Why Are Baby Changing Tables So Hard for Dads to Find?
A stay-at-home dad’s story from Old Dad Diary
I doubt very much the ONS has a specific spreadsheet for this one, but it is something I think a lot of dads, and many mums, are more than aware of and frustrated by.
Baby changing tables.
Not changing tables in general. I know they exist. I have seen them. I have even used some. I mean changing tables that are actually accessible to dads when they are out and about with their children.
Because when you are a stay-at-home dad, or simply a dad taking your baby or toddler out for the day, this suddenly becomes a very real problem.
And it is not just a small inconvenience. It says something about how society still views parenting.
According to the Office for National Statistics, men with dependent children are spending more time on unpaid childcare than they used to. By March 2022, dads were providing 16% more unpaid childcare than in 2014 to 2015.
So dads are doing more of the care.
Now the facilities need to catch up.
It’s a Great Day Out… Until There’s a Nappy Situation
You can be having a lovely time.
A bit of shopping. A day out somewhere new. A café stop that was meant to be relaxing. Your little one is happy, you are feeling organised, and for one brief, beautiful moment you think, “Yes, I have got this parenting thing under control.”
Then it happens.
The look.
The smell.
The quiet pause that tells you something has occurred.
So you grab the changing bag, find the nearest toilets and head in with the confidence of someone who has done this many times before.
Only to discover there is no changing table in the men’s loos.
No sign. No fold-down table. No helpful family room. Nothing.
And suddenly, the simple act of changing your child becomes a small logistical crisis.
It Can Feel Like Dads Have Been Forgotten
I have lost count of the amount of times I have had to change our lovely little Lily in a makeshift clean space because there was no changing table available in the men’s toilets.
And yes, you improvise.
We parents always do.
You find the safest, cleanest option you can. You use the changing mat. You try to keep your child calm. You try not to think too hard about the floor.
You do your best, because that is what parenting often is: doing your best with the facilities, snacks and emotional energy available at the time.
But it can feel deflating.
It can feel like the world is still quietly assuming that mum is nearby and mum will handle it.
For many families, that is not the case.
Sometimes dad is the one out with the baby. Sometimes dad is the main carer. Sometimes there are two dads. Sometimes grandparents, uncles or male carers are doing the childcare.
Sometimes mum simply deserves to drink a cup of tea in peace while dad does the nappy change.
Imagine that.
Stay-at-Home Dads Need Practical Support Too
As a stay-at-home dad, I find this happens far too often.
When I am out with Lily, there often is not a “go and find mum” option.
Mum is at work. I am the parent on duty.
I packed the bag, planned the trip, brought the snacks, remembered the wipes, and mentally prepared for at least one public meltdown over something entirely reasonable, like a banana being broken in half.
So when there is no changing table, I do not just feel inconvenienced.
I feel like I have been forgotten.
Nobody is standing there saying, “Dads do not change nappies.”
But the facilities sometimes say it for them.
And that is the bit that needs to change.
This Is About Families, Not Just Dads
This is not about dads wanting praise for doing basic parenting.
Changing a nappy is not heroic. It is not babysitting. It is not “helping mum”.
It is parenting.
Babies and toddlers need safe, clean, accessible places to be changed, whoever is caring for them that day.
Better changing facilities help everyone.
They help mums who are tired of being treated as the default parent.
They help dads feel welcome and capable.
They help single parents, grandparents and carers.
Most importantly, they help children, who deserve to be cared for safely and comfortably wherever they are.
What Would Make Baby Changing Facilities Better?
I do not think the answer has to be complicated.
More venues could provide baby-changing tables in accessible, gender-neutral family rooms.
Where that is not possible, baby-changing facilities should be available in both men’s and women’s toilets, with clear signs so parents are not wandering around with a wriggly toddler and a look of mild panic.
Restaurants, cafés, shopping centres, leisure centres, tourist attractions and public toilets all have a part to play.
Even a simple sign saying where the nearest baby-changing facility is would make a difference.
Half the stress is the not knowing.
Parents notice these things.
We remember the places that make family life easier.
And we go back to them.
A Small Change That Says Something Bigger
To some people, this might seem like a minor issue.
But when you are the parent holding a wet, upset baby or toddler, it does not feel minor.
It feels like one of those small everyday moments where the world either supports family life or makes it just that little bit harder.
Finding a safe place to change your child should not be one of the hard parts.
There are already plenty of hard parts.
Like getting shoes on a toddler.
Or explaining why we cannot take a stone home from every car park.
Or trying to leave the house on time with someone who has suddenly decided socks are the enemy.
A changing table should not be the thing that tips the day over the edge.
So, Are We Asking Too Much?
Is it asking too much, in these modern times, for baby-changing facilities to be available to all parents?
I really do not think it is.
Families have changed. Parenting roles have changed.
More dads are hands-on. More dads are at home. More dads are out pushing prams, packing snacks, wiping faces, managing tantrums and changing nappies.
The facilities need to catch up.
So I ask you, as fellow parents: am I the only one who feels this way?
Have you ever been caught out with nowhere suitable to change your baby or toddler? Or have you found somewhere that gets family-friendly facilities absolutely right?
Let me know in the comments. I would genuinely love to hear your experiences.
Because from where I am standing, usually with a changing bag over one shoulder and a toddler trying to escape under the other arm, it feels like a very simple thing.
Babies need changing.
Parents need somewhere safe to do it.
And dads change nappies too.
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