WIBU - baby poonami

[hatespickinganame]

I know there are a few of these threads, but its been playing on my mind a bit all day.

Not going into too many details - I was out shopping with 6m baby and she had a poo (was obvious from smell). I trundle off to the baby change, which is located in the disabled loo.

Turns out, since we have just started weaning, it was a monstrous explosion that had gone, quite literally, everywhere. I strip her off and attempt to clean her up whilst trying to keep hands and feet from spreading the poo even further - I'm sure you can imagine.

Anyway, about half way into this there is a knock on the door. I shout an apology that my baby has had an accident, and I am trying to clean her up as quickly as possible. A few minutes go past and there is another knock on the door. I manage to open it (its right next to the table), to apologise again and demonstrate I am not just obstructing the loo for the sake of it. The elderly gentleman on the other side looks vaguely horrified - he isn't rude at all (doesn't really say much) but gives me a look that makes me feel like I am the worst and most inconsiderate person in the world at that moment.

I have assumed IWNBU at the time, as I'm not sure what else I could have done - aside from clearing out the loo and holding my smelly, naked daughter at arms length whilst he used the facilities. Is there anything else I could have done? I was in there for 15-20 mins cleaning her up, which I recognise is a long time to block use to the only disabled loo.

Oh God the poocano dd2 seemed to prefer M&S for this for some reason.
Poonamis she reserved for the sofa at home, one memorable occasion accompanied by DH yelling "it's an actual river of shite" in a tone of mixed fascination and horror.
Dd1 seemed to miss these.
Ywnbu to use the facilities and I say this as someone who when they have to go, have to go immediately

Before I read this thread I didn’t even realise this was a ‘thing’ - the baby changing vs disabled loo - not the poosplosion (I knew about those)

If a disabled loo is also the baby changing room then it’s not one over the other in priority, surely?!? It’s a multi purpose room and therefore you 100% shouldn’t have felt guilty or wrong at all.

I personally wouldn’t have opened up until I was done I would have shouted once more, ‘I’m using the baby changing facility as my daughter needs changing please wait’ and then continued - if they knocked again I’d have gone with a ‘you’re being very rude please stop’ and then ignored any further knocks.

Although - I think it’s really shitty (pun intended) when places put the baby changing in the disabled loo, it’s like combining stroller/ wheelchair use on public transport - it’s not fair on anyone

Don't listen to the mum shamers OP. You did what you have to do. I'm not doing a bodge job by rushing, leaving shit on my baby and making her ill or giving her a rash. It is what it is. Plenty of people take 20 minutes to have a shit in a public toilet but no ones complaining about that. I'm sure disabled people take long poos too!

I don't know how you can be done in 5 minutes, especially with disposable wipes! It takes me 5 minutes just to dress dc2, let alone undress, change nappy, wipe off poop and stop him spreading and touching it!

This is why I think it's a crazy idea to situate baby changing facilities in the disabled toilet. I get the opposite problem,that is,I'm disabled and have been moaned at by people wanting to use the toilet to change their baby. I am always as quick as possible when using the toilet,(I don't sit reading the newspaper which is the impression that I get with some people!) but still I get tutted at and given dirty looks for daring to occupy 'their toilet' for 2 minutes. Regardless,I do sympathise OP. It seems that one party or another is always going to be put out while planners persist with this idea of disabled toilet/baby change in the same toilet.

5 wipes ?

I had to stand one of mine in the sink once for an impromptu shower it was such a shit fest.

Ideally there should be completely separate baby change rooms - ones just in the ladies were no good with DS as hand dryers caused hysterics, and if he'd done a massive poo (which he did every six to eight days) would have meant a fair amount of poo splattering everywhere.

And I never managed to clean it up in five minutes. Even at home where I could just hose DS off in the shower - and didn't have to worry quite as much about not covering myself in it as well - it took longer than that.

I'm amazed at all the people who think knocking on the door is rude. Have they never been stood outside a toilet with legs crossed, wondering desperately if there actually is anyone in there after all?

It's a hell of a lot politer to knock than shout through the door and alert everyone else in the vicinity

Baby change needs to be in the disabled loo for disabled parents to use (actually, adult changing facilities should be too), but it should not be the only ones available.

I'm with you, Chouetted - indeed, I distinctly remember once standing outside a baby change room for 5 minutes thinking "They've been a long time in there". After a while, holding a pooey infant, I listened at the door, realised I could hear nothing and then knocked. The room was indeed empty and unlocked and I had been standing there like a lemon.

