To have asked this woman to clean up?

[SourSweets]

Went swimming today with my DS. Waited ages for the baby changing room to become available (he can't stand at all or sit very well by himself and the floors are always gross and verruca-ey so we can't use a normal room).

When the woman came out with her toddler who was eating crisps I immediately thought "oh no...", looked in the room which was disgusting. Soggy crisps all over the floor, the bench and the baby changing unit, half a shmushed up banana on the bench and the skin on the floor.

I said to the woman "you've left this room in a right mess" and she said "well what do you expect me to do about it?"

So I said "clean up after yourself!" And she whatevered me and walked off. I said "have some courtesy for other people around you" and she whatevered again.

So I had to struggle to clean up someone else's grossness while holding a wet, squirmy and by now quite annoyed baby.

This is not the first time this has happened, and of all the foods to feed a child in the changing rooms why crisps?!

[ChaircatMiaow]

YANBU that is so gross. Fair dues to you for saying something to her

[HelenHen]

Yanbu and yep, well done for saying something... That's nasty!

[runawaysimba]

Well done for saying something! I doubt she gave it another moment's thought, though. the kind of person who would apologise and clean up after themselves graciously is the kind of person who wouldn't leave a foul mess in the first place.

[Chottie]

Well done you. What a disgusting woman, no consideration or thought for others. I hope there wasn't a used nappy left there too! She probably thought the cleaners at the pool are paid to clean up, so why should she?

[JapaneseMargaret]

Some people are just totally feral. Raised by hyenas. There is no other explanation for it.

She knew you would have to clean up her mess. What kind of person with even half a clue does that?

[SourSweets]

I get if your child is hungry and started to throw a tantrum and you just want to give them a little something to shut them up keep them going while you get dressed, but crisps? Really? We go swimming every week and this has happened about 4 times now. It's foul.

I am not one for confrontation at all but we'd been waiting for that room for bloody ages (which she didn't even really need) and then couldn't use it properly anyway.

I'm getting angry again just thinking about it!

[subtleplansarehereagain]

Can you ask the pool management to have a word?

[CoffeeTea103]

What a filthy woman. No wonder it will rub off on her child. Good example she set there.

[WhereHas1999DissappearedToo]

YANBU. Some people have no consideration for other people at all and well done for saying something.

[SourSweets]

I don't know what pool management would do really, she was on her way out and mostly the rooms are kept pretty clean. I was just unfortunate to go in after her! We use different pools all the time (due to us being a bit nomadic ATM) and it seems to be a thing now to give your children crisps in the changing room.

In my day we'd only get crisps afterwards if we were good and got changed nicely!

[Coffeethrowtrampbitch]

That is disgusting.

Perhaps if you mentioned to the front desk you had had to clean up crisps from the family changing room they could put up a notice asking them to be left clean and for no food to be consumed?

If nothing else, you could have take it down and use it to wallop Inconsiderate Woman round the head with next time!

[Coffeethrowtrampbitch]

Sorry, have taken it down and used it obviously!

[TinyTheTortoise]

YANBU, I get my 2 yo DD dried and dressed, then give her a snack to placate her while I get dressed, I wouldn't dream of leaving any mess! I usually give her fairly mess free snacks anyway, so not too much to clean up in the first place, but if she did drop/throw anything on the floor etc I would most definitely clean them up, but then again my own mother brought me up with better manners than most people seem to have nowadays

[WorraLiberty]

YANBU. I'd have a word with the management

There should be no food or drink allowed in the changing rooms at all.

And don't even start me on parents who shove food at their kids to distract them. Try singing a bloody song or pointing at things around them.

If that doesn't work, just get them dressed and don't be afraid of the tantrum.

[CrohnicallyHungry]

Worts- I'm one who shoves food at DD in the changing rooms. Swimming always makes her (and me) hungry anyway, even when she was tiny she would want a feed as soon as we got out of the pool, but the particular swim session we prefer runs from 4:30 till 5:00 so she ends up eating later than normal. So I give her a snack in the changing room, it's either that or listen to her scream the whole time while I try to change. And it's sometimes crisps (toddler ones like organix) because they come out of the swimming bag in an edible form (unlike fruit) and she can eat them easily herself while I am busy changing. And dropped crisps are fairly easy to clean up (obviously I do clear up any mess she makes!) So I don't think feeding crisps in a changing room is a crime in itself, but not clearing up after should be!

[CrohnicallyHungry]

Worra autocorrected to worts for some reason!

[SourSweets]

I totally disagree about crisps! You obviously clean them up so that's fair enough but it's so much work for you. Why choose a snack that consists of eleventy million little bits that are likely to be dropped and go soggy and disintegrate and leave that awful salt and vinegary smell behind. Or worse... cheese and onion!

I know how hungry swimming makes you so I don't have a problem with a little snack in the changing room but I really don't understand this attitude that you don't have to clean up after yourself and your child. It always makes me wonder what their homes are like.

[AwfulMaureen]

Why can't children wait? It takes ten minutes to change....people take far too much time to change....I've seen them! Faffing and arseing about with themselves AND with their DC.....I have always made my DC wait till they get outside to eat something!

[YouTheCat]

Being a bit hungry for 10 minutes isn't going to harm a child.

It's a good habit to get them into of having to wait patiently.

[fisherpricephone]

That was absolutely disgusting of her and incredibly selfish, YANBU.

won't mention how I give the DC a clean snack in the changing rooms to keep them going after their swimming lessons until we get home for a late lunch

[SourSweets]

Yes, people do take FOREVER to get dressed.

[woodlandwanderwoman]

Suggestion above is best - make a complaint (in writing) with photos to the pool and get them to put up a sign.

Fwiw I always take an extra towel to stand or change baby on as well as flip flops for me. Even if someone hadn't left crisps everywhere I still think pools are filthy and I bet the baby change never gets cleaned!!

As for snacks, no issues but crisps are a poor choice on every level

[CrohnicallyHungry]

Oh, I know being hungry for 10 minutes isn't going to harm them. And the majority of times she doesn't have snacks between meals, and if she gets peckish 10 minutes, even 30 minutes before a meal of course I make her wait so she does get into the habit of waiting patiently.

There's just something about swimming, she goes straight from showing no signs of hunger, to absolutely distraught, inconsolable, meltdown stage, and skips the vague whingy bit that usually comes in between. If I didn't give her a snack straight after swimming I can guarantee she will scream non stop until she gets one. This isn't temper or trying to get her own way, I'm convinced it's genuine hunger because it's the only time she displays it, normally she would ask for a snack, I say 'no' and distract her with something else, and that's the end of it. I think it's a combination of the exercise and the fact that it's her usual dinner time by the time we get out of the pool.

The fact that it means I can get her to sit still for 5 minutes while I change and pack bags etc is a bonus!

PS I don't know if it makes a difference, but DD sits on the (wipe clean) changing table or bench while she eats her snack, she is not allowed to wander round with food. So when she's done, quick baby wipe to her hands and the surface she's sitting on, and done. Not that she drops much, she's way too hungry for that!

[MrsKoala]

I am also one who shoves food at ds in the changing room. I see nothing wrong with it and as long long as you clean up i don't see an issue (altho there has never been anything to clean up if i'm honest). It is lunch time when we get out, i change ds first, he sits and nicely eats his sandwich and a biscuit while i get dressed, then he naps in the buggy on the walk home/while i shop/run errands.

[CrohnicallyHungry]

woodland why are they a poor choice on every level? Everything on moderation, right? And I don't think DD having a packet of 'crisps' (like I said, usually organix or similar) once a fortnight ish after a swimming session is going to do her much harm.