Changing LO in public (Vent)...

lindsleek

It amazes me that at this day and age so many public restrooms (at stores, restaurants, hotels, etc) assume that the mom is the only parent that changes the baby's diaper. We had to travel (about an hour and a half) away to meet my grandparents for dinner last night and on the way back in the car I got really car sick, like felt pukey and what not, car was spinning, right around that time DD pooped and it fumigated the car. So we pulled over to a gas station (a nice one, not a crappy truckstop one) and DH got her out with the diaper bag in tow and brings her into the gas station to change her. Two seconds later he is coming back to the car and tells me I need to change her because there is no changing station in the men's bathroom. I was like ready to puke and just got so pissed.

DH ended up opening the back hatch and changing her in the back of our SUV (where our dog normally rides so I wasn't thrilled with that). We walked back into the store and DH asked to talk to a manager and he asked the guy why they didn't have a changing station in the men's bathroom and the manager said (not lying) "Men don't usually change diapers." My DH looked at me and just had this smirk on his face because he knew I was ready to blow up... Before I could scream at the guy DH says that "yes, a lot of men change diapers and please think about getting a station in the bathroom, it would be really nice."

We travel a lot with DD and this comes up often (a lot of place don't have the station in the men's bathroom)... And I guess it really never bothered me before, but last night I was sick and did not want to change her. I think it is so presumptive to assume that it is not necessary to have the changing station in the men's bathrooms too.

That's all... Vent over.

IrishBrideND

we honeslty just usually change her in the car when we are driving. Its cleaner than the bathroom at a gas station.

 

That being said, it pisses me off when they only have it in the women's room. I don't mind if places don't have a changing station at all, but if you chose to have one, don't be sexist about it.

Bashert628

This happened to us this weekend. We were getting brunch with a couple of my friends and Jackson needed his diaper changed. When we are out in public together DH usually changes his diaper because I'm the one doing it all day long when he's at work plus I'm still EBF so this is his way of helping  out. He heads to the bathroom and there's no changing station, so proceeds to change his diaper on his LAP (ew...why he didn't go to the car or ask me to do it I don't know). Then he gets back to the table pissed off and finds out they brought him the wrong breakfast. Poor DH!!!

lindsleek

IrishBrideND:

we honeslty just usually change her in the car when we are driving. Its cleaner than the bathroom at a gas station.

 

That being said, it pisses me off when they only have it in the women's room. I don't mind if places don't have a changing station at all, but if you chose to have one, don't be sexist about it.

We used to only change her in the car, and honestly, if she wasn't poopy we probably would have anyway last night, but she gets so squirmy now and with how messy her poop is, it is hard on the back seat... And like I said, the back of our truck is filled with dog hair and even though we have a changing pad (which I always use even when we do change her in a restroom) she still is able to touch the floor and get hair on her hands and then hand in mouth... Ugh.

MrsJWeaver

I actually run into the issue of no table at all in a lot of places.  I was so pissed that Panera in our area didn't have one that I changed her on the sink area. ( I wanted to change her on the table in the dinning room but my DH said absolutely not)  Two ladies had to wait for me since there was two sinks and I was occupying the space between the two.  It took longer because I had to keep DD from grabbing the soap, towels and from falling into one of the sinks.

I also had no idea that our mall had a baby care room (no signs) so I was in the ladies room trying to change her on the sink area.  There was a lady cleaning who never said anything.  Another mom saw me and told me about the special room which is down a hall on the other side of the food court from the restrooms.

lovinfall

I'm impressed the gas station had a changing table in the ladies room.   I've noticed many places now have private family bathrooms I hope that trend continues as changing in the ladies room isn't ideal.

Fashiongal1973

I think I am lucky if there is one in the ladies room. It is amazing how many places do not have a station at all. Of course I have discovered that most that do have a changing table the straps are broken or the table is disgustingly dirty. 

I went in one restroom and they had mounted the station at a height that I had to stand on my tip toes to change DS.

If we are traveling I usually just put a pad on the car seat and change him in the car. At a restaurant, if they don't have a table I have been known to just change him on an extra chair or in a booth. I saw a mom change her LO reclined in her stroller at a restaurant because they didn't have a changing table.  

lindsleek

MrsJWeaver:

I actually run into the issue of no table at all in a lot of places.  I was so pissed that Panera in our area didn't have one that I changed her on the sink area. ( I wanted to change her on the table in the dinning room but my DH said absolutely not)  Two ladies had to wait for me since there was two sinks and I was occupying the space between the two.  It took longer because I had to keep DD from grabbing the soap, towels and from falling into one of the sinks.

I also had no idea that our mall had a baby care room (no signs) so I was in the ladies room trying to change her on the sink area.  There was a lady cleaning who never said anything.  Another mom saw me and told me about the special room which is down a hall on the other side of the food court from the restrooms.

