Parents changing nappies in public areas, eatery table etc ?

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I would be very interested to know how other people here feel about parents who consider public areas such as restaurant/cafe tables as baby nappy changing areas, and also how would you feel if a person who was with you chose to take that approach and expected you to have the same attitude ?

I'm talking about the sort of people who will meet up with others, then right away say "oh, my baby needs his/her nappy changed. I didn't do it at home before I came out to meet you, so let's go to that cafe over there so I can change their nappy." , then when you go in the cafe they stick the baby down on the table and start whipping the nappy off... right next to the people who they have just met up with, and also the other diners.

How would you feel if you were with somebody doing that, and were in a position where people are likely to assume that you're the other parent ?

How would you feel in a crowded cafe/restaurant (not really enough table space for everybody) if the person next to you started changing their baby's nappy ?

I note that there are many baby changing facilities available in disabled toilets (which every single one of those I've ever seen is available unisex) , and many parents take their kids out in strollers.... which, some mothers have informed me, those could also be used for nappy changing and are quite satisfactory.

I'm talking about people who can be quoted as saying things like :
"Well if my baby has a nappy which needs to be changed, then what are the (cafe) management going to do about it ? You can whip their (the baby's) arse out pretty quickly, before the staff even notice. Then if you get told to leave after that, then you can probably get the new nappy on before they actually throw you out.
And that's no problem at all."
(Also, that gets them out of buying anything, which the person would feel obligated to do after changing their baby normally).

Also, if you knew that a restaurant/cafe had a very casual attitude towards people changing their baby's nappy on the table tops, ie they were totally okay with people doing that .... then would this (A) discourage you from going there to eat again ? (B) not change your attitude one way or the other, or (C) encourage you to go there ?

If you answer (A) then if the cafe or restaurant had no toilet facilities (ie also no baby change facilities), then in your opinion does this partially or fully excuse people who choose to change their baby's nappy on a dining table instead ?

On a similar (but different) subject, how do you feel about the way that many places only provide baby change facilities in the womens' toilers and not in the mens' toilets ?

Do you feel that men should just have to go into the womens' toilets if they want to change a baby using that establishment's facilities ?
Do you feel that women should just have to put up with men coming into the womens' toilets if they are planning to change a baby's nappy, and that women should all be cool with that (as should the men involved) ?
Or do you feel that really places ought to be making a bit more effort to provide men with more accessible baby changing facilities ?

Of course, disabled toilets are nearly always (or always) unisex (every one I've ever seen has been) , so if those are available then baby change facilities are often located in there.... but if a place has no disabled change facility and only any facilities in the female toilets (if they have any such facilities at all) , then what then ?

I voted this :
"I am uncertain of how I feel or am presently formulating my opinion properly (or else I just want to see the results)"

However, my view (I think) is more towards this :
"I appreciate that about as much as they would if I whipped out my own bare arse and crap filled pants near where they were eating."

Than this :
"I could not give a flying fox fart one way or the other about it."

I have never seen such behavior but I have heard of it. I think it's selfish and disgusting and there is no excuse for it. No changing table in the restroom, use your car or change your baby on the floor in there. I have changed mine on the changing pad on the floor.

I have just read all of this randomly discovered internet forum discussion -

http://community.babycentre.co.uk/post/a24329055/changing_toddlers_nappy_on_a_restaurant_table?cpg=1

I am thoroughly surprised (and relieved) to see that even among parents, the attitude that what I described is disrespectful and gross is more prevalent, than the view that it is totally okay.

So this isn't normal and something which all parents do from time to time, or anything like that ?!?

To clarify : I'm not talking about people who take antibacterial wipes with them and give the table a wipe after changing their baby's nappy either.
There's one person in particular, who is far more likely to feed their baby some kind of soft rusks (knowing full well that she will just throw them everywhere and not really eat them) , before walking off after they've eaten whatever they got themselves, and leaving a mess behind (because they felt obligated to buy something at the cafe after changing a nappy on the table and they "wanted to get their money's worth" out of the staff).

Would you refuse to go to cafes or restaurants with a person who was like the type of parent who I have been describing ?
I'm particularly not keen of being mistaken for "mummy", in that predicament !

How would you feel if the person behaving like this was with one of their own parents, who either is totally cool with it or is at least giving tacit support and general agreement ?
What I mean is, would you feel that a parent ought to tell their offspring not to be whipping their baby's bare arse, genitals and body fluids out on public dining tables ? Would you make any judgements about such a parent ?

On a similar theme....

How do you feel about parents who visit somebody and then start changing their baby's nappy in the living room without asking them if that's okay first (with the parent/s just assuming that it is) ... like, on the carpet or something ?

In other words, would you have a problem with somebody who came to visit you, if they did that ?

I think that's a good way less revolting than them doing it on a cafe/resataurant dining table (or indeed, a dining table at somebody's house who they're visiting) ... but still.... surely it's only polite to ask somebody who they're visiting if it's okay beforehand before getting their kid's arse/genitals/ body waste out in their living room ?

Is it normal / common for parents who have babies to visit people and do that ?
Or is it more normal / more common for them to do that in, for example, the bathroom ?
Is it reasonable to want them to do that in the bathroom rather than your living room ?

Non-parent here.

Babies make mess, I don't really care when and where parents share their kid's breakfast with other people... provided that I'm not eating within range of its presentation and perfume. We've evolved to find this stuff repulsive for a reason, keep it away from my dinner table.

I think it's revolting and if there was a chance of them being caught in the act (which there wouldn't be) I'd report them to the cafe and centre management. It's a food safety issue. It's no better than crapping on the table.

Recently I was in an airport restroom and I could hear this woman screaming in French outside my cubicle. My French isn't very good. turns ot she was screaming at her toddler to grab her wipes from the dedicated change area complete with sink while she cleaned up her babie's s**t explosion on the couch! No change mat! Nothing!

There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to EVER do this.

Diapers are made so you can change the kid in a convenient place rather than the instant they poop. It is utterly disgusting and unsanitary to change them in a public place around other people. A public bathroom is about as public a place that would be acceptable.

I guess, if it's available, people who want to change a kid's diapers should retreat to the restroom (washroom, toilet).

Otherwise: sometimes, it just must be done. And it must be done in inconvenient places.

You know what they say: "Crap happens."

I've never actually seen anyone change their baby's nappies in places like restaurants where people are eating. Sometimes babies nappies smell, and I don't think it would be wise or even acceptable to change a nappy in the middle of a restaurant at a table! It's also unhygienic.

Usually there are nappy-changing facilities in public toilets now, well, where I come from anyway, and there's usually public toilets in supermarkets and in places like in or near bus-stations, car parks, etc.

Ive never seen this (babys changed in cafe) happen and I have 4 kids, the oldest 16 so Ive been round kids a long time.

if you have a friend who is doing this you should tell them to stop as its not fair, and their child deserves privacy, also its good for potty training later to associate changeing nappies with restrooms.

having said that Ive been caught short a few times and had to change on a bench or in a corner when I was far from toilets (such as in a shop with no loo or too tiny loo or on a long walk) but I cant imagine what anyone would be thinking to change the baby on a cafe table, maybe they are a bit stupid?

: pretty much sums up my feelings about it.