The Trials and Tribulations of Toddlers Using Public Restrooms

Public restrooms are gross, but you never really truly understand just how gross they are until you have a potty training toddler! My current, main obstacles are:

1. The toilet seats are way too big and the tiny toddler can barely balance his/her little bottom on the ginormous seat. You can't bring a potty seat with you everywhere and you can't let the child regress by asking them to "hold it," so you are left with no choice but to help them balance above the enormous bowl.
2. The seats are filthy and it is impossible to keep the toddler's hands off the germ-infested seat, especially when he/she already feels unsteady above the huge bowl and can't balance himself/herself.
3. A toddler's body is not big enough to keep the automatic flush from activating and the sound of the automatic flush is enough to scare the living daylight out of them. The unexpected sound of the automatic flush, in itself, is enough to make them never want to use a toilet again.

All of these issues became very evident today and they make me want to stay confined to our house until Gabriella grows another two feet! Aside from thorough hand washing after the fact, how do other moms handle these issues?