in the bathroom, but all you have to do to remedy that is open the boys' door a bit and ask if he's okay. I'm sure he's aware of the differences between boys and girls, and other people seem to be a bit uncomfortable. That means it's probably time to let him go on his own in the boys bathroom.

If your husband is there, he should go with your husband every time. My son is 7.5 and he goes with me when when his dad isn't there....but I also have 3 kids and he is the oldest, so he helps me get everyone's hands washed, etc. If there is a family restroom, we use that. Since he was 7, I have started to let him use the mens' restroom alone. If I get a wierd feeling about letting him go alone at certain places, then, I have him come with me. He usually complains....he wants to use the urinal. I use my intution. If something feels wrong, then I listen to that. For the most part, he has started to use the men's room alone.

As for the tampons. Give him one. Explain every detail. I did with my son when he was 5, which led into the sex talk...every detail. Sex is not something mysterious, but a normal physiological function. I don't want him getting that info from kids at school. When he was 3, and I was pregnant, the girls on our street said, "Wow! Your tummy is getting big." Before I could say anything, my 3 year old said, "It's not her tummy, it's her uterus." Explain mensturation and why women bleed. My son walked into the bathroom as I was handling things in the bathroom during one of my periods. He asked a few questions and I told him to leave and I would explain when I got out of the bathroom. I did. He thought it was a little gross, and he's entitled to think that, but it is what it is.

My son notices girls, but that's it. My friend's son who won't have the sex talk with her son who is 8, has downloaded pics of naked women onto her computer. She found a Victoria's Secret catalog under his bed. I explain everything, so there's no mystery. We walked out of the mall and these girls showing nearly everything were walking in. I saw him notice them...differently than just looking. I asked him, "What?" He said, "Why do those girls dress like that?" I said, "Because they want boys to look at them. Did it work?" He replied, "Yeah." Did it make you feel funny? "Yeah."

I think at that age; especially if it is a public restroom he is familiar with, that it is OK to let him go alone. Make dad take him when he's there. I might raise my eyebrows at a boy that age in the ladies room though I definitely wouldn't care one iota and I would absolutely sympathize with mom's decision. Heck I share one small bathroom with 3 boys at home so really...What's one more boy gonna matter? =)

Show him a tampon at home and tell him the save the quarter for the bubble gum machine.

BTW -- I glare at all the men who go into the restroom before I send my 9 yr old in and say quite clearly, "Don't talk to anyone and scream if ya gotta." But I am pretty sure he is gonna be embarrassed by even this level of mama-bear protection real soon.

I think 6 is appropriate. If you think about it, they use the bathroom by themselves in kindergarden; at least we did in my school. At the YMCA the age limit is 5 and another place is 6 yrs old before they have to use the boys room.

My youngest is 7 and he has been going to the boys restroom ( with his older brother) for about a year. I agree sending him in the bathroom alone can be strange... but I usually wait outside the door and if they are not out within a reasonable amount of time... I start yelling in to make sure they are OK. I would at least certainly encourage him to go in with your husband when he is there. C.

My husband works for the Police Department he said he thinks a 6 year old should be fine on his own, but mom should stand nex to the door and speak with her son as he enters so anyone in there, will know she is very close by.

At 8 my mom told me about tampons, I told my daughter when she asked at the age of 6. I am sure your son can handle it, just remind him it is not something we need to be talking about in front of others, just in your home.

Most gyms and places like that say no boy over the age of 5 is allowed in the girls area. My son is 6, and if we are alone and I need to go in he comes with me and stands outside of the stale where I can see his feet. If he needs to go he goes in the mens room. At 8, unless in a dangerous area, you son is too old to be in the ladies room at all. He really should be waiting outside, but if the area is unsafe than have him come in and stand by the door way where he is not able to see the other ladies.

I let my son come in the ladies room with me until HE no longer felt comfortable going in. He was 9-10 yrs old and had been taking karate lessons so i knew he could handle himself. I still stood (and still stand :0) in front of the mens room door and memorized the face of every man that came out in case something bad happened (can you tell i'm a worrier?)

