Is it okay to change a baby’s diaper at a table?

[Social Worker Sue]

Well behaved people should be welcomed everywhere. Absolutely. OK obviously not strip clubs and bars and the like. This conversation is getting ridiculous.

I will not bring in strip clubs or R rated movies. I will stay strictly with restaurants.

There are some restaurants that children do not belong in (even well behaved toddlers and well behaved 6 year olds). There are restaurants that would rather lose your business than start the habit of bringing children through their doors. Trust me. Your children are not welcomed with open arms at all restaurants. USA or Canada.

And, back to the original question: I am so happy others agree with the fact that you shouldn't change a diaper in a Starbucks

 

[FLCyndi]

Is it okay to change a baby’s diaper in a Starbucks if there’s no restroom changing table?

NO!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

If the restroom doesn't have a changing table, and the mother changes the baby in an out-of-the-way part of the seating area and then cleans up afterwards, I don't think it's a big deal. Most people probably wouldn't even notice it.

On the table? the one people put their food on?

Hey, there's even one restaurant at WDW that will not welcome your children if they are under 10. So there are such places.

 

[LSmith]

I will not bring in strip clubs or R rated movies. I will stay strictly with restaurants.

There are some restaurants that children do not belong in (even well behaved toddlers and well behaved 6 year olds). There are restaurants that would rather lose your business than start the habit of bringing children through their doors. Trust me. Your children are not welcomed with open arms at all restaurants. USA or Canada.

OK then. I will trust the authority that is Social Worker Sue. Thanks for clearing up my muddled thinking and speaking on behalf of restaurants everywhere.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

No, I agree that there are nice restaurants that children don't belong in. Victoria and Albert's and a great many other restaurants have age limits!

 

[NHdisneylover]

Seriously, we started with people thinking kids shouldn't be at Starbucks and now it's bars and R rated movies?

I did not see anyone say children do not belong at Starbucks. I DID see many say that Starbucks was within their rights to discourage young children from being there by not offering high chairs, changing tables or the like.

That is NOT the same thing. Basically people are saying that Starbucks (and other places) should not have to CATER to parents of young children if they do not wish to.

I agree with that BTW.


(For the record, here in Germany kids DO tend to go many, many places with kids. Including wine festivals and tastings, late night town fests and a fair number of nicer restaurants. On the other hand, I still don't see changing tables or coloring pages or other "catering" to little ones at many many such places (I'd guess that about 50% of the places we eat have changing tables and I have never seen crayons and coloring pages here--even when dining with friends who have toddlers and preschoolers). Well behaved kids are present in larger numbers in many more places than in the US, but they are catered to MUCH less.)

 

[Social Worker Sue]

OK then. I will trust the authority that is Social Worker Sue. Thanks for clearing up my muddled thinking and speaking on behalf of restaurants everywhere.

I am not speaking on behalf of restaurants everywhere, but you seem to be missing the fact that there are indeed restaurant owners that would absolutely cringe if you brought a child into their establishment. You do know that, right?

 

[Social Worker Sue]

No children allowed at this sushi bar:

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/..._1_new-restaurant-walnut-cake-chocolate-torte

 

[LSmith]

I did not see anyone say children do not belong at Starbucks. I DID see many say that Starbucks was within their rights to discourage young children from being there by not offering high chairs, changing tables or the like.

That is NOT the same thing. Basically people are saying that Starbucks (and other places) should not have to CATER to parents of young children if they do not wish to.

I agree with that BTW.


(For the record, here in Germany kids DO tend to go many, many places with kids. Including wine festivals and tastings, late night town fests and a fair number of nicer restaurants. On the other hand, I still don't see changing tables or coloring pages or other "catering" to little ones at many many such places (I'd guess that about 50% of the places we eat have changing tables and I have never seen crayons and coloring pages here--even when dining with friends who have toddlers and preschoolers). Well behaved kids are present in larger numbers in many more places than in the US, but they are catered to MUCH less.)

For the record I don't claim to be an expert on Germany but my brother does live there and we've visited many times. I find Germany a very family friendly country. I'm not talking about catering to children with crayons or colouring pages. That doesn't happen here either. I'm talking about children being welcome and taken wherever the parents usually go.

 

[kevschickee]

To me? Nope. No big deal.

If we're going to expel people from Starbucks for being unsanitary, I'll start with the people sneezing out into the open air as opposed to behind a napkin and people who leave their kleenex and used coffee cups for someone else to have to pick up and throw away before I'd yell at a mother changing her kid in the corner of the restaurant and then wiping down the table with a disinfectent wipe afterwards.

Not to mention ... how are you monitoring whether or not the people in front of you in line have all washed their hands after they used the restroom, just in case the dollar bill you get in change was the one that they used to pay? If you drop something on the floor -- your keys, some money, your phone -- do you do a quick check for germs before you bend over and pick it up?

There are unsanitary items all around you in any public place. For me, it's less about what the person is doing (changing a baby) and more about how they're doing it (quietly, discreetly and cleaning up thoroughly afterwards).

And illegal? How is changing a baby in a public place illegal?

Changing a diaper full of urine and feces is different then someone sneezing. I don't care if they wipe up after it is still disgusting.

 

[NHdisneylover]

For the record I don't claim to be an expert on Germany but my brother does live there and we've visited many times. I find Germany a very family friendly country. I'm not talking about catering to children with crayons or colouring pages. That doesn't happen here either. I'm talking about children being welcome and taken wherever the parents usually go.

