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Why not? Sure it's a convenience factor, but if you have it one for one sex, you should have it for all.
I do like how you focus on the fact it's fast food. Like that invalidates the concern
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Stay-at-home dad tries to get McDonald’s to reinstall baby changing station in men’s restroom
- Thread starter BringBackSonics
- Start date
Why not? Sure it's a convenience factor, but if you have it one for one sex, you should have it for all.
I do like how you focus on the fact it's fast food. Like that invalidates the concern
Yup. They're all cubicles, and if you're a single dad you'll probably get a good chance at a future hook up. ;)
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Replace McDonald's with any other location that won't get judgmental comments. It being McDonald's is not the issue here
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I have taken my now potty trained daughter into a women's restroom when the men's was occupied, but that is because it was a sole occupant restroom with a door lock.
It having multiple stalls is when it might get dicey.
It's what I do sometimes. But it's not a comfortable feeling.
For my old daughter that don't have diaper but still need help to go, I also consider going to the women. The advantage is there a less piss on the floor and toilet. Men's restroom are gross
Again - McDonald's SHOULD install changing tables in all their bathrooms - but this dad should have either campaigned for something more broad and meaningful than one restaurant location - or gone to another restaurant.
There's no argument about the principles involved - it's a family restaurant with babies in it all the time. But this particular dude's particular Magnificent Obsession seems a bit granular to me. I kept expecting to read that he'd lobbied the local business community to make sweeping changes but no. This one location. He really wanted to go there in particular.
It's also another example of why gender specific bathrooms - especially single toilet ones - are an extremely archaic idea in the first place. I almost peed my pants at a gas station near Chelan last month because I was too scared to use the unoccupied, clean ladies ' room.
BTW if you have ever used the changing tables in an airplane bathroom then you have known true horror.
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I changed all of my kids diapers, even if my wife was with me, mostly due to the fact that she has a bad gag reflex to bad smells. I actually emailed my city hall because they didn't have a changing table on the first floor of their building.
The first time we took our kid on the plane she had the worlds worst blow out and the bathroom didn't have a changing table, so I had to do it with her on my lap. I got her changed and cleaned, but forgot to close up the diaper and didn't flush it. The attendant came over like 5 minutes later to ask me to go clean up. Most embarrassing adventure with a baby I've had yet.
I recommend sitting on the toilet and changing the baby on your lap. Much harder to do with older kids.
I could do that but it would be totally irrelevant to my point. My observation has nothing to do with gender or even bathrooms - this could just as easily been a bike rack or a bench -- I was baffled at the specificity of campaigning for an entire year to make a specific change to one branch of one (unhealthy) restaurant.
I've been lucky enough to have changing tables at just about all the places I've had to change my kid. Hell, even our malls have entire bathrooms set aside for parents to change diapers. But the few places I've been to where they didn't have them in the men's room I either had to do in the backseat of my car, or use a women's restroom for it. They should be mandatory in every bathroom.
Jesus christ.
You don't have to make everything about fucking Trump.
Same. It's ridiculous.
Thankfully we carried medical chucks to change our kids on so I put one down.
Even more thankfully our youngest has been potty trained for over a year now.
I think you're overestimating his crusade. His kid is potty trained. It's not like he's going into this location day after day making a big stink about his kid's soiled diaper he can't change there. It seems that this bothered him because McDonald's in particular is family friendly and should have a changing station. Other area McDonald's apparently do, but not the location conveniently located near him. After a year of lackluster response he contacted the local news and they too thought this was interesting enough to cover.
Your take here is bad. He's not obligated to elevate this up the chain and fight harder. I think this was more a symbolic fight for him and that's fine.
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He's not likely the only dad needing a changing table. It would benefit a whole host of other dads out there.
As a father with a baby daughter I completely empathize. It's 2019 where anecdotally, fathers have shared more responsibility in child rearing but it feels like societal accommodations have not caught up.
Tangentially, I was reading a sleep training book and came across a whole chapter dedicated to giving mothers strategies of how to get their husband on board with sleep training.
Tangentially, I was reading a sleep training book and came across a whole chapter dedicated to giving mothers strategies of how to get their husband on board with sleep training.
I'd rather change my kid in my truck. Much cleaner than some mcdonalds bathroom.
That being said McDonalds should accommodate parents regardless of gender.
That being said McDonalds should accommodate parents regardless of gender.
