As wonderful as being a #GirlDad is, the job comes with some challenges!
Dads have masterfully learned how to make a ponytail and navigate conversations about boys .
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But when it comes to public restrooms, that’s when they face their most difficult decision. Do they take their daughter to the highly unhygienic men’s bathroom or do they try the women’s bathroom?
One dad taking the road less taken is Muhammed Nitoto.
He’s a proud father of two daughters, Zendaya, 5, and Zuri, 3, and a daddy blogger on his website, Chronicles of Daddy . So you can count on him for knowing parenting struggles all too well!
One of the latest issues he faced was being a girl dad on bathroom duty.
On Instagram, Nitoto shared a sweet photo of himself and one of his two daughters entering a public restroom.
“As a dad being out with daughters, I never thought the bathroom would become as big as a issue as it is. Usually we would go places, and they have FAMILY bathroom, which are meant for people with children.”
“But what I found was most places don’t have them, and dads are left to decide between taking their daughters to the men’s bathroom or the women’s,” he continued.
Like most men, he went with the most comfortable option for him at first — the men’s bathroom.
But this wasn’t comfortable for his two girls.
“Now I’ve been to a men’s bathroom millions of times, but walking in with your daughter makes you look at it completely different,” wrote Nitoto.
“Men’s bathrooms are DISGUSTING,” he went on. “They smell like pee, and nothing is setup for a woman or a person with a child.”
Case in point: the changing table was right next to the urinal.
This means that his daughter would literally be next to where men pee which she’s being changed. “Not to mention that there are men going in and out while you’re in there.”
Nitoto had to find a solution. This was to bring the girls to the women’s washroom — himself included.
The first time doing this was daunting, to say the least. “I’m a 6-foot-2 Black man,” Nitoto told TODAY Parents . “I had no idea what the reaction would be.”
His solution is to knock on the door before entering and announce himself.
If someone is inside, he makes sure they know “a dad is coming in with his daughter,” and that they are comfortable with that.
If someone else comes in when he’s in the stall, he will announce himself again and make sure they know he’s there with his child.
“As a girl dad, I can’t help but want to protect my daughter’s from all things that aren’t for them, and the men’s bathroom is 100% one of those things.”
He then asked his followers if he’s the only dad to do this and asked the women how they feel.
“I think it is a great process you have and I totally support you using a women’s room to take your daughter in,” one user wrote.
They applauded him for being so respectful. “I think it is a great idea that you ‘announce’ yourself even when the door opens and someone new is coming in,” another user wrote.
Some dads shared that they also bring their daughters to the women’s bathroom.
“You’re not the only one. I did this with my two daughters back in the day. They are 19 and nearly 18 now so by now I can’t remember when I last had to do it LOL.”
Another dad never thought to use the women’s bathroom!
Instead, they bring a portable potty in the car since “men’s bathrooms are too gross for my daughters to use them.”
Lastly, there was a strong call for more family bathrooms or for male bathrooms to be redesigned with necessary changes for girl dads!
