... to expect baby changing facilities in establishments advertising themselves as "family-friendly"?

CurrantBun · 2007-12-19T15:17:47+00:00

On Sunday my antenatal group (mums, dads and babies) went for a Christmas meal at a local "family-friendly" pub. I could not believe that in an establishment which provided highchairs for babies, there were no baby-changing facilities in either the ladies' toilet or in the disabled toilet. I am constantly unimpressed by the lack of facilities generally available for changing babies, but AIBU to expect them in places which advertise themselves as "family-friendly"? I had to change DS's nappy kneeling on the floor of the ladies' - hardly comfortable or convenient.

merryberry · 19/12/2007 15:44

yanbu. mad.

PeachyHasAFiggyPudInTheOven · 19/12/2007 15:46

It also irks me that disabled toilets don't often haev them- is it only for continent disbled people then?

Barmy. YANBU.

karen999 · 19/12/2007 15:48

I am also amazed that the Mothercare outlets that I went to when I was heavily pregnant did not even provide a seating area!! It is hard enough shopping for baby stuff but when you are heavily pregnant it would be nice if they could offer you a seat whilst you decide on which pram to buy!!

ScottishMummy · 19/12/2007 15:49

infuriating

flowerytaleofNewYork · 19/12/2007 15:52

Don't get me started on Mothercare. The 'changing facility' in ours is ...the floor of the one changing room. You can't put LO on the floor without your bum hanging out on to the shop floor. Oh and if you need to feed baby, you have to use the same facility. And hope no one wants to try on one of their maternity dresses. (Fortunately that is unlikely...

discoverlife · 19/12/2007 15:55

YANBU. I personally feel that any pub, cafe or business that have any dealings with children should at least have a fold down baby changing table. We have a tiny 5 table cafe that we use that has a baby chaging table in the ladies.

mumzyof2 · 19/12/2007 18:57

Or they say 'children welcome' and its the same scenario.
Its worse now that every pub is no smoking, so ANY pub is more likely to have children eating there, but still no facilities. Its bizarre.

Original poster

CurrantBun · 20/12/2007 10:35

Flowery, our local Mothercare is exactly the same - a tiny room at the back that you can barely squeeze into (especially with a buggy). Just about room to change your baby and there is actually a bottle warmer too should you manage to find enough space to sit down and feed!

In a fairly large indoor shopping complex near us (not huge like Lakeside or Bluewater but big enough), John Lewis is the only store with a proper baby changing and feeding room (although it's on the small side). The Mothercare there has no facilities at all - when I enquired as to why, I was told they kept getting vandalised so they closed them down. Fantastic.

OP posts:

wessexgirl · 20/12/2007 10:38

YANBU in the least. In my experience 'child friendly' in the UK usually means 'not actively child hostile'.

claricebeansmumhasnomincepies · 20/12/2007 10:41

Spot on Wessex Girl!

Original poster

CurrantBun · 20/12/2007 14:58

And I'm not asking for luxury here (although that would be nice!) but a standard pull-down baby changing unit attached to the wall is not that much to expect.

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EricScrooge · 20/12/2007 15:01

These things annoy me too as they are quite often in the ladies loos and are no use to me.

The gents isn't a nice place for dealing with kids anyway as most men seem to piss anywhere but the pan and don't clean it.

Brangelina · 20/12/2007 15:19

Lol, try coming to Italy and see how many baby chagning facilities you can spot here. In the whole of Milan there is 1 department store and only the larger branches of the odd baby shop and IKEA. Thank god for IKEA - there are changing facilities in the men's too (not that my DP ever wanted to take advantage of them). Even the bloody Chicco flagship store had a locked room which was basically the narrow corridor space outside the loo.

You lot don't know how lucky you are. You've also got shops with automatic sliding doors and ramps - we have steep steps in front of a swing door, impossible to get into with a heavy pushchair unless some kind soul takes pity on you and holds the door open. The trains have 3 (fairly dangerous) vertical steps to get on them, nothing is at platform level, and we have ill-mannered tossers who park on the pavement so you have to push your buggy in the road. The Italians may coo at your baby and be cool with breastfeeding in public, but that's as fair as child-friendliness in Italy goes.

