Public Diaper Changing Etiquette

[Anonymous]

I would not do it at a restaurant in the eating area. I would do it in the stroller in the bathroom (I cannot do it on the floor even with the huge changing pad I had. It grossed me out). I've done it on my lap, in the trunk of my car (minivan), on the front seat of my car, and in the stroller pretty much anywhere in discreet areas and not out in the open.

[Anonymous]

My sister changed her son's diaper in the booth at a restaurant once, and my husband and I were horrified. I would not do that. Although the PP with the Wendy's tray takes the cake.

I think I'd be too grossed out to kneel on a dirty bathroom floor. I've used a narrow sink counter on occasion, when there's no other option, including with a larger and mobile baby. It sucks, between the baby trying to move around and the motion-activated sinks constantly going off and on, but it doesn't take too much room to change a diaper. I've also done it in the front seat of the car when DS was much, much smaller; on the hood of the car (when we had a tiny little car), in the back of the car (our station wagon), on a park bench, or on the grass. All with a diaper changing pad, of course. One time, when we had just gotten off a plane and the restrooms in the airport were closed, we found a section of seats that no one was near and changed DS there, but (1) he was only about 2 months' at the time; and (2) we used a changing pad, so nothing was on the seats. Still, we were really uncomfortable about it and generally try not to change diapers where people will be sitting (other than a park bench, which has seen far worse than my changing pad).

The best is when we go places (like CT) where they have diaper changing tables in the mens' rooms, not just the ladies' rooms. I take full advantage of those opportunities!

Oh, and in the plane, if there is no changing table, we use the back of the toilet seat. It sucks, but the plane changing tables aren't much bigger. I make DH do all plane diaper changes, since I have to do the vast majority of all other public restroom changes.

[Anonymous]

If you have a reclining stroller, it is pretty easy to do it there. One of my "bad mom" moments was when I was in a restaurant in Georgetown, virtually empty, and had to change my infant's diaper. Out of concern that everyone would think I was gross, I went down to their bathroom that had no changing table, no counter space, and really no floor space around the sinks, and I ended up putting her changing pad on the floor in one of the stalls!! I still get grossed out when I think of that. I was with my mother at the time who was visiting me from overseas, and she still laughs about all the trouble I went through, rather than just taking the stroller out of the restaurant and doing it outside. I didn't even think of that then, all I was worried about was looking like a clueless new mom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw someone change a diaper on the table at a Wendy's....then throw the dirty one away ON THE TRAY.

That's gross but really funny.