Changing nappies on airport seats

[KittyCoo]

I don’t have any DCs yet and not planning on ttc for a few years.

I was at a mallorca airport last and the plane was about to board abd a lady changed her around 4/5mth old baby’s dirty nappy on the passenger seats. I told her that was disgusting and people have to sit there to use the bathroom opposite as there was a changing table in there. admittedly there was a big queue but not the point imo.

When I have DCs, I’d never dream of doing that, I’d always use the facilities provided in the vicinity as respect and courteousness to others. I personally believe it’s lazy parenting not to use adequate facilities available!!!

AIBU, that some parents with babies these days think they’re so entitled just like the one I’ve described above ? And AIBU for berating her actions the way I did ?

I misread that as ‘nipple tassels’. This is literally a thread about a baby shitting themself. No one has degraded you OP, you have come off as a bit of a simpleton though. Maybe that was your intention.

I had 3 DDs, now all adults.

This wasn't something I ever did but travelling with babies is very stressful. I wouldn't have berated her though. Babies and young children simply don't poo to order at convenient times. More often than not it will be at the least convenient moment.

What she did wasn't ideal, but there was a lengthy queue for the facilities and with boarding the plane imminent she didn't want to risk missing the flight. So I can see why she did it. She had to think on her feet and would very likely have been very stressed at the time, which you and your high moral horse made many times worse.

She did also protect the seat by using a changing mat. That's exactly what the mat is for. The seat was protected, as were people who would come along later. No problem, but you made one and made a new mum feel like shit.

Would I do it myself? No. Would I berate somebody else for doing it? Also no. Personally I don’t see the issue with changing a baby’s nappy if a travel mat is used, there is nobody eating around you and the dirty nappy is disposed of quickly. It’s similar to somebody whipping their boob out for no reason being unacceptable but having a boob on display whilst breastfeeding being acceptable as clearly it’s only due to the need arising.

@HedwigEliza @Doingtheboxerbeat there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a bit of discipline. As you say its standards these days are slipping but it’s lacking basic social etiquette here that’s the issue. If standards and etiquette were being adhered to, we wouldn’t be having these conversations.

@Bundleflower palma airport is overcrowded, travelling with children or not, they need a second airport on the island. At least with you, you were more discrete on the floor where people don’t have to sit and eat. But if I was you, I would’ve personally tried the bathroom first. If you had walked past me with a poonami, I would’ve happily let you skip in front of me or borrowed my radar key.

@NoKnit it was just, mum, dad abd baby so no older children to see to, so really there was no excuse. The partner could’ve got in the queue to board and kept her place whilst she went to the bathroom, it’s not rocket science!!

You were in Spain. Spanish culture is very much babies are babies and they will be changed anywhere, fed anywhere and you were extremely rude putting your foreign views on someone.

@Obeseandashamed breastfeeding is another matter as that is the baby’s food, save as we would pull out a bag of crisps or banana on an airport seat, but would we wipe our bums on a public seat….

@Twinkletoes127 this was an English lady on a tui flight and btw, I’m half Spanish. In Spain, it’s predominantly women who do the feeding and changing, however, with more two dad families, changing facilities in men’s toilets are becoming more popular

I thought you said she had a changing mat, therefore bottom or nappy didn't come into contact with the seat. The only issue is her dirty hands really, and many airport users will have those.

I really feel for the mum who you berated. She was just looking after her little one. We all have preconceived ideas of what we will or won’t do when we have our children… how wrong most of those are when the time comes.

Some people are pretty disgusting in their habits, as this woman was. Nothing new though.

Don't be so silly. With a changing mat the baby's nappy and arse did not come into contact with the seat at all.

Nope you either change in the privacy of your house or car, or you change in a changing station. Or possibly outside somewhere fairly remote... never anywhere else.

The plane was boarding, and there was a long queue for the toilets. So the choice is, change baby quickly and catch the flight, or use toilet changing facilities and potentially miss the flight. I know which I'd choose, and I bet the vast majority of parent would too.

If it was a wee I couldn’t care less

if it was a newborn nappy I couldn’t get worked up

if it was a toddler poo nappy yes that really ought to be changed in a toilet

Plane was about to board. Likely she was afraid she'd miss boarding.
Once aboard it would be chaos to get into the toilet.
I'd change my baby right there, too.
Traveling with littles/babies is difficult. Understanding, support and an offer of help go a long way.

Using words like "disgusting" says more about the OP that the poor mum obv doing her best for her child.
FYI dirty nappies (poo) cause rashes which are bloody awful. Mum wouldn't have wanted baby sitting in poo for too long until convenient for everyone else to change baby. And you can't tell a baby or child to hold their poo in or just wait for a while to get clean.

They might do yes but I think the OP made a rookie mistake in admitting she's not yet a parent, because that's all posters are focusing on - when there are literally parents saying they wouldn't do this.

@Mumstheword1983 @stichguru I’ve got zero issues with nappy changing in the boot of your car, because that’s your business and your asset, so your own rules. Also nappy changing in the park as long as no one is having a picnic in the vicinity, I have no issues with as the great outdoors is the great outdoors and there’s rarely toilets nearby!!! No different from a discreet wild wee on a long walk!!!

Because those parents are MN-fucking-perfect. 🙄

But to berate me as I haven’t had children yet and say that I don’t understand, I do find a bit degrading

Why? If you havnt had children.... you don't understand? Its not a dig, it's just factual

Edited to add*

I wouldn't change my child in public, but I can see why some people would in certain circumstances.

I take everything on here with a pinch of salt to be honest, it's the only way ❤️ and nobody should listen to me.

Very well said!!

i think some people are missing the point. The point of my post was saying if/when I have DC, I’ll be in the camp of the parents who have already said they wouldn’t change a nappy in a public seating area and use adequate facilities available. And also, I’ll be a parent who thinks social etiquette also applies to me

Totally agree with this, you dont have kids. Fine if you think its gross but maybe she was struggling getting through an airport and making a flight with an infant. Its really tough and if you haven't done it you just wouldn't know. Parents often have to do things like this when in an emergency, if she had gotten into the queue for the bathroom she probably would have missed her flight. The fact you felt the need to berate her about it is horrible to be honest, she hardly got poo all over the seat or anything so realistically it only bothered you in any way by you looking that way.....so maybe next time try to put yourself in her shoes and ignore

Most of us think it's gross and wouldn't do it. But most of us would have some level of empathy and wouldn't dream of berating her.

Because once you have kids you realize just how challenging basic stuff can be and how you need to make less than perfect decisions sometimes.

Yeah I’d have said all that a few years ago too 👍🏻

@123GiraffesandCrocodiles if she had made the effort to do the right thing, as I said in my PPs and seen her struggling, I would’ve lent her my radar key or let her go in front of me to change the dirty nappy!! But as she didn’t speak up so to speak, it was too late for me to intervene with the above!!