No changing table in restaurant?

[mmommy]

Maybe this belongs in the BP, but I'm curious where you change your DCs dipes when you're in a restaurant that doesn't have a changing table in the restroom. We're on a road trip to a different part of the country where it seems like changing tables are uncommon.

[karstmama]

i've done it on a booth bench and a table top and taken him back out to the car. i've seen people use the bathroom floor on a changing pad but absolutely would never do that.

i don't get places that don't have a spot. ok, maybe if they are $100 a plate formal places, but everyday family restaurants? silly not to have a place.

[Melaine]

I actually had to change DS on the floor recently. It was an emergency #2 situation and no changing table (I was at a store). I put the changing pad on the floor and cleaned it later at home. It's amazing when restrooms don't have them.....the fold down ones have to be cheap to install and take up no room.

ETA: In this case the diaper was leaking and I had a stroller plus a huge diaper bag that wouldn't fit in my stroller. If I had gone back to the car the diaper would have leaked on me or the carseat. I decided best case scenario was to change on the floor!

[okinawama]

I don't have a changing table at home, so if I attempt to put kids on them when we're out and about they FREAK (like totally freak, becoming a safety issue) out, so we've always gone back out to the car or once they are able to stand, I do all the changes with them standing up.

[jerigirl]

We usually go back to the car when there isn't a changing table available.

[rin]

We've used a bench, the floor w/a changing pad (or a bunch of paper towels if you don't have a changing pad), the toilet lid w/a changing pad or paper towels on top, for really little ones a lap, a reclined stroller, or the back of the car.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

We usually go back to the car when there isn't a changing table available.

:yeahthat:

for this reason i am so glad we have a minivan..we just change him in the back.

if it's really hot or cold though, depending on where we are will try to find a store or something nearby.

[waitingforgrace]

Almost always go to the car. I have a little changing "station" set up in the back.

[twowhat?]

Ditto the car. In fact, I prefer to use the car (we have a minivan) over the restaurant bathroom. I think I've used a public bathroom for changing poop like twice in my life...pee is easy - I will admit to changing a pee diaper in a park by turning the stroller around in a corner:)

But - we live where you have to drive to get anywhere so the car is typically always nearby.

[hillview]

:yeahthat:

for this reason i am so glad we have a minivan..we just change him in the back.


:yeahthat:

[edurnemk]

I change them on the reclined stroller or go to the car.

[DietCokeLover]

I kept a contoured changing table pad in the back of my van. We always went out to the van or changes.

[lizzywednesday]

I've found countertops to be an OK option - you just have to dry them off first.

Also, sometimes the changing station is mounted to the wall in the handicapped stall.

[BabyBearsMom]

I usually go to the car, but if the car is far away, I have changed the baby on a pad on the floor. It worked out okay. I wiped the pad down with an antibacterial wipe and that was it.

[roseyloxs]

We usually go back to the car when there isn't a changing table available.

:yeahthat: I have used our pad on a bathroom countertop and once on the floor as a last resort.

[mommylamb]

I actually did have a BP about this recently: http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=435631

I think if a restaurant has a kids menu, they should have to have a changing station. If your business model includes enticing families to come to your establishment, you should have a changing station, end of story.

[mmommy]

I told DH most people must change their kids in their cars...we're so out of the loop since we walk/use public transit and don't own a car. I can understand why people like to have minivans then.
I changed DD2(2 months old) on my lap in a booth, on my lap in the restroom, and on my lap in the front seat of the rental car. No extra room in the car, but I think we'll rent a larger vehicle if we do another road trip before potty training :)

[gcc2k]

I usually go to the car if there is no changing station handy, but once when DS was 5 months old he nearly had a blowout in a restaurant with no changing table. They had an extra side room with no customers so I put a receiving blanket down, then a changing pad on top of that, and changed him on the floor. I was almost hoping an employee would walk in and say something so I could give them an earful about not having a changing station.

[zukeypur]

Ditto the car. In fact, I prefer to use the car (we have a minivan) over the restaurant bathroom. I think I've used a public bathroom for changing poop like twice in my life...pee is easy - I will admit to changing a pee diaper in a park by turning the stroller around in a corner:)

But - we live where you have to drive to get anywhere so the car is typically always nearby.

This is us exactly. We also have a portable potty in the van for when they start potty training, or when we are traveling and have to stop fast. It uses grocery bags and an absorbent pad (leftover post partum pads) so you can just toss the whole mess.