My 12 year old had to finally graduate to the mens room when I realized that he was no longer a little boy when the mangment asked me to have him go to the mens room at 10. It still freaks me out and I stand by the door talking to my son every few minutes or so and make contact with ANY man going in or out of there"hi my sons in there" or " Did you see if my son washed his hands" I really don't care if he noticed my sons hygiene, but I want this man to know I saw him and know what he looks like.
I hate that I can't go in there but I know he is way too old for the ladies room its not fair to him or ladies or girls in the ladies room. Oh and one other thing. Make sure you have him practice using the urinal with someone you trust. My son dropped his pants completly the first few times in there and I thank God my frined was there to tell him it wasn't the way to do it. I can only imagine if my son had been there alone and some man had seen his hynie. Anyway have him start going in with your husband because pretty soon you may have to let him go in the mens room alone and he needs to be prepared and so do you.

He's not too old but I would let him go to the men's room alone if you are able to stand right outside. Any other mother that is in the ladies room with you should understand that you are only having him there for safety. If they don't sympathize than they will get over it, there is nothing more important than your child's safety. I have an 8 and 10 yr old boys and I always make them go together. Use your best judgement, if you feel uncomfortable somewhere and you don't want him going alone then go with your gut. Good luck!

Yes he's too old!!! If they are above waist high, they're too big. And in all seriousness, nothing will happen in the mens room other than he gets to pee in a urinal. My DS has been using the mens room, at his insistence, since he figured out that a urinal was, approx age 3.5.

For tampons. Show him.

I would definitely follow intuition...if it feels not right to let him go alone in the men's bathroom...than bring him in with you. However, that being said...I think by the time a child is 4-5, definitely by the time he is in any kind of preschool/kindergarten, it's vital to have some serious personal safety talks/role playing/etc. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, we can't protect our kids from everything and if we're sending them out of the house at any point...whether it's to school, to the babysitters, or to a friends house...they need to know what is appropriate and what is not and be comfortable enough with us to be able to talk about it. We have several kid safety type DVD's and CD's...my kids know that sometimes you've just gotta yell and scream...and that's ok. They are NOT to be polite to someone who makes them feel uncomfortable. Kick, scream, yell, run, make a scene...whatever. I think if a child knows that and you've taken other precautions (I check the bathroom out first, stand outside, and let any men going in know that my son is in there and if I feel a need I will check on him, if they have a problem with that, they may want to wait), then it's ok. My son doesn't like to use public restrooms when other people are there - so his personal preference is to wait till the men's restroom is completely empty. Then he's in and out real fast. I do really like the family restrooms - we use those as often as we can. As others have mentioned, if it's an airport, crowded rest stop, or any other large restroom/crowded area...then that's different - I would personally take my son with me. Fortunately, most of the times we've gone to places like that...my husband has been with us. I also make my kids go to the bathroom before we leave...taking a 2 y/o, 4 y/o, and 6 y/o to a public restroom is NEVER a simple matter!!

I let my son use the men's restroom alone when he turned 6. We had an honest talk about it, and told him that there were some people in the world that did bad things. I asked him not to speak to anyone in the restroom, and talked about etiquette - not looking over into another urinal, etc. . I always stand right outside the restroom door, and he knows to YELL REALLY LOUD if someone is bothering him, touching him, or making him feel uncomfortable.

Why should anyone care that you're taking your 8 y.o. son with you into a women's bathroom stall? That is so ridiculous -- it's not like he (or anyone else) will see my naked bottom. If your son is fine with going with you into the women's bathroom, by all means take him. Just the few scary stories relayed in this posts below are enough to tell me that if you or your child feels uncomfortable about sending him in alone to a men's bathroom, then don't do it. I actually think it's cute when a mom brings in her son and the boy doesn't seem to care. Women's bathrooms have door-covered stalls (ok, at least most do) -- it's not like little girls have to see the boys pee standing outsdie in urinals or something.

Yes, too old! I'd also say 6 is the maximum.
I went camping a couple summers ago, and there was a woman who brought her 3 young boys [one was probably 5, and the other two 8 or 9] in the women's bathroom to take a shower with her! I was finishing up in the next stall and boy was I uncomfortable. I can understand the kids not wanting to go it alone in the mens bathroom...but there is a certain age where it is just "weird" and also an age when boys are really going to start to remember what they've seen. A 6 year old wont remember seeing a tampon or a woman readjusting her bra or accidentally opening a stall and seeing a woman sitting on the toilet...but 8 years and up probably will remember it, they'll talk about it to their friends, etc

My son is 10. In most cases, I will let him go to the men's room on his own while I wait right outside the door. but honestly- if it was someplace crowded or filled with strangers, say at the airport, I would not HESITATE to take him into the Ladies with me. You can always poke your head in first and call out "I'm bringing in my little boy to use the bathroom!" in case someone is changing clothes or something, but in most cases, all the action is going on inside a stall anyway!