Remember, wherever you are there is always someone who is worse.

yomellamoHelly · 20/12/2007 15:42

The worst I experienced was in the Tate Modern where they put the change in the lobby to the loo. So everybody (and it was a continual stream of people throughout the time we were there) going into the ladies had to deal with the smell and sight of my son's overflowing nappy. Then there were no handwashing facilities there either and I wasn't happy leaving ds alone in such a busy place while I went to wash them. Plus with the pushchair in there they had to almost climb over it to get through to the ladies. REALLY badly designed! Can't believe the place won an award.

Tanktop · 20/12/2007 15:44

Brangelina,I know exactly what you mean. I live in Tuscany and only know of one baby changing facility in my town. I was so impressed on my first visit back home to the uk with DD with how baby friendly everwhere was. Couldn't believe that the mother and baby room in Asda had free nappies wipes etc. Bliss or wot.

Oh, please don't get me started with regards to parking on the pavements or right in the middle of the zebra crossing. Not that any of the driver actually take any notice of the crossings anyway.

Taking a buggy out shopping is a complete nightmare. To many steps into the shops,cobbled streets, narrow pavements or no pavements at all. One of the larger department store in Lucca where I live has just been refurbished and I was pleased to hear that they had installed a lift (baby department is on the 2nd floor). Guess wot though, you have to walk up a half flight of stairs to get to it. Not sure how anyone in a wheelchair get around this town at all.

As far as bar/restraurants are concerned I don't think I have ever been in one that provided a baby changing area apart from ikea. The same goes for the service stations. They aren't equipt for babies or toddlers at all.

You guys in the uk just don't know how luck you are (honest).

Tanktop · 20/12/2007 15:45

Brangelina,I know exactly what you mean. I live in Tuscany and only know of one baby changing facility in my town. I was so impressed on my first visit back home to the uk with DD with how baby friendly everwhere was. Couldn't believe that the mother and baby room in Asda had free nappies wipes etc. Bliss or wot.

Oh, please don't get me started with regards to parking on the pavements or right in the middle of the zebra crossing. Not that any of the driver actually take any notice of the crossings anyway.

Taking a buggy out shopping is a complete nightmare. To many steps into the shops,cobbled streets, narrow pavements or no pavements at all. One of the larger department store in Lucca where I live has just been refurbished and I was pleased to hear that they had installed a lift (baby department is on the 2nd floor). Guess wot though, you have to walk up a half flight of stairs to get to it. Not sure how anyone in a wheelchair get around this town at all.

As far as bar/restraurants are concerned I don't think I have ever been in one that provided a baby changing area apart from ikea. The same goes for the service stations. They aren't equipt for babies or toddlers at all.

You guys in the uk just don't know how luck you are (honest).

Tanktop · 20/12/2007 15:46

ops a daisy. hit post button twice,

bookofchristmascarolsmum · 20/12/2007 16:00

YANBU.

When my dd was born, I asked for the parent room in Bhs since I wanted to feed her. It was a chair - not even a table, let alone a sink! - in an unlocked room.

Another one that irked me was my local Mall which has tv sets in the main part of the restaurant but a blank wall - not even a picture to look at - in the area set aside for bfrs. Somehow this really pissed me off . Probably as my dd was such a slow feeder, I used to get bored sitting there.

Original poster

CurrantBun · 20/12/2007 16:36

Hmm, sounds as though for once UK residents have something to be grateful for - even if it is just a chair facing a wall! Can't believe it's even worse in Italy!

And it's true - in most places any baby-changing facilities that are provided are in the ladies' loo (and usually in a really awkward place that obstructs everyone else's access in and out). What if Dad takes the baby out alone?

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Original poster

CurrantBun · 20/12/2007 16:36

Hmm, sounds as though for once UK residents have something to be grateful for - even if it is just a chair facing a wall! Can't believe it's even worse in Italy!

And it's true - in most places any baby-changing facilities that are provided are in the ladies' loo (and usually in a really awkward place that obstructs everyone else's access in and out). What if Dad takes the baby out alone?

OP posts:

Original poster

CurrantBun · 20/12/2007 16:36

Hmm, sounds as though for once UK residents have something to be grateful for - even if it is just a chair facing a wall! Can't believe it's even worse in Italy!

And it's true - in most places any baby-changing facilities that are provided are in the ladies' loo (and usually in a really awkward place that obstructs everyone else's access in and out). What if Dad takes the baby out alone?

OP posts: