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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Family changing rooms (PETTY)

72 replies

toobreathless · 12/03/2013 16:49

Perfectly happy to be told AIBU if I am, 36 weeks pregnant so my grip on reality and reasonableness is possibly a little loose Grin

Had a run in with the water babies brigade at my local pool yesterday. Had a lovely swim with DD (22 months) and played with another mum and toddler boy who we had never met before. DD and the wee boy played beautifully. Stayed in a bit longer as they were having so much fun then we all got out and grabbed a family cubicle each (there are 3)

I strapped DD into the toddler chair and was getting changed when someone bangs on the door. Ignored it and 2 mins later it happens again. Open door to find 2 irritate mothers standing holding small babies (3/4 months) saying they need to use the changing table (also in cubicle) to change their babies as lesson was due to start in 15 mins and more mums would be there soon. I explained I needed to change DD on the table & finish getting myself changed, said would be as quick as possible and shut door.

So carried on to audible mutterings from outside cubicles. In the
end just took my time and changed at usual speed (15 mins for both of us) and left as quickly as possible, was pretty quick as mum and toddler boy were still changing in next cubicle. Came out to find lesson had started & 3 mums were still stood there which surprised me, there are 2 tables in the toilets!

Petty I know but curious AIBU? Should I have given them the cubicle? I figured being 36 weeks pregnant and toddler in tow gave me just as much 'right' to use family cubicles or should they be for smaller babies?

OP posts:
MrsDimples · 12/03/2013 17:38

YANBU

I've done Water Babies for years, at loads of different venues. You are lucky if there is one changing table. I've survived for years changing DD on towels on the floor.

Fillyjonk75 · 12/03/2013 17:46

Who in their right mind washes, conditions and then blow drys their hair in a changing room. Thats what houses are for.

My daughter as it makes her feel grown up and she enjoys it, and it saves time getting undressed again and doing it at home. Who in their right mind worries about what anyone else's routine is in the communal changing room as long as they aren't doing something antisocial? Maybe they have a crap shower at home, maybe they'd rather get it all done at once rather than faffing about later? Maybe they have to go out straight after and want to look their best? Maybe their hair was due for a wash anyway and it couldn't wait? When I had short hair it would need a wash every time I went to the gym or it would look crap. Or if I go to the gym on my own, I positively relish having a shower there and getting ready in peace rather than having a child going "Mummy, mummy!" at home.

Fillyjonk75 · 12/03/2013 17:47

Also I used to get up early and go to the gym before work and wait to have my shower at the gym after working out and before work. Seems to make sense Hmm

Muser · 12/03/2013 17:48

A Water Babies class with actual proper changing facilities? Surely not! YANBU, especially as they were getting ready for a class not just finishing one. It really isn't hard to change a baby on a bench. It does start getting a bit trickier trying toddy yourself off and baby off after. But it is entirely possible.

wrongsideoftheroad · 12/03/2013 17:54

I don't condition my DD's hair full stop but I certainly wash it when we're washing the chlorine off her in the showers as it takes hardly any extra time and I don't see the point of drying a child with chlorine on their hair and skin and then taking them home to wash the chlorine off then drying them all over again.

wrongsideoftheroad · 12/03/2013 17:54
Original poster
toobreathless · 12/03/2013 18:44

What's wrong with water babies? (curious) I have heard of them but no other experience.

I agree I coukd have been a bit quicker about the changing.

OP posts:
MajaBiene · 12/03/2013 18:50

YANBU

Pregnant woman with toddler has just as much need of a family cubicle as woman with baby.

EeyoresGloomyPlace · 12/03/2013 18:52

YANBU, they were being ridiculous and rude. No reason whatsoever why they can change the babies on the bench in a normal cubicle. Yes a changing table is easier but its hardly the end of the world if its already in use.

I also don't think 15 minutes is remotely unreasonable, I was taking dd1 swimming when heavily pregnant with dd2 and it would take at least that to get us both clean, dry and dressed.

midastouch · 12/03/2013 18:56

YANBU first come first served, they should have allowed time to wait for a changing room

GreenEggsAndNichts · 12/03/2013 18:59

YANBU. No idea what their problem was. It's mildly irritating when someone has the stalls, but you aren't entitled to them over other people with children. It's actually why I stopped trying to do any water activities with DS- unlike virtually everyone else here Hmm I find it very difficult to try to change myself and a baby/toddler without more space, a changing table etc. Trying to do it out in the locker room with just a bench (while trying to sort myself out) is a pain.

I'd never dream of banging on the door whilst someone else was in there. Shock

CommanderShepard · 12/03/2013 18:59

Water Babies tell you to change your baby on the floor on a towel or mat because most of the venues have no/not enough family cubicles. YANBU!

CommanderShepard · 12/03/2013 19:04

There's also no reason they could not have dressed their babies in their swimming gear before leaving home. Tis what I do - swimming costume under my clothes, DD in her swim nappy under a babygrow and then all I need to do at the pool is undress us, shove the clothes in a bag and we're ready.

SignoraStronza · 12/03/2013 19:08

YANBU. Why on earth are these rude women incapable of changing a baby on the floor?

honeytea · 12/03/2013 19:09

If there were multiple mums they could have held each other's babies whilst the other mum gets changed and then change the baby on their knee.

DO they actually have seperate family changing cubicles? When I was small there was just a big room where all the mums and kids/babies got changed and here in Sweden everyone just wonders around naked. My ds is 12 weeks old and the amount of people that have seen my cervix in the recent past makes and public breastfeeding makes me have no shyness dignity left.

Original poster
toobreathless · 12/03/2013 19:14

Changing room is all cubicles no female/male with three family ones with changing table, toddler seat and generally much bigger IYSWIM. No 'communal bench area'.

OP posts:
Quilty · 12/03/2013 19:15

YANBU - they clearly turned with only just enough time to get ready and just expected the cubicles to be free. Also what idiots for just standing there waiting, why didn't they just use the benches and get on with it?

olivertheoctopus · 12/03/2013 19:15

Nothing to be unreasonable about. It's not as if you were in there on your own.

olivertheoctopus · 12/03/2013 19:19

Plus we've done Waterbabies for years and there's no changing tables at all in the pool we use. Floor works out just fine. Less so for a toddler and even less so if you're heavily pregnant and therefore floor changing would be a problem. Don't bash Waterbabies though!!

CitizenOscar · 12/03/2013 19:21

YADNBU but I do remember finding getting me & baby changed in the v short slots between swimming classes pretty daunting when DS was very little.

Still you had every right to use the changing room and they should have changed elsewhere.

honeytea · 12/03/2013 19:29

surely the mums could have taken it in turns holding each other's baby whilst they used a cubicle, they were not really thinking sensibly.

AmandaPayne · 12/03/2013 19:34

YANBU. Babies can be changed and dressed in any number of non-specially designed places.

But Commander - how do you dress a non-potty trained baby in their swim clothes before leaving the house? The swim nappy doesn't hold wee? (Agree about costume under your own clothes being handy though).

TheChaoGoesMu · 12/03/2013 19:36

YANBU. They could have changed their baby on a towel on the floor if they were in such a hurry.

Piemother · 12/03/2013 19:42

I'm
Quite astonished how rude they were!

I took dd1 to Waterbabies and I'm taking dd2 now. The facilities at the new venue are shit to the point of being dangerous. Hey ho
Water babies is brilliant. Dd1 was swimming unaided before she was two and is now club level at 3. Minty well spent

jchocchip · 12/03/2013 19:42

YANBU First come first served. There are other changing tables in the toilets, you said.

I shower and shampoo my hair after swimming. I don't have time to go home and shower again and we are on a water meter