Men Can Change Diapers, Too, You Know!
ByOver the past few days, my husband and I have finally started our Christmas shopping (which is about 4 months later than we usually start!). Since we are out shopping with the masses this year, we’re spending more time perusing store aisles and standing in lines. Spending more time in stores means doing more diaper changes there, too, and I’ve been frustrated by restroom amenities (or, in this case, lack thereof) at many stores. I’m lucky to have a great husband who is more than willing to split diaper change duty with me. Unfortunately, I end up doing far more changes than he does because many mens’ rooms don’t have baby changing tables. So, he will take our son into the bathroom only to come out a few seconds later because there’s no changing table there. Grrr!
In my unscientific estimation, I’d say about 75% of women’s rooms have changing tables but only about 50% of mens’ rooms do. Have you noticed that? What do men do when they are out alone with their kids?!
This seems like a subtle example of the antiquated belief that women should do the bulk of the parenting. Dads can change diapers, too! From now on, if I notice a store that has a changing table in the women’s room but not the men’s, I’m going to mention it to the store manager. Time to stick up for dads (and give moms a break)!
I’d say 50% is about right. It’s better than it was 10 years ago. Large evil chain stores and restaurants almost always have a changing table in the men’s room, while smaller “main street” type establishments rarely have them.
We carry a changing mat in our diaper bag, making sure it gets washed regularly when we end up using it on the floor. That works fine in almost every case.
I agree! I hate that my husband can’t do the dirty work because of stupid bathrooms. We never change our daughter on the floor, though. We typically take her out to the car and change her in the backseat if there are no changing tables. It works ok, but it’s still a pain.