Yes, well behaved children of parents who do not have entitled attitudes do tend to be welcome everywhere. I loved it when we moved here (still do but mine are old enough that they would not be noticed as "children" going places anymore).

But that has not translated to needing to have changing tables everywhere Even in a society where a large portion of the population routinely is out and about without a car to use for changing purposes.

On the other hand, if parents tried to change a diaper in the seating area of any cafe I would bet good money that both employs and other customers would not hesitate to tell that parent off and ask them to leave.

 

[Blessedwithboys]

Which things are you saying happens in Europe? That parents take their kids everywhere or that people do not want kids in every single location?




Everywhere? Like strip clubs, night clubs, adult movie theatres, (or really ANY movie theatre----if a child is small enough to be on those tables and in diapers they are almost certainly too young to be expected to sit quietly through a movie), etc ?

Come on now... everywhere the law allows a toddler or baby would work!!! I am pretty sure strip clubs, night clubs and bars require ID to enter and the patron to be 18 years or 21 to enter..... lets not be ridiculous. My two year old has been to the movies twice and was a peach each time both were kids movies so yep changing tables at movie theaters would be necessary and actually our local one has a changing table

 

[LSmith]

Yes, well behaved children of parents who do not have entitled attitudes do tend to be welcome everywhere. I loved it when we moved here (still do but mine are old enough that they would not be noticed as "children" going places anymore).

But that has not translated to needing to have changing tables everywhere Even in a society where a large portion of the population routinely is out and about without a car to use for changing purposes.

On the other hand, if parents tried to change a diaper in the seating area of any cafe I would bet good money that both employs and other customers would not hesitate to tell that parent off and ask them to leave.

Where did I say that change tables should be everywhere? We do tend to have them in the Starbucks here, as I said, they are family friendly places.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Where did I say that change tables should be everywhere? We do tend to have them in the Starbucks here, as I said, they are family friendly places.

I thought your point was that if changing tables are not made available then that shows that the society is not welcoming to children (I thought it was you who basically said that the US does not welcome children and used the lack of changing tables at Starbucks as an example of this--maybe I got confused somewhere along the way )

 

[Blessedwithboys]

Where did I say that change tables should be everywhere? We do tend to have them in the Starbucks here, as I said, they are family friendly places.

I said it I do think that public restrooms in establishments should be required to provide a safe and sanitary way of changing a baby, just like they provide a safe sanitary way for able bodied and handicapped patrons take care of their bathroom needs (well you know not always that sanitary). I might be wrong but it is just my opinion!!!

 

[NHdisneylover]

Come on now... everywhere the law allows a toddler or baby would work!!! I am pretty sure strip clubs, night clubs and bars require ID to enter and the patron to be 18 years or 21 to enter..... lets not be ridiculous. My two year old has been to the movies twice and was a peach each time both were kids movies so yep changing tables at movie theaters would be necessary and actually our local one has a changing table

and by two your child was plenty old enough to stand in the stall while you changed her.

and I fully admit I took my 5 day old to see Evita. It came out after she was born and i was dying to see it. I went to the early matinee (only 2 other people were there) and sat in the very back row on the aisle ready to bolt out the door the moment she made a peep (I lucked out, she slept through the whole thing)--but I KNEW I was pushing it having a baby there and I sure as heck never thought to expect a changing table.

 

[LSmith]

I thought your point was that if changing tables are not made available then that shows that the society is not welcoming to children (I thought it was you who basically said that the US does not welcome children and used the lack of changing tables at Starbucks as an example of this--maybe I got confused somewhere along the way )

Maybe you should re-read my posts. That is quite the spin on it.

 

[wilkeliza]

I didn't read the whole thread but as an ex-Starbucks employee I can shed some light on why our particular Starbucks does not have a changing table. The Starbucks I worked for does not have one due to liability. We discovered after one was installed that people were doing drugs off of it. After this was discovered the manager had the table removed for the safety of everyone involved. Also kids play on them and people vandalize them making the table unsafe after just a few days of not hours. Providing the changing tables opens up the store to all sorts of liabilities and we just couldn't afford to take that on. Any claim of injury comes out of the individual stores budget and 1 baby sick from drugs or from falling of the damaged changing table would have shut us down.

Now I think it is in no way appropriate to change your child in public. Would you drop drawer in public to pee or poop? No, so why exposé your child to that. Maybe I'm a little protective and work in NYC where tourists take pictures of everything but I wouldn't change my niece in public for fear someone would get their jollys of that in NYC or some tourist would take a picture of it because it is funny. If we do have to do it in public we push the stroller to a private corner and do it in the stroller where no one can see.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Maybe you should re-read my posts. That is quite the spin on it.

Could you quickly summarize your point then? I really do not want to wade through 10 pages again at 10:30 at night.

MY points in this thread are:

1. It is never okay to change a diaper in the seating area of a cafe or restaurant.

2. Cafes, restaurants and other venues should not be required to provide diaper changing tables. It is up to parents to find appropriate places to take care of their kids needs and while some places prefer to make that easier for parents, no one should HAVE to.

 

[Blessedwithboys]

and by two your child was plenty old enough to stand in the stall while you changed her.

and that is your opinion!! He actually went at 4 weeks old when he went the first time*gasp* and again when he was 2 Many parents take young kids to age appropriate G or PG movies with no problems!!