This public bathroom only has a baby changing station in the women’s and the parents in the comments aren’t having it

There’s nothing that strikes fear into the heart of a parent quite like being caught out in the open with a nappy emergency. As the smell starts to waft out of the toddler’s pants and the sweat starts to form on the parent’s lower back, they need just one thing: a changing station.

Finally, they spot one. Only it’s hidden behind a women’s-only bathroom door, an incident related by Redditor WillingBus5856 who said: ‘A baby change station only for the women’s room.’

And that’s when a simple parenting need becomes a moment of exasperation. A lack of a gender-neutral option raised the hackles of both moms and dads alike.

Whether it’s old-fashioned policy, subtle discrimination, or lazy indifference, the parents have responded with humor, rage, and life hacks for the parents who might find themselves in this situation.

Here’s what these parents had to say.

1.
I (single dad) told mall security about this problem in my town. (The mall “management ->” sign led to the security office.)

The guy in charge suggested I give my baby to a woman to change in the woman’s restroom. I asked if he’d give his daughter to a man to change in the men’s room if the situation was reversed. He didn’t seem to understand the question (or pretended not to).

I told him I was leaving the mall without buying anything. “The next I come with my baby, if he needs changing and there’s still no changing table in the men’s room, I’ll change him on a table in the food court.”

There was a changing table up again in the men’s room the next time I went to the mall.

This tactic may work in your building, too. The pic shows chairs in the area, there’s probably a wastebasket there, too. Tell building mgt you’ll use both if needed.
JetScootr

2.
My husband would just loudly announce that he was changing a baby and walk on in like he owned the place. Then old ladies would ooh and ahh over him because he’s a man changing a diaper, lol.
deuxcabanons

3.
I asked a staff member if I could change my daughter in the women’s room for the same reason. The changing station was in the open area of the bathroom. A customer walked into the women’s room while I was literally changing a diaper, I apologized and mentioned that the men’s room didn’t have one

She made a scene and yelled at me with the door open, screaming that a perverted man was in the women’s room

You’d think my Minnie Mouse diaper bag and baby would clear things up
Starbucks__Lovers

4.
As a dad, I absolutely hate this. My wife and I both work hybrid jobs and I’m often with my little one alone, and vice versa. One time I had to go into the women’s room to change my son, a nice woman stood outside the door and told people that I was in there and would be out soon if it made them uncomfortable. It should never come to that.
THE_GREAT_PICKLE

5.
I’ve had that too. A little old lady of East European extraction saw my dilemma and physically dragged me into the ladies and stood guard. As far as I could tell she couldn’t speak English. Although she was tiny and I’m a big, tall guy she seemed pretty intimidating. I’m pretty sure no other woman would have complained and risked her wrath. I’m very grateful to her, but I changed my kid in record time and got the hell out of there.
virtually_noone

6.
my uncle told me he grabbed one of them “work in progress” signs from the janitor closet to change my diapers once because of this kind of layout. brought that up everytime i talk back to him. maybe could use that the next time you’re in desperation while encountering such an unholy design.
Aiden_Recker

7.
To the ladies out there like this, thank you. I’ll always get downvoted on Reddit for pointing out that men have problems too and seemingly we’re not allowed to talk about them (Got called an incel the other day for it too). It’s important that we have support about this stuff. There’s some men that genuinely love their kids and support the kids’ mother (or they’re single dads!) and they just want to be able to do the things without being considered a creep.
Additional-Life4885

8.
For what it’s worth, most of us wouldn’t even think much of a man changing a diaper there. We have stalls and as long you’re not actively being creepy, we wouldn’t care. It’s pretty understandable why you’d be there. Most women aren’t monsters either. I also regularly run into dads who take their daughter to the women’s bathroom. It’s not really that big of a deal.

I’m from Europe though, so our stalls are actually closed off and ‘safe’. It might be different in the US with the weird gaps and open-ish stalls.
SeraCat9

9.
I asked the manager of a restaurant to stand outside the women’s bathroom so I could change my infant son. My wife was enjoying her meal and I was done – so here we are.

The manager apologized profusely and committed to having a changing station installed in the men’s room very soon.

Next time we were there, they had one in the men’s room.

Bravo.
BinaryWanderer