The State of Baby Changing Facilities

Now that most of us have settled in with our children, got to know their little ways and most of their likes and dislikes, it is nice to go into town and parade around like the proud parents that we are.

The day is nice so you decide a trip to out is long overdue. You spend the morning packing up all babies’ bits and pieces. Gone are the days when you could just up and leave the house to go to the shops, everything needs to be planned to the last nappy. But what happens once we get there?

More and more places have somewhere to feed your baby and warm their bottles up. There are private rooms to feed your little ones (all be it they are a rare sight). You find a nice quiet café, or somewhere you are comfortable to feed your little one. Once this is done it is time for the nappy change!

Where are all the changing facilities I hear you ask? They are in cafes, supermarkets, fast food chains and some shopping malls provide them too.

However, when you go to use them they are mostly smelly, filthy and the nappy bin bag is overflowing with week old nappies. Why should our babies be subjected to such horrible conditions? It is not fair.

On a visit into town, I took my baby into a well known fast food chain to feed her and to change her nappy. All was going well until I went into the baby changing room. The place was filthy. The bin had not been emptied and the room smelt disgusting. I refused to change the baby in there because of how disgusting the room was. The place did not look like it had been cleaned in a week. So whoever was filling in the chart on the door to say they had cleaned the room was lying.

I am sure I am not the only mum who has gone into a respected well-known shop and been disgusted at the way the facilities are left. Why do people do it?

Surely the managers should be made responsible for the way that the facilities are left and to check them. I am sure that they would not let their own child use the facilities.

I have also taken my baby to a well-known supermarket chain and was truly shocked at the state of the room. I know that it is impossible for the room to be cleaned every time someone uses it, but surely it is not too much trouble to EMPTY THE BINS a couple of times a day?

Gradually things are improving for mums who are breastfeeding. Why can’t things improve so that our babies can be changed in a safe and clean environment. I think it is about time that we mums complained to the managers and they changed the way these facilities are looked after.

I know not all places are the same. Some do offer us very respectable places for our babies to have their nappies changed. But why can’t the rest of these chains follow suit and do the same?

I mean is it really that difficult for someone to clean the room and get rid of the dirty nappies that make the room smell?

It is not as though the places I am writing about are little companies that have not got the money to spend out on staff and on ways to improve the facilities. These are well known worldwide shops.

I hope that one of the food chains, supermarkets and shops that offer these facilities read this article and realise that we do not ask for much, just a nice clean, smell free room, for our little ones to have their nappies changed in.

Written by Stacey Morley mummy to Ellen Morley