About a mother bringing a playpen in the pool change room?

[GotArt]

A mother comes weekly with her 10 month old, (I know this because she's always talking loudly to the her DD about how amazed she is by her being 10 months old, I heard it when she was 9 months and I reckon we'll all know when she turns 11 months, but anyhow) bringing with her a playpen that she sets up which does nothing but creates havoc as you can barely make it around this damn thing. Its 4x5 feet. The family change room is also the disability facilities and right now is very busy as well due to renovations of the change rooms, so is only for women, so lots more traffic. The woman also has a large stroller which she straps the car seat into and brings all this into the change room. She puts the stroller in front of a set of lockers, opens up the playpen, takes her DD out of the car seat/stroller and plops her in the playpen long enough to take her swimming gear out of her bag and a blanket, picks up her DD, and heads into the change stall, all this space within a step of each other. She changes, changes her DD and comes out, plops DD back in playpen, sorts out a locker, picks up DD to put back in stroller, folds up playpen and heads out to the pool. She completely spreads out over a whole 6 foot long bench and got pissy with me today because I asked if she wouldn't mind making some room for my DD to sit on the bench. A big huff and slamming around of her stuff. I quite honestly asked nicely too. When its time to get out, she does the same routine, although the playpen is set up longer as she is showering and such in the stall. The stall is by far large enough to wheel in the stroller, but she leaves it in front of the lockers and gets pissy with anyone, even staff, when it gets moved so people can get to their lockers, rightfully. Today, there was 3 disabled people and their carers there and you couldn't get their chairs around this damn thing. I'm familiar with one of the carers as we go swimming weekly, at the same time they do, (the woman in question I see on Mondays, but she came this Friday) and she asked "who's the heck is this?" I pointed to the stall and said "she's in there. She brings it every time. A bit extreme, IMO." She agreed, we chuckled and exchanged faces. I moved the playpen so she could get by and put the playpen back. Aside from the irritating things she says to her DD that make me cringe, like when she starts fussing, "Oh, little dudette, chillax." [grrr], AIBU to think that she should have some common decency to see how she is inconveniencing people. How can someone be that thick to not notice? DH thinks I should complain to staff, but really, it just annoys me more than anything, but should I complain on the behalf of others in this.

yanbu speak to the management. If she is blocking the way then she must be posing some sort of health and safety risk, that phrase always gets management moving.

Might not be a big woop to you colditz, but some people have trouble just getting out of the house.

Well that's kind of my point, she's GOING to struggle to get out of the house if she's hauling a massive pram and a playpen everywhere she goes! She's making her own experiences more difficult than they have to be!

Why cant she just leave the 10 month old in the buggy and get herself changed. Then get baby out, change baby, pop back in pushchair while she sticks stuff in locker. Go to pool.

Zero need for play pen.

I see what you mean colditz, but I'm thinking of her play pen being some kind of security blanket.

A lot of people don't give going to the pool a second thought, but you can feel under pressure to get the DC sorted while other people are scrutinising what you're saying/doing through a shitty framework.

The way the OP spits feathers about this woman would make me think again about making the effort to go.

I can understand why having the play pen might make it easier or seem easier to the woman in question. But IMO that is irrelevant. There obviously is not enough space in the chnaging roomfor her to have all this stuff in there, so she shouldn't have. She is being massively selfish by failing to consider how her actions are negatively impacting on others.

YANBU
at all.

Our pool has no room for buggy or playpen.
I go with our cossies on under clothes, sit DD on bench, get myself ready then her.
When I come out I wrap dd in towel and sit her on bench with a bribe snack, I get dressed quick then get her dressed, sorted.

Too many people care only about themselves and do not bother about inconveniencing others, as long as they are alright.

I would have laughed like a drain, I am like that

YANBU - can't stand selfish inconsiderate people like this!!

Sorry I could not read the OP. My brain does not function properly when there are no paragraphs. I just wanted to say our pool has a lovely play pen and baby changing thingy - But no bloody cubicles!

Where do you all keep your buggies while you swim?

YANBU

I dont think i have ever been in a changing room without a playpen.

am thinking of more than 10 pools that i use.

I have been to a pool with a toddler changing area..... a massive space (with room for buggies) several changing units, a nappy bin and loads of hooks / benches it, and a little gate on.

toddlers are safely confined into that area, and the buggies are not in anyone elses way either.

Genius!

other than the gate (wide enough for a double buggy) there is no other way in, so its also quite private, so only those within the section can actually see in there etc

YANBU!

She sounds very selfish, especially all the huffing, puffing and complaining she does if someone asks her to move so they can get to their locker. I would complain to the management at the pool. I can't comprehend why the heck she'd need a playpen, car seat AND buggy just to get her baby changed for swimming.

Why on earth would anyone need a playpen AND a buggy?

Agree about hiding behind kit! I don't drive and walk on crutches so my babies go in a wrap and everything I need has to fit in a nappy bag, including my own things. I've done swimming lessons too! I've never understood people who move house when they go out - I've been accused of it for a weekend away but not for going out for a couple of hours.

TeaOneSugar "From what I could see she wasn't even eating" the doll???

Maybe the pool could provide some of those fold down changing mats so that you can leave your child strapped in without taking up a lot of room? I've also seen a seat attached to the wall, made by the same people as make changing mats, in a family toilet which is great for sticking little ones in when you need the toilet yourself so you don't have to walk away from the change mat with them on it. They also don't take up a lot of room.

Next time you see her suggest she puts reins on the kid and ties her to a chair.

YANBU

I find that this sort of mummy loves swimming pools. I believe it is their natural habitat, and it drives me crackers. So much so that I have been known to give off actual real steam in there

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I did so, so love the bit about the watermelon hat, tho. Thank you

The change room has baby changing tables on the wall. Her car seat/stroller is one of those 'travel systems' so the car seat attaches to the stroller.

We wheel our strollers out to an area in the pool area. If you just bring in a car seat, you can tuck it under the sink area in the change room. It can get pretty congested in there with strollers but we all manage and in the two years DD and I have been going there (started DD at 12 weeks) I've never seen someone so OTT with stuff.

Living back and forth between London and West Coast Canada, I say without reservation that Canadians just don't complain, for the most part, which is why I think no one has said anything.

In the nicest possible way, I want to shake her and tell her she is creating so much unnecessary work for herself with all this stuff she hauls around, tell her motherhood shouldn't be this difficult let her have a good cry and de-clutter this poor woman's life.

I take to the pool, one DD and one bag. If it doesn't fit in the bag, it ain't going.

I think I will mention to staff next time I see her in there and see the same mayhem as yesterday. She doesn't get in my way, but it does bother me when I see others completely disregarding others in their immediate surrounding and getting huffy when approached about it.

OK, maybe I'm a bit jealous of the watermelon hat.

why does she make it so hard for herself?

put baby in buggy while she gets changed

sounds like it is in the way, so the staff should say something - if disabled people cant fit through then it inflicts on their rights

also a fire/health and safety risk

Sorry, OP, not supposed to be a funny story, I know, but I think she's a hoot. I would snigger wildly and probably stand and gawp every time I say her go through her pantomime act and get huffy if anyone seems to find it inconvenient.

Sounds like a safety hazard (blocking escape routes), I think I'd get onto the staff on that basis.

That's the thing, I do sort of laugh because it is like watching a three ring circus and with the way she chatters to her DD, its laughingly cringing.

Some people go a bit mental when they have a baby, and become abit oblivious to everything and everyone else. Tis annoying, but just be glad it didn't happen to you.

I think I'd look forward to the show every week to. I can be mean like that lol