Diaper changes in public

SuperTinkerham · August 2014

Local lady Got asked to leave restaurant for changing her 4 month olds diaper in the dining room bc there wasn't a changing station in the bathroom. She complained to the bbb.

What do you think?

In my new mom opinion, diaper changes don't belong in the dining room.

Oh and what the fucking fuck is the deal w people leaving used dirty diapers in parking lots? Assholes.

[Deleted User] · August 2014

The user and all related content has been deleted.

darkangel42 · August 2014

If there's no designated changing area, you have to improvise but I'm not sure a dining room is the place for it.

hgtvmom · August 2014

There's a difference between provising and using common sense. It was dumb to do it in the dining room. Try the bathroom sink. Or sit on the pot and use your lap. That is improvising. (I totally changed a poopy diaper in my lap at a drive in last night).

That said, I think it's pretty dumb of a pizza place not to have a changing station. A pizza place is a family restaurant and they should strive to provide what families need.

alohababy14 · August 2014

A restaurant I was last week had high chairs but no changing station in the bathroom. That's pretty annoying. That said, I took DS to the car and changed him. Dining room is disgusting.

Shelleybell · August 2014

dirty diapers shouldn't be changed on a surface that someone is going to have to eat off of.

marsalisails · August 2014

I would go to the car...and let them know that was the last time I would be going there...changing a baby on the bathroom floor isn't acceptable IMO.

RKSnyder · August 2014

I have changed baby girl in the trunk of my SUV. I just watched the story on the news and they asked us to vote who we agreed with- we all voted the eatery that asked her to leave. While I'd def let the manager know that the lack of changing table would lose him business, it is not right to change a baby where someone is going to eat. IMO, it's selfish- who knows how careful they clean the table and if the baby could possibly be sick of not? You'd hope neither would be an issue but it's not fair to ask some stranger eating after you to take that chance.

lindslalala · August 2014

Eww not ok. Go to the car, use bathroom sink counter, lap, anywhere other than a dining table in a restaurant. That's nasty.

TexasGirl81 · August 2014

Here's the link in case someone hasn't seen it yet....

https://m.eater.com/archives/2014/08/11/mother-kicked-out-of-restaurant-after-changing-her-babys-diaper-at-table.php

alyss0nl · August 2014

If I was her I would've gone to the car or changed it in the stroller. I've had to do that on many occasions. It's frustrating when restrooms don't have a changing area.

Aab7114 · August 2014

I agree that in most situations you should not change your baby in the middle of the restaurant. That being said, I would have done the same thing in this woman's situation and think it's ridiculous she got kicked out of the restaurant. She did not change the baby on the table (the eating surface) but on a chair (where people put their asses). She also had other children with her, which she would have had to bring to the car with her. Also, have you ever changed a baby on your lap? I just changed my one month old on my lap during a car ride and I ended up covered in poo. It was hard with my tiny baby, I couldn't imagine doing it when he is 4 months old. Finally for those who have said to change the baby on the sink in the bathroom, you must have never seen most restaurant bathroom sinks before. There is either no room to change a baby, or it is covered in water and soap. Sorry, but I don't want to spend 5 min cleaning up the sink area while holding my soiled 4 month old to change him.

Moral of my story, I really don't think she did anything to get asked to leave a restaurant for. And really people, you fight for women to be allowed to take their boobs out in public to feed their kids, but a little baby butt and one dirty diaper causes this much of a stir?? Sheesh.

Eta: I do want to add that with a smelly poo diaper, I would definitely drag my butt out to the car. I don't even want to smell that eating.

[Deleted User] · August 2014

I do feel for her as I know it's a nuisance when you have other kids to have to leave to go to your car, but I also would not appreciate someone changing a smelly poo diaper while I'm trying to eat at the next table over.

The restaurant sucks for not having a changing table Mom could have used, though. Maybe they'll install one now.

iris427 · August 2014

Change your kid in the car, not where people are eating.

And yeah, it's annoying when a bathroom does not have a changing table, but I don't expect the world to revolve around me as a mother either. You just make do.

bewilderingstar · August 2014

My friend saw a lady change her baby on an outdoor table at Starbucks... :-X

If there wasn't a changing table in the bathroom, I'd change him on my lap in the handicap stall and hope for the best or go to the car.

ghostof5letters · August 2014

I've done the bathroom floor before with a changing pad. Gotta do what you gotta do.