If I'm honest, this never bothered me. My kids are long out of diapers, but I had to change them in the weirdest places back then. Park benches, subway car, sidewalk of a bridge...and yeah - bathroom floors.
When shit exploded up the back and soaked the onesie, I did what I had to do.
When shit exploded up the back and soaked the onesie, I did what I had to do.
Yes, I was reading a potty training book with that same shit. "Make sure Dad gets involved or is at least supportive." Fuck you, Author.
The one time so far I've encountered an establishment without a changing pad I did it at the table.
It's not bad. It's correct and I'm the best.
Your take is bad and therefore I win.
A year later of them not listening to your request. It's almost like they pay their employees unlivable wages and don't give a fuck about you as a customer either. Go some where else or cook from home. This went from noble effort to pathetic 6 months ago friend. Quit giving them your money.
"Siler noted that while it's not a legal requirement to add a changing table to a men's restroom, it is increasingly standard in public places."
Not legally required.
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I mean ok? I still think they should be in both bathrooms, they are not legally required for women's restrooms either.
Generally speaking I've only ever come across a changing table in the men's room at the airport. Unless there's a family bathroom, I'm Changing my daughter anywhere I can/or in the stall. I don't feel comfortable putting her on the floor so I've cleaned and changed her while holding her up many times. It sucks but is what it is.
I'll preface this as that I am not a parent, nor likely to be a parent anytime in my lifetime....
Men's Rooms need to have changing stations too.
Men's Rooms need to have changing stations too.
There's some pretty big hypocrisy in urging someone who can't see your responses to pick their battles better for a page and a half in a topic full of people who clearly don't agree with you.
Provided you have a car, that is. Having no changing table anywhere nearby is really annoying, in the end benches / tables / the ground need to suffice for us.
This isn't something you need to accept as a viable option. If women have that access, so should you.
I guess it's the nature of the place, but WDW is fantastic for this. I changed our youngest son just as much as my wife, which was great. Well...it's never great lol.
When my 3 were in nappies I tried to do a fair share on nappy changes, which meant I did them in very random places, as, as a rule the changing facilities were in the womens toilets.
Honestly I never really thought much of it at the time... We're a fairly outdoor family, so have done changes half way up mountains, windy coastal paths, beaches in winter etc so any indoor space was always a bonus. I used to eyeroll a when men used moan about it... Was just like get on with it, it's a bit of an inconvenience, but meh.
Thinking about it though, it is a big deal, maybe not for the men, but it's just another thing that normalises the idea that women should, by default, be primary carers.
Honestly I never really thought much of it at the time... We're a fairly outdoor family, so have done changes half way up mountains, windy coastal paths, beaches in winter etc so any indoor space was always a bonus. I used to eyeroll a when men used moan about it... Was just like get on with it, it's a bit of an inconvenience, but meh.
Thinking about it though, it is a big deal, maybe not for the men, but it's just another thing that normalises the idea that women should, by default, be primary carers.
Why? This shit is annoying af. At the very least have unisex bathrooms with changing stations. I put up with this enough to know it sucks. Especially when I'm in a strip mall AND the car is all the way on the other side of the parking lot.
Aint the 1950s anymore. Fix this shit.
heh, slightly OT, but I remember my kid having diarrhea on holiday and having to change her on the seat beside me on the Ryanair flight home. Thank god the flight was mostly empty and I had a row to myself with the baby. That stink though....
OT, its also a pain that I can't bring my daighter into the toilets. I stand outside the ladies now, but when she was younger I had to bring her into the mens which wasm't ideal.
OT, its also a pain that I can't bring my daighter into the toilets. I stand outside the ladies now, but when she was younger I had to bring her into the mens which wasm't ideal.
As someone with four kids I completely understand but I wouldn't make an issue over it go somewhere else that has one make them hurt at the walket
This was so fucking annoying as a dad before my son was potty trained...
Like why wouldn't this be a thing everywhere? I wasn't a stay at home dad, but like any parent- I went places with my kid sometimes.
I've said fuck it and used the women's restroom before
Like why wouldn't this be a thing everywhere? I wasn't a stay at home dad, but like any parent- I went places with my kid sometimes.
I've said fuck it and used the women's restroom before
Ugh. Please don't remind me. My daughter is four and super great at going to the bathroom even in the middle of the night. She's so good, I'll let her drink water before bed.
But those back blow outs man... most of the time they were at home. So a quick bath or shower and we're good. But it happened when we were out grocery shopping and they didn't have a changing table. Had to use the backseat of my new car lmao.