As for the tampon machine- I've just told my son that those are special products that only grown-up ladies need to use and that he'll learn more about it when he's older. He seems to have lost interest entirely!

NOTHING is more important than safeguarding your child in public. Who cares if a few women you will most likely NEVER see again feel embarrassed? If they're moms they ought to understand that your son's safety is more important. if they're so prudish that bothers them, then who cares what they think?

I stopped taking my son with me into the ladies room around this age. I used to do like many others hear, I'd stand by the door while he went in to check if anyone was there. Even if there was someone else in there I was ok was that I just wanted to know that. Then I'd stand right at the door, and usually he was right back out. (Boys can go so quickly!) If it seemed to be taking too long I would open the door a crack and yell in there..."You ok?" He always was, just needed a moment. No bad guy's gonna try anything anyway knowing that "mom" is standing there listening and waiting and guarding the exit! I found that men understood too when you were waiting at the door and generally would wait to go in.

I totally get the safety issue and that's why I did it the way I did. But you also want to teach your son to respect other's privacy, and that at a certain point, his presence in the ladies room would make girls feel uncomfortable and that's not right.

My son is 8 1/2 and I still take him in the restroom with me and he has no problem with it at all. His dad always takes him when he is with us. I have never had any problems with people staring or saying anything to me, but I don't care whatsoever is they do! He is my child and I will protect him the way I think he should be protected. Do what your gut tells you to do.

Hello, We took our sons/grandsons in the Ladies' room until they were pretty big. Actually, until they were at least 10 years old. I didn't care what the reaction was. There are stalls in there, so really they aren't going to see anything anyway. I would rather know they are safe than not.
Good luck with your precious little boy.
K. K.

My son is 7 1/2 (but he looks older) and he still uses the ladies room with me. He doesn't care which room he uses either. I've never had any grown women say anything to me about this. Once a little girl said something when we were at the Beach Club but I explained that he was not old enough to go in the men's room alone. I really don't care what other people think. I will keep taking my son to the ladies room until I feel he's old enough/safe enough to go on his own - especially if we're in a crowded public place. If his father is with us he sometimes goes with him and sometimes goes with me.

As far as the Tampons are concerned I don't see anything wrong with showing him one and explaining what they are for in simple terms - you don't have to have the whole discussion. My son was always coming into the bathroom with me. When he was about 4 he saw blood and I explained that it was the egg leaving the mom's body and that it happens every month except if you are pregnant. He never asked about it again. He asked about Tampons once and I told him it was for "the eggs". He still doesn't now anything more about how babies are made and he hasn't asked.

Hope this helps. Do whatever makes you comfortable. Your son's safety is more important than anything else.

I haven't read all of your responses (you got a lot on this topic) so if I am a repeat I appologize. I think a big portion of it depends on how, what word should I use?, "independent" your child is. Is your child is the quite, meek, shy kind? For safety he might need to continue to go in with you. My son stopped going in with me about 6ish. Unless we were traveling (rest stops) or large event like state fair or sports arena. I would stand right outside the door, and if I thought it was taking too long I would crack the door and ask what the hold-up was? If he didn't answer me immediately, I would say very loudly "answer me NOW or I am coming in, men hide your privates!" and believe me I would have had no problem marching right on in there. Most often if men were in there they would laugh and applaud me.

off topic: when my son was around 5 we were at Target, this elderly gentleman was there with his 3-4 grandkids (maybe great-grandkids) they were walking in front of us slowly, we were trying to get around them and my son kind of walked thru the middle of them. The man thought my son was one of his grandkids walking ahead (in his defense: my son same hair color and height at his grandson) and put is hand on my sons shoulder, my son looked up at him and freaked, started screaming STRANGER DANGER and threw himself on the ground and started kicking (like they suggest). I thought the old geezer was going to stroke out. Honest mistake, the gentleman must have appologized 50 times.

yeah, too old. I can see maybe if you are out alone in an unfamiliar place, but if his dad is there, there is no reason he can't escort him into the men's room. when you bypass that, it's just going to become the norm for him to go in the ladies room instead.

