Even though many public bathrooms are immaculately cleaned, most parents still fear that letting their child use a public bathroom increases risk of infection. Undoubtedly, some bathrooms are filthy, and the prospect of using them can trigger all sorts of unpleasant responses and disgust. The good news is that it's quite unlikely for anyone to contract an infection simply by sitting on the toilet itself. With proper hand washing and good hygiene practices, using a public toilet can be as safe as eating out in a public restaurant.

Fecal Matter

While the smell of human feces is inherently unpleasant, stools from a healthy individual actually do not pose any health hazard to others. Only when a person becomes ill with a gastrointestinal infection does the stool become contagious.

Of course, no one would advocate not washing hands after going to the bathroom, but an occasional fecal contamination of the hands can be readily remedied by a thorough hand wash. If you or your child happens to touch the toilet or even the feces itself, it's not the end of the world. There's nothing that a careful hand washing cannot fix.

Catching the Cooties

People frequently believe that it's possible to catch infectious diseases by sitting directly on the toilet seat in a public bathroom. This is extremely unlikely.

From an infectious disease perspective, it is perfectly acceptable to sit your child directly on the toilets in public restrooms. However, if you have any personal objection to having your child's skin touch the toilet seat, don't hesitate to use barrier devices. Keep in mind that you should worry even more when your child insists on opening the door in public places or on pressing the elevator buttons. It's a lot more likely for your child to get germs on the hands than the buttocks.