I think it's fair enough that he knocked once, although a bit annoying. But twice is rude and unnecessary.

I remember when my dd was a baby, I remember changing her in a toilet that was the only female toilet in the cafe. I was only in there for a couple of minutes when someone knocked on the door. I opened it and the woman standing there said 'i need the toilet'. Very odd.

YANBU

It can easily take 15 minutes to sort out a massive baby poo. It really does spread everywhere!

We had a good one in a baby change in a supermarket. Big poonami up back, massive wee half way through clean up spreading poo further then as I'd finally finished, put baby in sling (entered facility at arm's length), started washing my hands another poonami meaning another clean up and carried baby out wrapped in my spare top... dirty looks from the substantisl stopped to be replaced by pity at my haggard expression...

Slightly off topic, but i find wipes so ineffective at cleaning up poonamis, and it definitely can take more than 5 minutes if the consistency is bad.

An emergency flannel is a lifesaver! Wet it in the sink and youre good to go!

I work in a nursery and have probably changed 100s of explosive nappies. If they are old enough to stand they get showered, absolutely no way 5 crappy wipes would actually leave a child clean.

YANBU. It's a baby change. And I say that as a disabled person. Who are these posters who can clean poonamis from wriggling octopuses in 5 minutes?
To the pp who said it needs to be in the disabled toilet so disabled parents can change their babies oh if only the changing facilities were accessible. I can't lift the tables down or get my daughter on to it (too high) and end up changing her on a grimy floor!

@TigerMummy1 - I fully agree, that was in the context of previous posters who said there shouldn't be any in the disabled toilets at all!

Although, as a very tall person, I usually find anything "wheelchair accessible" is too far down for me to reach without sitting on the floor (which I then need assistance to get up from...). Height adjustable would be the ideal solution, but we can only dream...

I can't lift the tables down or get my daughter on to it (too high) and end up changing her on a grimy floor!

I always changed ds on the grimy floor, he didn't like those shelf things either, they led to more flailing hysterically, more poo everywhere. Tbh I didn't go out much on maternity leave, it was easier to just stay home.

He was generally a very laid back baby, but when something scared him (hand dryers) you really knew about it. I still have to find a baby change room with a toilet in for him out go to places like Costa where there's just one toilet if we're out because he still cannot be in a room with a hand dryer that is in use. Those Dyson ones are the worst, so loud, though harder to set of accidentally.

I don't understand why more regular toilets don't have changing tables. These days there are fold-down tables that can be folded up and down from the wall, so they take up almost no space at all. They should be standard in all toilets.

5 wipes! 🤣🤣🤣

DS had food allergies and intolerences that disrupted his system for many months. If we were unfortunate enough for him to poo in public (i.e. neck to knee explosion) it was half a pack of wipes to deal with the aftermath to him and the surrounding area. At home, it was easier to strip him in the bath and hose him and the clothes clean with the shower then use toilet paper to transfer the lumps to the loo. Nursery made a special request for us to bring the baby bath in as it was that much of an ordeal to clean up with wipes. Baby groups made me laugh; people actually checking their babies' nappies to see which one was smelling when I could identify DS's brew from the opposite side of the room in the same way that I knew his cry.

I started using Cheeky Wipes when he was 18m and they were amazing. You could actually do it in 3-4 wipes as the pile of the flannels actually gathered the mess rather than diluting and spreading over and over again. Cloth nappies were also much better as they were more sealed around the waist and legs and absorbant all over not just front to back.

It is horrid to be in that position knowing it is inconvenient to others, but that's where the facility is to deal with such matters so YANBU. You're hardly loitering in a stinking, poorly ventilated room for fun.

YANBU 80%. YABU 20% What the hell kind of poonami was it that would take 20 mins to clean up? I think speeding up was needed here.

Why should she be able to do it 10 minutes? What a ridiculous thing to say. She does it as quickly as she can. She's not at work with every job she does timed ffs. I am sure she was gaily taking her time!

*wasn't!

I think at home it could be quicker as i wluld lay them down and not worry about the poop on the changing mat as
Its their own
I can just dettol wipe it after.

Whereas i really wouldnt want to get it on a comunal table as i know how much toddlers are touching the table etc.
A lot depends on the kids trying to touch it/escape etc

I always used much larger nappies to try to contain it more.
Plus anything that puts pressure on the nappy
Vests/jumperoo/car set etc

In a changing area you have one small pull down unit and nowhere to put anything. No way on earth could you clear up a poonami in 5 minutes with just 5 babywipes.