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Original poster

changing baby in public places

62 replies

Brodicea · 03/03/2014 10:43

Hello all, I'm currently 31 weeks pregnant with my first and pondering several baby-care questions - one in particular is the following:

Last week I met up with a friend and her baby (four months) for lunch, lo and behold baby needs changing but they don't have official baby-change facilities in the restaurant so my friend left to go across the street to a shopping mall to change the baby which of course took ages, and she had to queue etc. But the restaurant was quite nice, and the loos were actually pretty clean and I thought 'why not change the baby on the floor here? Plenty of space, looks clean,' we weren't talking right up against the pedestal, it was a roomy downstairs loo type room. I asked my DH and he said that it was pretty gross to change a baby on the floor of a toilet, and I felt like a right minger!

What would you do oh wise MNers?

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AngryPrincess · 07/03/2014 19:52

In a restaurant in Quebec. No changing, and wet floors. Decided just to wheech the nappy off while he's standing up. Then he starts crying, (someone had used the hand dryer. Cuddled him on my knee. Realised it wasn't just a wet nappy...

Jaffakake · 07/03/2014 22:30

Floor! I'm surprised at how weird people are about this! I always have a changing mat with me & have used it in the most horrible of French loos and British motorway service station floors. You can wipe it with anti-bac later. The boot or back seat of the car work ok. You've just got to change it where you can, surely. My ds has never become ill because of it.

HelenHen · 07/03/2014 22:42

I've honestly never needed to even consider changing baby on floor! Maybe I've been lucky that there's never been an inconvenient public explosion but really, I wouldn't even put my coat or bag on a toilet floor so I wouldn't put a baby down! Maybe it's cos of my back that I've never even considered it but nope, I just couldn't imagine it!

That's not to say anyone's wrong and I'm right... I wouldn't judge anyone else for doing it... I just would not do it!

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scarletforya · 07/03/2014 22:48

I've often changed the baby on my knee. You just remove the old nappy, wipe baby clean. Pop clean nappy over your knee, sit baby astride nappy. Do it up. Dispose of used nappy, re-dress baby. Hey Presto!

Sharaluck · 07/03/2014 22:49

Not the floor! Grass in a park is good in summer though.

Pushchairs are good for this, but I see she didn't have one.

A small 4 month old I would change on my lap (sit myself on top of toilet lid).

scarletforya · 07/03/2014 22:50

In a toilet cubicle obviously!

Could never bring myself to use the floor.

MissHC · 07/03/2014 22:59

I wouldn't change them on the floor. If there is no changing table I put DD on my lap whilst sitting on the loo with the lid down. Works fine for me.

mostlyconfused · 08/03/2014 16:41

I always make sure I have a changing mat with me in case this happens. As long as I have a mat, I don't see any issue using the floor

BeCool · 08/03/2014 17:33

You can change them on your lap. I learnt how to do this from CM. Not with newborns but certainly from a couple of months. Can then change them anywhere you are able to sit.

NotCitrus · 08/03/2014 20:05

I changed ds on the floor loads, sometimes even without a mat. Middle of the vestibule on a Thameslink train was one I remember - no-one else in the carriage except some snotty bloke who said "can't you stop that child screaming" so I figured he'd asked for it. Lots of the cafes I used to go to didn't have change tables or they looked unsafe, whereas the baby can't fall off the floor. I only used the buggy once, when a floor looked really skanky.

By dd I knew where more good places were to change so she got changed on the floor much less - and less prone to rash so I could wait 20 minutes.

Never figured out how to change them standing or on lap.

ToddleWaddle · 08/03/2014 20:15

Again have changed in toilets on train, Italy,France, Belgium without changing facilities. Needs must. Always carry disposable mat.
As a preference prefer car boot as so much cleaner than toilet changing facilities. So much worse with a toddler touching everything possible in changing rooms!

adagio · 08/03/2014 20:32

Oh good people have already mentioned disposable changing mats - perfect for this type of thing.

You also get a travel change mat in the free bag from boots (when you join their parenting club), or you can buy a fancy pants one (I have a lovely padded one which came with our proper change bag, which folds in such a way that any dirt on the outside does not cross contaminate the inside (or vice versa I suppose!)).

In the early days, the proper bag was carted around (PFB). This fairly rapidly degenerated into a rather small rucksack from snowboarding days with my purse and phone, two nappies, a disposable mat and half a pack of wipes. I prefer to travel light

You will find your own way I am sure, remember to enjoy every precious moment .

FWIW to answer your question I am in the camp of change wherever, so long as its not going to upset anyone - so floor, park bench (off the main paths of course), grassy field, car boot. I never did manage on the lap though!

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