Dads using female communal changing room

[Strawberrryfields]

Not sure how I feel about this so looking for opinions and whether I should do anything.

A couple of times recently I’ve been changing my child after swimming and a dad has come in to change his child in the communal female changing room. It’s after lessons so only children changing. There are communal female, communal male and a number of individual cubicles. It gets very busy at peak times so at times you may need to wait for an individual cubicle.

It feels weird to me a grown man being in there and my instinct is that he should use the private cubicles, though he is clearly there with his child helping them get ready. I also understand him not wanting to take his child into the men’s communal changing rooms with random men in there but to me, he is a random man.

Should I say something? Would you? Chances are it’s just a normal dad changing his kid but I don’t feel entirely comfortable with it but not sure if IABU?

Of course he shouldn't be in there. He should wait for a cubicle if he doesn't want to use the men's.

Report, every single time

You should definitely say something , just because he isn’t changing presumably there are some women who may be . His daughter can use the female changing room when she’s able to do it alone .

Absolutely report it.

Yes report, then report again.

He uses the men’s changing room or a cubicle. Men should not be in women’s changing rooms. If they’re worried about their child being in the men’s, they need to think about why and then apply that to them being in the women’s changing room.

So because he doesn't want his daughter exposed to random men in a changing room he's happy to expose everyone else's daughter to a random man! Not ok definitely report it

A grown man should not be in a room with unrelated naked young girls. Did no one ask him what the fuck he was doing in there while their children were changing?

Ok thanks all for the replies. I’m going to email the club. It didn’t feel right and clearly I’m not overreacting.

He should be in the men's or using an individual changing room. He should be no where near the women's changing space.

Women don't take their boys into the men's. Ask him to leave or report every time.

This

Report it. I had to do the same for a grandad who was talking his young gdaughter (6 ish) into the womens' changing room. I had already told him that he could not be in there but he clearly could not understand why, if it was his Gdd who was changing, they should be in the mens' changing. He had ignored his own presence in a women's changing room. The staff eventually got through to him.

No one did while I was there but we left pretty quickly anyway as were just putting coats and shoes on at that stage. No idea if anyone said anything after we left or maybe a bit taken aback like me or maybe some didn’t question it?

Definitely report and/ or say something. DP always took DD into the men’s when she was little. He was there with her, so no risk to her in there. Whereas a man in the female changing room is unacceptable. If nothing else, what message does it send to all the kids in there if everyone is behaving like it’s ok?

He shouldn’t be in there. He should use a cubical in the male changing room.

Our local pool has a family changing room with cubical that can be used by men and women.

YANBU. He shouldn't be there under any circumstances so don't let the club fob you off.

He needs to get the fuck out of the female changing rooms

He absolutely should not be in the female changing room. He can wait for a cubicle to become available. If he doesn’t want to wait , there are plenty of dry robe options to wrap the child up in and get showered and changed at home.

If its only children changing and no one else is allowed to swim, then I don't see why he can't use the men's as there will he no naked men. Is he trying to protect her from naked little boys?

I wouldn't really have a problem as either way he's around little kids undressing but I think if he's unhappy using the men, he should wait for a cubicle.

Back in the days when I used to take DS swimming it was very clearly signposted that noone over the age of 8 could be in the changing rooms of the opposite sex. Once DS was 8 he used the men's changing room by himself.

Thanks I’m glad to hear that they took action.

no Yanbu he should use the men’s

That's one time but what about the other times?

So if two dads have daughters, they can't both use the men's changing rooms?

Of course he should be in there. If he is with a daughter young enough to need accompanying then he takes her with him into the male changing rooms. Grown men should NEVER be in female changing rooms