I can understand your concerns, and I would not want my child to go alone into a men's restroom... that being said, I think that if there is a private restroom, you should encourage your son to go in alone, and just talk to him from outside. If he is with his dad, I would encourage him to go to the restroom with his dad. And, if there is no other choice, then bring him into the ladies' room with you, but do not give in to his wanting to buy a tampon every time. Basically, it's like when kids want a gumball from the machine, and instead of wasting a quarter like that, I'd tell him to save it in his piggy bank. :)

I don't have a son. But I use to work with this lady who had been apart of the "boss'" family for years. She basically helped raised the kids and she still does. I forgot how old the son was, before she started letting him use the men's room, but I LOVE this story.

She would knock on the men's room door, open it.. Annouce that she was there and that her son was with her. She would walk into the restroom and put him in a stall. She would then go wait outside the door. If another man came to go in, she would tell him that he had to wait, or she could go in with him. She said that you would be surprised at how many men understood

Here's a better question...........is your son old enough or strong enough to defend himself from a sexual predator that is in the men's restroom? I have an 8 year old boy and he still goes into the ladies room occasionally with me. If his older brother or my husband are with us, he goes into the men's. I also base it on the location. I would feel better in a restaurant than in a larger location such as Walmart, amusement parks, parks etc. I thought that I was being over protective until a man that I work with told me to NEVER let my boys go by themselves unless they can defend themselves. He said he was first molested in the bathroom of an amusement park similar to Six Flags. He said that changed his life forever. He also said that he can spot those same types of people now when he is in restrooms at the mall. You only have one 8 year old son. There is nothing wrong with protecting him until he can do it himself. Our older son was probably 9 before we would let him go alone. ....even then, Im not too far from the door.

My son is 6.5 and most of time goes into ladies room with me. But he is able to go into Mens, But he gets a bit scared if lots of guys in there....and would rather go with me. We also have had the talk about not talking to anyone in there and that im standing at the door if he needs me.
But I know soon he has gotta use the mens room....im just so unsure of the strange men out there....ya know.

I have no problem with a woman bringing an 8 year old into the women's restroom. Especially if there aren't many people around. If the restrooms seem pretty busy then I might feel comfortable sending him to the men's room alone. Otherwise, better safe than sorry is what I say. Who cares what the other women in the restroom think, you'll probably never see them again anyhow. Fact is, there are many bad people out there. Go read the story of Matthew Cecchi, a 9 year old who was murdered in a restroom while his aunt waited outside the door.

Right or wrong, our society expects people past a certain age to go in the bathroom set up for their gender. I think your boy's at that age, or maybe just a little past, where he needs to use the men's room instead.

He should already know, from using the restrooms in school, how to handle the restrooom by himself. The real issue is the stranger danger factor. Make sure to teach him, if you haven't already, what is and is not appropriate to happen in the bathroom around strangers and what to do if something "wrong" is happening. He's going to have to learn sometime. Really, although there really is a danger of inappropriate stuff happening in a men's bathroom, the chances of him actually encountering anything is pretty slim.

You might start getting him to use the men's room in places with smaller bathrooms, then kinda move up to larger bathrooms. Pretty soon he won't think anything of it and will think it strange to go into the ladies room.

When my son was 3 there was an incident at a store in our neighborhood where a 10 year old boy was molested while his mom waited outside the door. 2 mo. later another boy was molested in a park bathroom while his dad stood outside. We live in a pretty safe area but it can happen anywhere. I also checked into statistics and men's bathrooms are high on the list. I decided that even 10 is not old enough to fight off a grown man.

He is 10 now and goes with his dad or if it's a one or two stall I'll let him go and watch who goes in. If it's more than that I stand in the door, unless that makes the urinals visible. In that case he comes with me. In stalls you really can't see anything anyway and I figure until he starts liking girls he's as safe at 10 as he is at 4.

It's sad to have to protect our sons from the bathroom, but I would rather deal with a million snide comments or looks and protect my son.

