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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to not want friends to change nappies in my living room?

281 replies

Nappiessmellbad · 30/12/2011 10:07

I have name changed for this as I don't want friends to recognise me and it's my first post in AIBU and I'm a wimp. Blush

About six months ago, we had about 10 friends round for dinner. One couple had a toddler. I was in the kitchen serving up and returned to the dining table in the living room with the food. The parents of the toddler were changing their nappy at the other end of the room and I must admit I blanched - there was poo everywhere and it stunk. The smell lasted through the first course and when they left, my DH and I both said how rude it was.

Last week we had a different set of friends round for a meal on boxing day and again, one set of parents had a toddler. When we finished our meal, the toddler announced he'd done a poo. The parents started changing the child on our carpet with no changing mat and leaving the rolled dirty nappy on our floor.

As this has happened with two different sets of parents, are we the uptight ones or is this gross? We have a perfectly functional bathroom.

(I promise I'm not the poo troll)

OP posts:
LoopyLoopsHootyHoots · 30/12/2011 11:11

What if your friend has a dirty bathroom floor?

callmemrs · 30/12/2011 11:11

'changing a nappy is a piece of piss'

Or shit. That's the point.

Seriously- what's the big deal with changing a nappy on the bathroom floor? It's where I always did mine at home anyway. Far safer than a changing table ( I never bought one on principle). If you don't mind changing your own baby on your bed, sofa etc then whatever floats your boat- but that doesn't make it ok to use other people's. Nappies sometimes leak. Babies do wriggle. Sometimes nappies can be a mess. It's just basic common sense to take shit to the bathroom. And seriously - do People not wash their hands afterwards? Or just use one of the babywipes for their hands? Blimey- I never bothered with those either. Plain water is far better for baby skin and hand washing after

LoopyLoopsHootyHoots · 30/12/2011 11:11

Eww to not washing hands. Not OK.

fireandthefury · 30/12/2011 11:12

I change nappies in the bathroom at friends houses.

I normally change them upstairs even in my own house.

I have changed nappies on the floor at friend's houses - but only friends who always change their own children's nappies there and where there is a changing station already set up in the lounge and who have directed me to do it there. I still ask if it's ok!

One friend got a bit off with me because she wanted to change her (newborn boy, a real squirter) on our brand new cream wool carpet and I asked her if she would put the mat on on the splash mat next to the table (under the highchair) and she was very put out at not just being able to change the baby wherever she wanted.

YANBU!

Hullygully · 30/12/2011 11:13

ask ask ask ask ask ask ask ask ask ask ask ask ask ask ask ask

ChristinedePizaTinsel · 30/12/2011 11:14

Do you not take a fold up changing mat with you loopyloops? It's far ruder to insist on inflicting your child's shit on everyone else than it is to ask people to remove the shit to the bathroom where it belongs.

Haziedoll · 30/12/2011 11:15

Bigbabyboots if nappies in the kitchen bin don't bother you then you must have been blessed with a fragrant pooer!

Mil was recently looking after ds whilst we got some Christmas shopping. Returned home and there was a lovely waft of poo in the air, later went to put something in the bin and the smell as I lifted the lid was just rancid!

fireandthefury · 30/12/2011 11:15

LoopyLoopsHootyHoots Fri 30-Dec-11 11:11:16
What if your friend has a dirty bathroom floor?

I've always had a little fold up travel mat for this kind of thing - same as if you have to use a minging changing table when out and about.

I always take dirty nappies home with me as well. Thinking about it I must be really anal about nappies because I was pissed off when I found a dirty nappy in the bin of my downstairs toilet after a party we'd had. That bin doesn't get used very often so not emptied much and I wasn't that pleased to find a festering nappy in there after three days.

callmemrs · 30/12/2011 11:16

'what if your friend has a dirty bathroom floor?'
Erm.. That's what a changing mat is for. If you're taking your baby Out and expecting to possibly change its nappy, presumably you take a portable changing mat/ old towel??

LoopyLoopsHootyHoots · 30/12/2011 11:17

Yes, ask is the best thing. Got you Hully.

As for the fold up changing mat thing... DH has an unfortunate lack of losing them. 4 so far. So, sometimes we have one... But even with a mat, I wouldn't be happy scrabbling around on a dirty floor. Same in pub loos. No way am I crouching on the floor of a public toilet (own issues there). I'm afraid in this instance I would either a) do it somewhere more public or, more likely, b) get DH to do it.

fireandthefury · 30/12/2011 11:17

Morloth - someone did that at a toddler music class I was at lately - whipped out a potty in the middle of the floor and got the toddler to crap on it while the session went on around her.

In my view the toddler who can't hang on to get to the toilet in the next room isn't at a sufficient level of toilet training to be out and about. But that's whole other thread...

LoopyLoopsHootyHoots · 30/12/2011 11:18

*knack, not lack!

fireandthefury · 30/12/2011 11:19

Loopy - if the bathroom floor is as filthy as you're saying it would be then what makes you so sure that any other surface wouldn't be filthy too Confused?

LoopyLoopsHootyHoots · 30/12/2011 11:20

Ishoos with bathroom floors, I admit. Not normal.

LoopyLoopsHootyHoots · 30/12/2011 11:20

Random pube anxiety.

fireandthefury · 30/12/2011 11:21

Ha!

Oh god, that reminds me of the worst random pube incident recently. I can't share though, I'd traumatise you for life.

LoopyLoopsHootyHoots · 30/12/2011 11:22

Please do, I love tangeant threads.

fireandthefury · 30/12/2011 11:24

Oh.

It was just a family dinner.

Pre christmas at a holiday let.

With a swimming pool.

Biggest radiator was next to the dinner table.

Swimming costumes shaken out and put to dry on the radiator.

Guess what was sitting in the middle of the table for half of the meal?

tulipgrower · 30/12/2011 11:27

loopy - I think it is fine to have issues with bathroom floors. Imagine all the DHs peeing willy nilly all over the place, and then I'm supposed to change my kid there, and pubes ... aaaargh!

bemybebe · 30/12/2011 11:27

Always thought that one of the people that come with their child are plain rude changing him on my coffee table - they just push the coffee cups and biscuits aside - despite my suggestion of using our spacious and clean family bathroom with underfloor heating. Fuck it, next time she will be going ot the bathroom or going home.

Xmasbaby11 · 30/12/2011 11:28

YANBU - Changing mat in bathroom, or any other room where people are not. You will need to keep your eye on the parents likely to do it and politely request they move elsewhere. They should only need asking once.

BigBabyBoots · 30/12/2011 11:30

Maybe I do have a fragrant pooper... He also does nice little neat poo's most of the time, anything messy and I would actually grab the mat. It might also be that I work in care and anything DS does is nothing compared to the adult pads I change at work.

Thinking more about it though, it is only family's houses I've taken DS to so far and it has always been the norm to change babies in the living room with family. If I were to take him to a friends I would ask.

jasper · 30/12/2011 11:30

yanbu
Lots of people do it though.
Rude , IMO.
Glad I don't know any kids in nappies anymore

LoopyLoopsHootyHoots · 30/12/2011 11:30

Ewwwwwwwwww

bemybebe · 30/12/2011 11:31

Xmas my friend was offered asked several times. "No, that is ok!" is the standard answer.
My family bathroom is spotless. Dsc at the uni abroad and the only regular visitor to the bathroom is our cleaner. DH and I use our en suite.

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