DH has had to do this before too. He said the sink in the men's bathroom at the gas station wasn't big enough or he would have done that.

cajungirl0717

I could not agree with you more! We traveled this weekend, and on the way back, I was asleep and DH stopped at a gas station to change Jeanne. They didn't have a changing table in the men's room, so he had to wake me to go change her (we didn't have room in the back of the car to do it). I never thought to ask the manager. I will from now on. They should have a station in the  men's room at all public places. Have they ever heard of single dads? How are they to change their babies when they go out? Good post!

ETA: And for that matter are married dads never allowed to take their children out by themselves?

kimberleigh30

IrishBrideND:

we honeslty just usually change her in the car when we are driving. Its cleaner than the bathroom at a gas station.

 

That being said, it pisses me off when they only have it in the women's room. I don't mind if places don't have a changing station at all, but if you chose to have one, don't be sexist about it.

This is what we do, or change him in the stoller if we are out.  It's just easier.

KRMac

Yeah, that drives me crazy too.  And I was at a Wendy's the other weekend and there was not a changing table there at all!  WTH?  

Bianca42

On a long car trip with my Mom when my oldest was little he had a major blowout in the car.  The car was packed to the gills, so we stopped at Burger King.  No changing table in the bathroom, so my Mom grabbed an old towel she keeps in the car and we had to change him on the floor.  My Mom and I still talk about that time...it scarred us both for life. 

CincyBuckeye

lindsleek:

We used to only change her in the car, and honestly, if she wasn't poopy we probably would have anyway last night, but she gets so squirmy now and with how messy her poop is, it is hard on the back seat... And like I said, the back of our truck is filled with dog hair and even though we have a changing pad (which I always use even when we do change her in a restroom) she still is able to touch the floor and get hair on her hands and then hand in mouth... Ugh.

Why don't you just throw an old towel in your diaper bag? I used to use the changing pad but a towel is just so much easier to clean and replace. That way it could cover more area in your trunk preventing the dog hair in mouth.

KRISTA555

And on the positive flip-side of that,  we have 2 malls here in Savannah. One has your run-of-the mill changing areas in the bathrooms... cool..  

But the other is AMAZING.  There is a changing area in both the m/f restrooms, but there are also 3 separate "family" restrooms, a large open unisex room specifically for changing diapers, and a really nice nursing mother's room with rockers, sink, etc. 

For this reason, we drive an extra 10 minutes to go to the second mall.

And PP talking about Wendy's...  I've never seen a changing station at a Wendy's! What is their deal!?! 

lindsleek

CincyBuckeye:

lindsleek:

We used to only change her in the car, and honestly, if she wasn't poopy we probably would have anyway last night, but she gets so squirmy now and with how messy her poop is, it is hard on the back seat... And like I said, the back of our truck is filled with dog hair and even though we have a changing pad (which I always use even when we do change her in a restroom) she still is able to touch the floor and get hair on her hands and then hand in mouth... Ugh.

Why don't you just throw an old towel in your diaper bag? I used to use the changing pad but a towel is just so much easier to clean and replace. That way it could cover more area in your trunk preventing the dog hair in mouth.

Good idea... I think I will just throw one in our vehicles to leave there.

MrsJWeaver

.KRM.:

Yeah, that drives me crazy too.  And I was at a Wendy's the other weekend and there was not a changing table there at all!  WTH?  

Wendys was one of the places I notice doesn't have them in most locations.  Here in FL Wendys is a "Safe Place" for kids.  Dave was and Wendy's still is BIG on adoption and kids in general.   I was shocked that so many of them don't have changing stations.

shortstuff15

There is actually many places where I live that have changing tables in both bathrooms.  That said, I think in today's day and age it should be standard because of the single parent issue.  Granted there are not many single dads with babies in diapers, but if there was, where would they change them?

That said, we often change our daughter in the car anyway just because regardless of the fact that we have our dog in there, it's usually way cleaner then the bathrooms.

zeptattoo

In our travels, only half of the women's bathrooms have a changing station at all.  Or, the the station is in the way of the door, so if you use it and someone enters the restroom they bump you.

Our diaper bag has a folding changing cover and we just lay that on the floor and wash it when we get home.  Snuggle never touches the dirty floor with it under him.

MrsSCarney

Not only are there never changing stations in men's bathrooms, but I'm always surprised that there aren't stations in a lot of women's rooms when we're out. There have been several restaurants we've been too that didn't have any changing station at all. And these were family appropriate places!

LoriZoo

MrsJWeaver:

I actually run into the issue of no table at all in a lot of places.  I was so pissed that Panera in our area didn't have one that I changed her on the sink area. ( I wanted to change her on the table in the dinning room but my DH said absolutely not)  Two ladies had to wait for me since there was two sinks and I was occupying the space between the two.  It took longer because I had to keep DD from grabbing the soap, towels and from falling into one of the sinks.

