Nappy-changing in public: the debate continues

[MarchEliza]

I seem to remember reading a thread about this on MN a few days ago, whereby one unfortunate poster was eating in an Indian restaurant when a family at another table changed their baby's nappy.

In not altogether unprecedented fashion, the Daily Mail (sorry, I know how many of you feel about that quality rag) have run a story today about a lady complaining of being asked to leave a pizza restaurant for doing the same thing, apparently due to lack of baby changing facilities.

This happened in the USA - and the comments (probably unsurprisingly for the DM) are almost uniformly outraged.

I do feel for parents who find themselves in this situation (and it's one I may find myself in next year - so my opinion may change) - but I don't think I would change a nappy in a cafe or restaurant...

The link, should anyone wish to read it: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2721982/Mom-kicked-pizzeria-changing-4-month-old-daughters-diaper-table.html

[Choochootrain1]

I have been in the situation of no nappy table in toilets and unable to leave where I am to find somewhere else to change baby.

My solution: use my own changing mat on my buggy in toilet... Then decided much cleaner and nicer for baby than public changing mats and done this ever since. Can even leave baby's arms strapped in and slide mat under baby and do a change keeping baby asleep this way!

*i do of course regularly Milton my travel changing mat so I'm not dirtying the buggy

[ZenGardener]

I've done a nappy change in the buggy before at a park but I wouldn't change a nappy where people are eating. I would do it on the toilet lid if there were no changing facilities.

[pasbeaucoupdegendarme]

I threatened to do this in a wagamamas once (I didn't go through with it) but this was mainly because the reason we'd arranged to meet there was because if said it was baby friendly and had changing facilities etc. It emphatically didn't. I was pissed off about this.

[pasbeaucoupdegendarme]

Also, the reason I threatened to go it was because I thought it was such a disgusting thing to do that it would effectively make my point!

[ScrambledEggAndToast]

Absolutely right she was thrown out, it's so gross when people do this. It's unfortunate when restaurants don't provide facilities but why should other paying customers have to suffer.

[MarchEliza]

Choochootrain1 that's a good tip re. the changing mat on the buggy - I'll have to keep that one in mind!

[thatwhichwecallarose]

We took dd to New York when she was 7months old and was astounded as to how few changing facilities there were. Especially for such a big modern city. We ended up changing her in all sorts of places including outside a church in her buggy and on the floor of the Empire State Building.

But never ever on a restaurant table. That's just disgusting.

[SociallyAcceptableCookie]

I saw a Facebook post about this. Most commenters were American and they thought that the mum was entitled to expect changing facilities and in this situation a parent should change the baby in their car. It made me feel very lucky that I've never been in this situation because I don't drive!

[Thumbwitch]

I had to change DS2 in MacDonald's recently - went into the baby-change/disabled loo (yes, they're combined) and brought down the baby table - busted! Some utter WANKER had sat on it, or something, and snapped the table supports, so that I couldn't even sit the change bag on the table without it sliding to the floor.
Luckily I had taken DS2 in with the pushchair, so just laid that flat and changed him in that instead.
Reported it to the manager - they said that someone had vandalised the disabled loo not that long ago, and they'd had it fixed but clearly no one had thought to check the baby-change table.

I wouldn't have even considered taking DS2 back through to the restaurant part to change him though, I'd have sooner changed him in the car!

[Gileswithachainsaw]

All change bags come with a change mat.

You can also buy disposable change mats. Just take to toilet and change on mat on floor or on the buggy. Or go to car if you wish.

What you don't do is change at the table or on restaurant floor. Not everywhere has facilities and you can't do anything about that except use your brain and prepare for it. By taking your disposable or change bag may with you and making sure you have baby wipes.

[Hurr1cane]

See, I'm always in this situation, although not with a baby, my disabled son is 8 and is only just being toilet trained.

I never had anywhere to change him. Apart from maybe one or two places who had proper disabled facilities I came across in his entire life.

So I had to change him on a Mat on the floor. It wasn't nice. But I wouldn't dream of changing him where everyone could see.

[Sirzy]

You never change them at the table. You make every effort to find somewhere discrete and like others say do it in the pram.

We are lucky in this country so many places have baby change facilities. When I went on holiday to Greece/Spain when DS was little very few places had even a fold down table.

[Hurr1cane]

Yes jaded. It's shit isn't it? But I still wouldn't ruin someone else's dinner because of it

[Bluebelljumpsoverthemoon]

Babies can be changed on a change mat in the pram in the bathroom if there is no changing table. If they're old enough to stand they can be changed in the cubicle standing up. Anyone too dim to figure that out has no business having children.

There's no excuse to change at a table serving food or in any enclosed public space. Disgusting, filthy people caught doing this should face a fine and be banned from public spaces until they can prove themselves capable of understanding and behaving in a civilised manner.

There is no excuse, ever.