and I know I've done a bloody stupid thing but - changing a wet nappy in public

[booradley]

I feel so stupid and I know I'm in the wrong but I changed DD nappy in the cafe area of a farm park today. It was 4.30 and there was no-one around, the nearest people were sitting 15 feet away and the baby changing station was occupied. I knew that it was just a wet one and that she had on dungarees so no part of her body or the used nappy would touch the table so I changed her.
A member of staff came up to me late and said that a doctor had seen me do it and he is going to report the park to the dept of health.
I know the staff member was freaked out but when I asked what this would mean she said they would probably get closed down.

I know its a bloody stupid thing to have done and I feel a complete mug but does anyone have any idea what's going to happen?
I figured the best scenario would be a get a snotty letter from park telling me off but the worst, well I have a vivid imagination and I'm thinking all kinds of stuff - does anyone have any ideas.

ps - yes I know it was a bloody stupid thing to do.

I think it's absolutely disgusting to change a child's nappy where people eat! How revolting.
You may think the sun shines out of your child's bum, but nobody else does.

Love that "drop your knickers and piss on the floor." Give the woman a break. She's had a hard day and even now there might be a knock at the door....

Oh god the "holier than thou" postings on this thread!!

FFS the poor OP admitted she knew she was being less than hygenic, & doesn't need to be harangued about that.... (I defy ANY of you as Mums to say there is not ONE incident that you now think yu could have handled better/differently when your kids were young?)

She wanted reassurance that she wouldn't have the Hygiene Police banging on the door which is what most posters have provided helpful comments about, the rest of you wind your necks in!!

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I'd not change a baby in an eating area tbh, wet or otherwise, regardless of how many people were or were not around.

I don't think they'll do much about it, like you say they could write you a snotty letter, but that's about it.

Well, I wouldn't have given the twits my name and address, that's for sure!

Vacantlypretty, I don't force people to watch me wiping my arse.
It is totally inappropriate to change a nappy where people eat. I can't believe anyone thinks it is acceptable.
You could argue it's fine to shit on the table because, after all, it will be cleaned, won't it?

So where are the statistics that say to change a nappy on a chair half a foot below a table stops any germs.

Where are the ones that say a pissy nappy is fine unless opened.

Jesus this thread is ludicrous, has everyone now in the farm dying of a plague.

Precious man, precious posts.

Vivace, the op could have changed the nappy in the chaging area, then not washed her hands. We just wouldn't have known about it. Would that have been better for you?

And she did say: "there was no-one around, the nearest people were sitting 15 feet away ."

Course there are germs everywhere. No one's saying there aren't. Just seems odd to change a baby's nappy on a cafe table cos you can't be bothered to wait for someone to come out of the baby changing thingy. Now THAT smacks of being precious if anything..

I tend to change nappies on my lap when caught out and about.

Don't think OP needs to be harassed for admitting she didn't think before changing her lo. None of us is perfect and many of us do things without thinking of the consequences. We learn from them.

I'm not remotely precious, but it has never crossed my mind to change a nappy in a cafe or restaurant. Jesus, people say all the time re breastfeeding 'would you eat your lunch in a toilet?' in tones of horror, yet apparently some people are happy to make other people eat their lunch in a toilet.

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If you get a knock on the door from the hygeine police or a seriously high up new york lawyer demanding you pay for the farm being closed down and loss of earning for the next 100 years just deny all knowledge of the incident and say someeon who doesnt like you must be passing on your details as you keep gettingpizzas delivered too and taxis and in future dont do it and if you do and snotty asst perosn reprimands you just give someone elses name and address! Now go drink wine and chill

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ooh, talking of hygiene police....

I had dysentery a few years back, after a trip to Egypt, and occ. health sent me home from work and banned me from coming back till a WEEK after I'd had a clear stool sample, so effectively at least a fortnight.

As it was a notifiable kind of dysentery, I had a visit from a public health doctor, who said that only grade 1 foodhandlers (so people who are handling uncooked food), had to stay off work, and even them only till a clear sample had been obtained. So I could have been back at work almost immediately, esp as I have a job where I wash my hands a LOT!

Moral of story: you weren't spreading any kind of disease, no matter how unsavoury your nappy changing may have seemed. How many of the people who are "disgusted" would happily sit down at a table that looked socially clean? You have no idea how often the table is cleaned, or what with.

VP I wasnt' really addressing the OP, who realised she'd done a wrong thing, but all those Mumzillas who think that nobody could possibly object to their ickle baby's piss and shit where people eat.

Taking a dump doesnt make a place a toilet .... but I bet you usually use the lav!

'bad tempered jeanette krankie'

oops that was meant to go on the eurovision thread

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I wouldn't worry about it. How many men go to the loo and are back in a flash and you just know they haven't waited for that last drop to splash out so its now spreading out in their gruds and they haven't washed their hands either.......

Rather have a baby nappy than that any day!!

How amazing the reactions to the OP are.... what if the child didn't wear a nappy and wet itself? Same hygeine issue but no condemnation.... ffs it's a nappy, she didn't wipe shit all over the table and it wasn't a posh restaurant it was outside where birds fly over and shit all over the table. People sit and eat on grass where foxes and dogs wee.

As far as I'm aware the most anyone can do is ask you to leave, I assume you're not there and so the worst can't happen. There is no law to prevent you from changing a baby's nappy anywhere.

Have a glass of wine and rest assured it was probably not a doctor that complained as they would know the assertion that you could cause anything other than a little offence is ridiculous.

posie, it's not a huge deal in the scheme of things, but i don't think people are over reacting. It just seems ODD to choose to change your baby's bum on a cafe table when there is a baby changing station provided for that specific purpose. Be honest - if you were in a cafe that had a baby changing station wouldnt you be the teensiest bit surprised if someone chose to use the table instead?? I would. It smacks of being a bit PFB... my baby can't possibly wait a couple fo minutes kind of thing.

Think it probably ...

1. Made the bloke's day to have something to complain about

2. Made the cafe assistant's day to have something to feel important about.

Sanctimonious IMHO ...

I'd probably have waited, but it's not like it's the end of the world. And I'm sure you wiped down the table afterwards ... prob the first feckin' antibacterial wipe it had all day!

Taking your address is just a daft gesture ... it isn't like the police are gonna waste their time to arrest you over a nappy. They have better (well worse) things to do. It would be disproportionate and unenforceable.

I'm surprised you kept your cool in te face of such officious oafs.