I’ve been able to avoid this for 6 months because I have just been always using the trunk of my hatchback for quick changes on the go, but now it’s too cold outside to do that anymore. I recently went to a restaurant and the bathroom didn’t have a changing table, so I resorted to putting my changing mat on the floor! Ick!!! What do you do?
I change mine in his pram/stroller pretty regularly. Depends on the type of seat and how flat you can lay it I guess, but I’ve done it in a few types.
Keaton said:
I change mine in his pram/stroller pretty regularly. Depends on the type of seat and how flat you can lay it I guess, but I’ve done it in a few types.
This! Part of the reason we got a stroller that converts from bassinet to infant seat easily, we’ve had to convert it in order to do diaper changes quite a few times, sometimes we just do it because it’s cleaner than the changing tables.
Keaton said:
I change mine in his pram/stroller pretty regularly. Depends on the type of seat and how flat you can lay it I guess, but I’ve done it in a few types.
When I was travelling in Asia in a country where seeing babies is rare because the birth rate is so low, this is what I had to do. There was one baby changing station in a bathroom of one of their public historic landmarks that I saw in my 3 weeks stay there and no public trash cans on the streets.
Not comfortable, but we got very good and fast at changing our baby in uncomfortable situations as a result (he was EXTREMELY strong and wiggly too).
I always opt for the back seat or trunk of my car. My baby is always grabbing things and I don’t want to risk little hands touching the stalls or the floor.
Kieran said:
I always opt for the back seat or trunk of my car. My baby is always grabbing things and I don’t want to risk little hands touching the stalls or the floor.
I do this too but it’s getting really cold where I live so this isn’t an option most days anymore.
Kieran said:
I always opt for the back seat or trunk of my car. My baby is always grabbing things and I don’t want to risk little hands touching the stalls or the floor.
We also do the trunk! We have a small diaper caddy and changing pad in the back of our SUV just in case we need an impromptu change.
Kieran said:
I always opt for the back seat or trunk of my car. My baby is always grabbing things and I don’t want to risk little hands touching the stalls or the floor.
Same, I still do it in the trunk/tailgate regardless of temperature. I figure a few seconds of cold is better than laying on the bathroom floor. If it’s pouring rain out, I lay her on the backseat, but that really only works for pee diapers. She moves so much that my backseat would be covered in poop if I changed a poop diaper in the car.
Kieran said:
I always opt for the back seat or trunk of my car. My baby is always grabbing things and I don’t want to risk little hands touching the stalls or the floor.
^ I do trunk also for this reason. Bathrooms kinda freak me out.
Either in her bassinet pram or in the backseat of the car. Unfortunately, it’s been a pretty common occurrence where I live; not many places have change tables.
One time it was really cold but it was our only option, made worse by the fact it was a big blowout too. We just changed her as quick as we could in the trunk. We’ve also done in the back seat with the doors closed but the seats aren’t flat and it’s pretty cramped so that’s hard, but at least it’s warmer.
I have a folding changing pad that I use even on the public restroom changing pad option just for a more sanitary surface. I wipe it down after each use. I’ve been lucky in places with no pad, there’s been enough bathroom counter space to lay out the pad and change the baby.
Parker said:
Close the toilet lid and do it there. Ask for the owner for a solution. If none was offered, I’d probably just do it on a chair or table. That should teach them to be considerate of all their clients.
I like this answer; like communicating to the establishment, hey, there’s a problem and you’re leaving the only solution to be me making unsanitary conditions in your dining room. Because I do think it’s rude and gross to do that when there is a changing table, but if they’re not providing one I don’t know what they expect. I think bringing it to their attention first and asking for a solution is at least communicating the need to them.
I sit down on the toilet, lay her on my lap, and change her. It’s a HASSLE, but it gets the job done.
Charlie said:
I sit down on the toilet, lay her on my lap, and change her. It’s a HASSLE, but it gets the job done.
Another vote for this. I lay them on my lap, then as they get older I move to standing changes.
We used to have this roll-up travel changing pad; it even had a pouch for wipes/diapers on one side! It was super handy to change her on the counter of the bathroom or even the floor if needed with the pad.
Sit down on the toilet, lay baby across lap, horizontally, change diaper, yes you’re going to be sideways but baby will be clean and you won’t have to worry about touching a million germs. Next time throw a garbage bag in the baby bag, so you can throw it on the ground and lay the mat on it. Furthermore, there are also diaper bags that come with changing mats; I found a few on Amazon and Walmart. I am super germaphobic and hate public anything, especially restrooms.
Edit: make sure you have hand sanitizer.
@Arlen
I have a washable mat that I laid down (which I washed when I got home). But I have a bunch of puppy chux pads that I could bring with me for situations like that. Thanks!
I went out to my car and used the trunk when this happened a few times.
Close the toilet lid and do it there. Ask for the owner for a solution. If none was offered, I’d probably just do it on a chair or table. That should teach them to be considerate of all their clients.