I also had no idea that our mall had a baby care room (no signs) so I was in the ladies room trying to change her on the sink area.  There was a lady cleaning who never said anything.  Another mom saw me and told me about the special room which is down a hall on the other side of the food court from the restrooms.

I am getting to this point!  So many places don't have a changing table at all!  One restaurant owner "let" me change DS by sending me to the third floor banquet area and changing him on a dirty table! 

To the OP...I hope you are feeling  better!!!

lindsleek

LoriZoo:

MrsJWeaver:

I actually run into the issue of no table at all in a lot of places.  I was so pissed that Panera in our area didn't have one that I changed her on the sink area. ( I wanted to change her on the table in the dinning room but my DH said absolutely not)  Two ladies had to wait for me since there was two sinks and I was occupying the space between the two.  It took longer because I had to keep DD from grabbing the soap, towels and from falling into one of the sinks.

I also had no idea that our mall had a baby care room (no signs) so I was in the ladies room trying to change her on the sink area.  There was a lady cleaning who never said anything.  Another mom saw me and told me about the special room which is down a hall on the other side of the food court from the restrooms.

I am getting to this point!  So many places don't have a changing table at all!  One restaurant owner "let" me change DS by sending me to the third floor banquet area and changing him on a dirty table! 

To the OP...I hope you are feeling  better!!!

Maybe if we all started doing this they'd get the point??!

I am feeling great today... I have always gotten motion sickness really bad and that was all that was. Thankfully!!!

lindsleek

I guess what irked me the MOST about the whole situation was the dude's response to my DH:

"Men don't usually change diapers."

Really??! WTF!?

MrsJWeaver

lindsleek:

I guess what irked me the MOST about the whole situation was the dude's response to my DH:

"Men don't usually change diapers."

Really??! WTF!?

I would told him:  "My husband is a responsible man who believes in helping his wife raise his child and that means he also helps change diapers!  I feel sorry for your wife/future wife"

IrishBrideND

yeah, I don't get a lot of the responses. Some people are really PISSED at places for not having a changing table at all? Wow. Talk about entitlement.

lite-bright

Totally agree. My DH gets very annoyed by this. 

Although when it comes to the back hatch area where our dogs ride, I do change her and/or my toddler there -- I figure DD2 probably ends up with dog hair in her mouth anyway from practicing crawling, so a little more isn't going to hurt her.  

So far I've been lucky to have her NOT roll over when she's got a huge poop! 

lindsleek

lite-bright:

Totally agree. My DH gets very annoyed by this. 

Although when it comes to the back hatch area where our dogs ride, I do change her and/or my toddler there -- I figure DD2 probably ends up with dog hair in her mouth anyway from practicing crawling, so a little more isn't going to hurt her.  

So far I've been lucky to have her NOT roll over when she's got a huge poop! 

Yah, I like the idea of just keeping a towel in the truck with us. If it were up to me we would bring our dog anywhere and the back area would be free of dog hair... Unfortunately DH finds it necessary to bring the dog every where he goes!

lindsleek

lite-bright:

Totally agree. My DH gets very annoyed by this. 

Although when it comes to the back hatch area where our dogs ride, I do change her and/or my toddler there -- I figure DD2 probably ends up with dog hair in her mouth anyway from practicing crawling, so a little more isn't going to hurt her.  

So far I've been lucky to have her NOT roll over when she's got a huge poop! 

Yah, I like the idea of just keeping a towel in the truck with us. If it were up to me we would bring our dog anywhere and the back area would be free of dog hair... Unfortunately DH finds it necessary to bring the dog every where he goes!

lindsleek

IrishBrideND:

yeah, I don't get a lot of the responses. Some people are really PISSED at places for not having a changing table at all? Wow. Talk about entitlement.

I don't know if it is necessarily 'entitlement'... But more of recognizing the fact that babies exist and need to be changed?? IDK... I would rather a place not have one at all instead of choosing to just put it in the women's restroom.

I guess if I eat a restaurant and then needed to use the restroom and there wasn't one I'd feel like WTF? If that is feeling 'entitled' to a restroom so I can relieve myself then so be it. Granted I know babies can be changed other places, so it is not exactly that per se.

Anyway, my original post... I was more annoyed with the manager's response to my husband's question about there not being a changing station in the men's. LOL! I wanted to smack the guy for assuming that only women change diapers!

lindsleek

MrsJWeaver:

lindsleek:

I guess what irked me the MOST about the whole situation was the dude's response to my DH:

"Men don't usually change diapers."

Really??! WTF!?

I would told him:  "My husband is a responsible man who believes in helping his wife raise his child and that means he also helps change diapers!  I feel sorry for your wife/future wife"

Ha, I should have!

MrsJWeaver

Or...DH could have just went in the ladies room to use the table!