Parent unfriendly

[Lehman]

I am a new mum and I'm increasingly surprised by the substandard facilities for baby change and feeding - and, I suppose, the lack of baby friendliness generally. Perhaps I am being unreasonable or expecting too much but I am really fed up with filthy and smelly baby change facilities which many places, even quite reputable stores, shopping centres or restaurants have.

I am out and about quite a bit with my baby and i just can't understand why they get away with it. I was in bluewater shopping mall recently and the baby change facility was revolting. They provided a chair for feeding but it didn't have a seat cushion so you had to sit on the springs- it was also positioned next to a stinking nappy bin. Is there a directory for baby friendly places? I have found many places which say they are but when you get there it's really not the case.

I am starting to get the feeling that once you have a baby you become a bit of a second class citizen, I have had busses drive off as I've tried to get in the back doors, been turned away from restaurants operating a 'two pram' policy and find so many places that don't have a lifts or decent facilities. Yes I'm having a rant ....sorry.

I love John Lewis facilities! I try to only shop in towns with JL. In return for treating me and my DD well, I've probably spent ££££more than before I had a child.

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Camerondiazepam

It is the law that eating facilities (cafes/restaurants) have toilets if they accommodate a certain number of customers. The toilet must be at least two doors away from the eating area. I think the same rule should apply to babies. What's the difference between breastfeeding-nappy bin and dining table-toilet?

It's just like any public toilet facilities, some get abused and are in a poor state. It doesn't matter that they are for babies, some people will spoil them for others.

At least they are provided in the first place. 2 years ago, I took a 5 month old to Italy for 2 weeks. They love children there, she got lots of people cooing over her, not just old women. But the baby specific facilities were non-existent. The only place I found any baby changing facility was at the airport. And I was asked to feed her (BF) in a toilet rather than in a cafe (I left and fed her on a bench instead).

So yes, things could be better, but they could be a lot worse too.

Bluewater, as previous posters suggested John Lewis all the way! When breastfeeding didn't leave the shop!! Husband never felt welcome though! House of fraser use at your peril!! Awful UV light in terrible facilities

Mabel I agree with you in principle but in practice lots of places don't provide any dedicated space at all for parent/baby needs - so to say to businesses, "if you're going to provide M&B facilities, you've got to provided 2 rooms" would make me think lots of businesses who already do provide a room would stop (IYSWIM - disclaimer may have been involved this evening). Equally most people (I would hope) find a dirty nappy more offensive than a breast. So I say, do the nappy change in private in the baby room, and do the feeding in the cafe. Like a grownup would handle the same needs, really.

Don't be feeding in the car though, I used to end up regularly bashing DD's head on the steering wheel, and there's no coffee machine in my car...

Yy, ZonkedOut, Europe SO famous for being baby friendly. Which means lots of people coo over your baby until you have to take them off to feed them in the loo .

Yes, mothers are 2nd class citizens. Did no-one tell you that before you had your DC?

i have been out for the day where there were no baby changing areas at all, you soon master the nappy changing while toddler is stood up, or changing baby on your knee or in the pram. i have often done this, its even worse when you have an older child still in pull ups!!!!!

But speaking as a childless person, I'd say that for many places, adult toilets are pretty minging. You are not being singled out. It's not as though adults have glorious powder rooms full of beautiful boudoir style furniture, a chaise longue and glorious French toiletries (though I wish it were so). Generally, I find a big difference in service between flying on business and buying a coffee in Costa - no baby on either occasion. And I loathe going for a coffee and having to pick your way through other customer's detritus, crumbs and rubbish, yuck.

With regard to the limit on buggies in coffee shops, I'm afraid my sympathy is with the coffee shop owners - modern buggies are ginormous. Two of those and the shop is in gridlock.

Speaking as a former big buggy owner, I agree. I used to call it The Tank.

Shopping centres are simply not built with enough loos or baby changing facilities, full stop.
Got to coo over a beautiful little baby today, because he was stuck queuing for a clean nappy and my sister was lost somewhere in the queue for the ladies.