As for the tampons-explain that when mom's aren't having babies the body prepares a place for them anyway and each month it cleans itself out to make a new clean home in case there were to be any new babies. Tell him it goes on until a woman is a "grandma age" and show him a tampon. My husband was the oldest of 4 boys and knew nothing about "women's stuff". To this day it grosses him out to see tampons and he can't even think about something going "in there". Don't put another woman through this. Teach him while he's young that it's part of nature and no big deal.

It really depends on where you go. I don't mean to scare you, but I remember in Oceanside, CA several years ago a boy, about 10 or 11, was killed in a bathroom while his aunt stood outside. But this was at night in a beach parking lot. While the boy was in there, a man about age 25 or 30 went inside, killed him, and came back out and left. The aunt had no idea anything had happened until she went in and found him. This is extreme, I know, and it rarely happens. I'm sure other bathrooms are much safer, and you can try to wait until everyone is out, then send him in and not let anyone else go in until he's done.

I dont think he's too old at all. There are so many sick people out there that I wouldnt feel safe to let my son go to the bathroom by himself. (there was a little boy who was murdered a few years back when his parents let him go into a public restroom by himself. One of many stories, I'm sure). If I'm the only one able to take him, into the women's bathroom he goes.
Good job to you! You're a good momma...

Just tell him to goto the mens room and you will wait outside for him whaats wrong with showing him a tampnjis for he is a little young but there is nothing wrong in menthing what it is used for what an obverent you man enjoy his growing up A. raised 4 and now have 7grandchildren A. no hills

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JUST TELL HIM TO GOTO THE MENS ROOM AND YOU WILL WAIT OUTSIDE FOR HIM WHAATS WRONG WITH SHOWING HIM A TAMPNJIS FOR HE IS A LITTLE YOUNG BUT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG IN MENTHING WHAT IT IS USED FOR WHAT AN OBVERENT YOU MAN ENJOY HIS GROWING UP A. RAISED 4 AND NOW HAVE 7GRANDCHILDREN A. NO HILLS

Updated

JUST TELL HIM TO GOTO THE MENS ROOM AND YOU WILL WAIT OUTSIDE FOR HIM WHAATS WRONG WITH SHOWING HIM A TAMPNJIS FOR HE IS A LITTLE YOUNG BUT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG IN MENTHING WHAT IT IS USED FOR WHAT AN OBVERENT YOU MAN ENJOY HIS GROWING UP A. RAISED 4 AND NOW HAVE 7GRANDCHILDREN A. NO HILLS

My son is 7, and we're there with ya! Take it on a situational basis--where you are, how crowded, etc. and stand by the door.

I think if dad is with you he should go in the men's restroom with dad.

If there's no male with you, then at 8 he should go in with you. I always freaked out when my little boys were alone in a men's restroom -- I've heard some terrible stories.

Not sure when I finally felt comfortable with my boys in a men's restroom alone. Probably when they were bigger than me... :)

p.s. - By 8, my boys knew what tampons were for...

A.-
My son followed me into the restroom until about 10. Most people don't mind. I got a snide comment from an ol' biddy once. I still insist that he come with me (now 11) if we're someplace where there is lots of people. Either that or I let him go in the men's and wait outside the door with confirmation ahead of time whether he will be going #1 or #2. He takes forever when it's #2. If you are all together though, I would send him with Dad. He does need to make that step eventually.

As far as tampons are concerned. I would show him one and tell him what it's for. But, I tend to be pretty open with my son as he loves to walk in on me in the bathroom. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was hurt.
Best,
S.

I have an almost 8yr old boy and a 4.5yr old boy, and when we are all together I take them both in with me. Its just easier, neither cares. But if they have to go to the bathroom and nobody else does, I let them go in alone and wait by the door. although I admit I still send my 4.5yr old into the womens bathroom alone, and my oldest can go into the mens bathroom alone.

If my husband is with they go in with him of course.

Do what you are comfortable with. My oldest doesn't care as long as he can pee, he's pretty oblivious.

I don't have a problem sending him into the mens room alone, I DO have a problem with him getting out of the bathroom before I do and standing alone in a business/mall/etc if I happen to take longer to use the bathroom. THAT is what I'm not cool with, and why, if we all have to use the bathroom, I take them both into the womens room with me.