to think this is rather odd and contributes to PAEDO HYSTERIA?

[CelticPromise]

I was in a local children's centre with DS (2.5) this morning and needed to change his nappy. There is a very handy changing station which I have used many times before. It is tucked around a corner by the toilets. I was mid-nappy change when one of the staff walked past and we had this conversation:

Her 'Do you want me to put a screen around you for privacy?'
Me 'No thanks, we're fine.'
Her 'But sometimes there are men walking through here, the men's toilets are in the corner'.

I was a bit and said I wasn't bothered and neither was DS but she pulled over a 6' screen of the type you would see in mobile clinic type places and put it up around us.

I thought this was totally bizarre, and the sort of 'can't be too careful' behaviour that leads to madness. AIBU? Or is this a standard precaution for toddler nappy changes?

god thats very weird. totally ott you are not bu. however would hate to think about what could have happened that they feel the need to provide and advise its use.

YANBU

I honestly don't know what the fuck is wrong with some people

I despair really considering I have 3 sons

Well, I agree about the men thing. But OTOH maybe other people don't want to see other peoples' baby poo

I mean I agree with you, OP

I think she was just being polite and possibly using the men's toilets as an excuse to say "not everyone wants to see you change a pooey nappy so I'm putting this screen across".

I would take it as it was meant, politeness and not read anything else into it. She wasn't reading from any policy, just acting on her own.

YANBU
I work with kids and the guidelines can make you feel really awkward in what are supposed to be perfectly normal settings/situations. It ends up making you think in a paranoid way as you have to protect yourself in this sort of environment, that's probably what this person was doing. Sad really.

I don't think it was needed but if that convo happened to me I'd be worried I had a builders bum while I was bent over changing the nappy and the member of staff was only protecting her own eyes and or lunch.

allshiney!

YANBU

I just despair of things like this

wow that is weird and sexist.

I thought about the poo on view issue Rhubarb, but it really is out of sight unless you are heading to the toilets, and it wasn't busy. allshiney perhaps I should have checked my own backside.

It would have made me wonder what sort of men are allowed into the children's centre!

She was ensuring that your child had privacy, i think that she put it wrong, but she is right.

The Centre should have a seperate changer in a cubicle, especially if it provides room for 'contacts' between parents and theit children.

Is it a well used centre for family support etc?

AllShiney

What a sexist thing to say.

If the babychanging area was in full view of the play area or an area where people were eating then I could have seen a reason to screen it off.

But to say that it is near the mens toilets is just

I hate watching people changing nappies. I don't want to see anyone's bum wiped, however little they are. So maybe it wasn't paedo hysteria so much as making life a little more pleasant for the other centre users?

Rule-if it provides contacts, there could be sex offenders attending the centre, ours has both sexualy abused children and abusers. It can confuse a child when you are doing work with them that you don't let an adult undress your bottom half.

I don't think this has anything to do with child offenders though and more that nappy changing should be kept private,if possible.

The 'men comment was really weird, but maybe other people don't want to see it. And you say they could if heading to the toilets. It's just courtesy where possible.

Birds I hadn't thought of that. I don't know if that happens there. I only go on a Tuesday morning and nothing like that happens at that time. It is brand new and purpose built, so I would think they could have put in a purpose built cubicle if they wanted, or put it in the disabled loo which is right next to it.

The next people to use the changing station were a M/F couple with a baby, I was in a different room though so I don't know if anything was said to them.

Some time ago I was commissioned to design a small Childrens Centre (thats a small building for children as opposed to a building for small children - which it in fact was... oh you know what I mean) :) to be run by the council - some are privately run - and the guidelines from Sure Start for the location of nappy changing was ".. separate but visible from the playroom .."

I think I would have reassured her I wasn't planning on whipping my own knickers off, just the nappy!

I would have just asked if if she though only men could be peadophiles? It seems odd she thought it was ok for women to be there, but not men. However like others have said she may just have been trying to hint that you should be changing the nappy in private and no-one else wanted to see it.

Hmmm maybe I should have put:

AIBU to use the non-private changing facilities provided at the children's centre?

They are not private and the place is set up like that. So while they are out of the way they are not in a separate cubicle. I have never even noticed the screen before today much less thought I should use it to shield us.

Another one who wonders whether maybe she was being polite about the fact that most people don't actually want to see a nappy changed? It does seem a bit weird to set it up so changing facilities aren't in private, though.