to be peeved at parents changing their kids nappies in a busy restaurant?!

[confuseddotcodotuk]

This happens quite frequently at the restaurant where I work and has happened three times that I've seen in my seven hour shift today! We have perfectly good and spacious baby changing facilities available where I work which are rarely in use, yet some parents seem to think that it's okay to whip off their childs poo-ey nappy at a bar/garden table, in front of around 50+ other paying guests and start changing before either leaving the nappy in a nappy bag on their table for one of us staff members to pick up when they leave or put the dirty nappy into our outside bins which are dotted between the tables!

The third time it happened I went over to the lady just as she was about to take off the nappy and just mentioned that we had changing facilities inside and she said "Yes, I know." And then carried on as if I'd said nothing!

I absolutely adore kids and cannot wait to work with them again, but I have no wish to see their poo covered bottoms whilst walking around taking food to people.

AIBU to think this is at least a bit weird if not socially unacceptable?!

I would have been even more at this if I hadn't seem someone doing it just yesterday!

I have just once changed DD's nappy "al fresco", and that was once at the seaside when the public toilets and changing area were so utterly grim and filthy that I changed her on the grass outside behind a bush. I even felt that was a bit inappropriate, and undignified for my little DD (yes, I know she didn't realise, but she is still entitled to a bit of personal dignity in my book). But there was certainly nobody eating nearby! The idea that anyone would think changing a nappy where others are eating could possibly be acceptable is really shocking! It's SO discourteous to everyone else. That's the sort of thing that would make me avoid that restaurant in future, I'm afraid.

Ugh it's grim. And yet a friend of mine does it with her toddler - it's like she's immune to other people's disgust.
I've done it once - I was out for lunch with my then newborn, and my Dad, and there were no changing facilities, so my Dad, who wanted to crawl under the table with shame, constructed what can only be described as a hut, from his Daily Telegraph, so we didn't offend other diners.

"We welcome families with children. However, we ask that parents please use the baby changing facilities we have provided. Due to Food Hygiene reasons, patrons found changing nappies in eating areas will be asked to leave"

You could try something like that OP

That is disgusting! YA totally NBU! The above notice says it all.

Definitely not being unreasonable. This is just the kind of behaviour that gives parents of young children a bad reputation. Yuck. If I had to see/smell a baby's pooey nappy whilst trying to eat my lunch I doubt I would return to the restaurant - even though it's not the restaurant's fault, I would not want to risk having that experience again!

NestaFiesta I like your sign but have added a few words which might have a further effect on those who aren't easily shamed/advised.

"We welcome families with children. However, we ask that parents please use the baby changing facilities we have provided. Due to Food Hygiene reasons, patrons found changing nappies in eating areas will be charged a cleaning fee and asked to leave

holderness- I like it!

onagar - It's a funny thing - you do get used to your own babies nappy, just as you get used to the smell of your own farts, but other babies - YUCK (unless you are a nursery nurse or something and are really used to it)

So mention Environmental Health, ask about signs pointing towards facilities, bring it up with the proper management and have an actual convo about how it can be deterred.

Thank you all by the way, it is helpful to get the logical side of things!

I'm loving the abusive signs/horn comments, bloody brilliant

Veronica: That's the thing I think the managers are trying to avoid. We haven't got any facilities for child's play and families are big revenue for us, all it would take is one or two pissed off parents saying that we aren't happy to have kids about to their friends and we'd lose a lot of business. We're not exactly child friendly but we try our best and have a massive garden area which they love to play in.

I just can't believe how often it happens. Before the garden became regularly used I'd only ever seen it a handful of times and it was the same mother every time (a bohemian regular who, though lovely, is a bit kooky and thinks nothing of subjecting us all to everything her toddler does).

Itsjustafleshwound: Thats an idea. I wonder if they could implement it into their systems?

Nesta: That is a great way of wording things, will remember that even if manage says we aren't supposed to say anything to the offenders. Adding the cleaning fee bit is handy as well holderness, it means that we then have the backing if they claim that they didn't know!

If the manager says you're not supposed to say anything, maybe you can nicely point out that it's the man/woman on the next table who might phone Environmental Health and get the business shut down!

Losing a few pooey customers won't hurt in comparison to that and also, as other posters have said, I would not dine or return somewhere if I could see or smell poo at another table. My husband has a ridiculously loud retching mechanism so maybe we should just bring him along one day to sit by an offender!

Please do! From now on, when I'm a customer somewhere I am not going to hesitate asking people to please go to the facilities if I catch them doing this or something similar!

Good for you confused. Your Manager is lucky to have someone who cares about the place as much as you.

YANBU. Because it is truly minging. As is not changing a stinking nappy in a restaurant when people are SITTING RIGHT BEHIND YOU EATING. Hideous.

The problem with putting up a sign saying that customers who change nappies at the table will be charged a cleaning fee and asked to leave is that, if I am correct, once you have been told to leave a restaurant, they can't then try to charge you.

Several years ago my SiL worked in a restaurant and watched a very well known lady plonk her baby on the table in between courses to change his shitty nappy. Whenever I see her I always think of that.
YANBU it's disgusting.

I confess I once went change my baby's nappy in one of the meeting rooms at my local sure start, where teas and coffees were served. A staff member came over and politely said that they had changing tables in the ladies loo, but I was "Oh, thanks, but I'm fine, got everything I need here" (with a cheery smile!) and she pretty much had to spell it out for me that she would prefer me to go to the chaging area. I was mortified when it dawned on me what I had been about to do - I must have been so used to her poo that I forgot how unpleasant it would be for others to see it. I apologised and scurried off to the loo!

Your own baby's poo is never as bad as other people's baby's (ditto for snot!)

Hopefully, most people would be reasonable once reminded of this fact!

I suspect the fact that it's outdoors put them in picnic mentality and they forget about there being toilets nearby.