I hate my 2010 honda crv but the one feature I love is the shelf in the trunk. It's a perfect changing station. I use it all the time

honeybee434 · August 2014

Dirty diaper changing does not belong in restaurant dining areas. While it's annoying that there isn't a changing table in the bathroom, most restaurants I go to don't have changing tables because they are small and local. If you don't like it, eat somewhere that has one and don't give those establishment your business. In her case, I would have tried to make something in the bathroom work with a changing pad or I would have gone to the car. And, yes, I would have had my other children walk with me if they weren't old enough to stay sitting by themselves. I wouldn't take long at all to run out to the car to make a quick change. And if it's too hot in the area to go out to your car to do so, choose an establishment that has a changing table and do what @Lori_n_Lior‌ mentioned and write online reviews for those that don't have them. If the restaurant cares, they will want to make sure they install one to keep from other negative reviews.

ghostof5letters · August 2014

I hate social media for situations like this. A mother being asked to leave for changing a diaper in a dining room shouldn't make the news and it shouldn't affect the profitability of a local business.

1982Babies · August 2014

Gross.

I was at Walmart once, bending over for those big bags of cereal and this lady was squatting in the aisle, changing her toddler's diaper while she was upright.

Chick, take it to the shitter. Eww.

darkangel42 · August 2014

If anyone's interested in a back-up plan - you can use those big incontinence pads to put down. The incontinence pads have a waterproof backing and are pretty big so they have room to lean your knees on as well as put baby on if you have to change on the floor and you can just throw it out when you're done which saves you having to touch bathroom floor or put your actual changing pad down.

When I've had to improvise, I've cleaned down the sink area and used that, used my lap until minime got too big, changed in the stroller or changed in my car.

iris427 · August 2014

darkangel42 said:

If anyone's interested in a back-up plan - you can use those big incontinence pads to put down. The incontinence pads have a waterproof backing and are pretty big so they have room to lean your knees on as well as put baby on if you have to change on the floor and you can just throw it out when you're done which saves you having to touch bathroom floor or put your actual changing pad down.

When I've had to improvise, I've cleaned down the sink area and used that, used my lap until minime got too big, changed in the stroller or changed in my car.

Yes, I have a pack of them in the car.

darkangel42 · August 2014

I do too.

And a couple in the changing bag in case I'm not in the car. They're good to have on hand.

ichamommy · August 2014

Aab7114 said:
I agree that in most situations you should not change your baby in the middle of the restaurant. That being said, I would have done the same thing in this woman's situation and think it's ridiculous she got kicked out of the restaurant. She did not change the baby on the table (the eating surface) but on a chair (where people put their asses). She also had other children with her, which she would have had to bring to the car with her. Also, have you ever changed a baby on your lap? I just changed my one month old on my lap during a car ride and I ended up covered in poo. It was hard with my tiny baby, I couldn't imagine doing it when he is 4 months old. Finally for those who have said to change the baby on the sink in the bathroom, you must have never seen most restaurant bathroom sinks before. There is either no room to change a baby, or it is covered in water and soap. Sorry, but I don't want to spend 5 min cleaning up the sink area while holding my soiled 4 month old to change him.

Moral of my story, I really don't think she did anything to get asked to leave a restaurant for. And really people, you fight for women to be allowed to take their boobs out in public to feed their kids, but a little baby butt and one dirty diaper causes this much of a stir?? Sheesh.

Eta: I do want to add that with a smelly poo diaper, I would definitely drag my butt out to the car. I don't even want to smell that eating.

A few things:
First of all @Aab7114... Did you change your baby on your lap while the car was moving? While I wish that were acceptable, it's just... Not.

Second, if moms are going to fight for the right to bf in public, they can't change shitty diapers anywhere in public also. Don't shit in the same pot you eat from.

And lastly, I did this (changing a poopy diaper in public).. Not at a restaurant, but on the floor in the back corner of a Payless shoe store. Sure, they could have bitched at me but it was close to close and much faster to do it right there than walk all the way through the mall to find the bathroom.

Aab7114 · August 2014

@ichamommy‌ oh jeez, of course I didn't do diaper change while the car was moving!! We stopped at a truck weight station on the highway, so no bathroom available.

I am all for breastfeeding in public, but to be honest, I would rather have a mom change a pee diaper on a chair at a table next to me than see her whip out her booby and feed her kid at the table next to me. Probably a bad example to use. I just meant that women think that everyone should be ok and comfortable seeing breasts in public, so I just didn't get why people would be so offended to see a diaper change. Like I said though, it's a whole other story when it comes to a smelly poopy diaper!

Edited because I accidentally hit post way too soon.

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