[karstmama]

ooh, gcc2k's post just reminded me...

we were on a cruise with ds. *there were no changing tables in the public restrooms*. it was the morning of getting off the ship - you know, where you go hang out in the auditorium, all your luggage is outside what used to be the door to your room but you can't go back in, and he had a poop. i sat him in the floor of the hall to change him and was yelled at by a crewmember to take him into the bathroom. got in there, and there weren't any changing tables. so, i brought him back out into the hall. maybe it's unreasonable, but i'm less squicked out by a corner of carpeted hallway than the center of a public bathroom. she tried to make a deal out of it, but i told here there wasn't a place to change him in there and she looked confused. *the crew didn't know there weren't changing facilities in their own restrooms*. sigh.

[wellyes]

Am I the only one who thinks using the floor is no big deal? I use a booth, or the car, or the floor without thinking much of it.

[mommylamb]

I'm grossed out by doing it on the bathroom floor, though I did do it that time in the thread I linked. But, I would have done any other option. I didn't have my stroller with me because DS2 was in a baby carrier, it was a total explosion, and we were no where near our car. I have no problem changing diapers in the back of the car (we have a big SUV, so I just do it in the trunk).

[queenmama]

I would only use the floor in a poop blowout emergency (which I have yet to experience with cloth, whereas it happened frequently when we used sposies). She's still in the stroller bassinet so we use that or the back of our station wagon.

I do think it's ridiculous for a family restaurant to lack a changing station.

[teo]

Yah, we use the bathroom floor too when necessary, though it's not my first choice. (I also wouldn't use it in, say, a gas station restroom---when it's come up, it's usually been in a restaurant where the bathroom is in pristine condition, so there's less ick factor there.) I go with not-bathroom-floor over bathroom floor when that's an option, though--and I've definitely used a park bench on occasion. We actually have a big flat tree stump at our neighborhood farmers' market that is great for this. :)

We rarely have our car nearby anyway, but the bigger issue with our car is that the seats slope, so it's really hard to change a diaper there---when the baby was tiny, he would roll into the seat bight, and now it's just way too easy for him to squirm away without a flat surface. If we ever get another car, it will definitely be a hatchback with a flat cargo area for things like this!

[trcy]

We usually go back to the car when there isn't a changing table available.
:yeahthat: Seems cleaner than most public changing tables IMO.

[catsnkid]

Used the car, stroller or countertop if available. As DS got older sometimes was able to do a standing up change. Bathroom floors gross me out too.

[okinawama]

I'd trek all the way back to the car before using the floor.

[sntm]

I've used the floor, plenty of times, with a changing pad. Car works well too but usually not worth the trek.

[brittone2]

Almost always go to the car. I have a little changing "station" set up in the back.
:yeahthat: I think I have used a restroom changing table 3-4x ever through 3 kids. I pretty much always change them in the van, on a seat or in the back.

I find it far easier for me. I also pack a pretty light diaper bag after the first few weeks, so it is easier for me to just keep a stash of stuff in the car most of the time.

[AnnieW625]

Am I the only one who thinks using the floor is no big deal? I use a booth, or the car, or the floor without thinking much of it.

No I have done it many times (most of the time in the middle of church in the bathroom which is shared with the school), and thankfully almost always have my changing pad. What I hate is forgetting the diaper wipes and then having to wet a paper towel. I figure I am going to be washing my hands anyway (in regards to touching the floor). The worst part for me is getting down on my hands and knees to do it, and then having to get back up.

[ssand23]

I just go to the car. I don't have a van but just lay the baby across the back seats and do it there. I never use a changing table at home (just a waste of $$ and space) so my son isn't used to using one when we're out & he freaks out on them.

[Melaine]

Last night we had a girls night and we went to Chipotle because it's one of the few places I can eat now that I am dairy, soy, and wheat free. Anyways, I really like the restaurant but was shocked when I saw no changing table in the bathroom. There were four of us there, one has an 17 month old (wasn't there), one has a 4 month old, my DS is 3 months old and the other friend is pregnant. We all have older children also. We were all just shocked, so my friend (who also works for DHEC) went to ask the manager. She was told it is corporate policy for NO TRASHCANS in the restrooms and no changing tables. The manager urged us to write to corporate and ask for a change in policy because he said they really hated the rule. DS had a dirty diaper and I would have gone to my car, but it was a HUGE lightning storm outside with sheets of rain coming down. So, I changed him on the booth. My three friends agreed it was the best option! I'm going to write to chipotle because I really feel like they are otherwise so family-friendly and it just doesn't make sense.

[Momit]

Melaine, that is crazy about Chipotle! We love going there and I never noticed the changing table situation.

We spent the bulk of DS's diaper years in Europe and there were almost never changing tables when we needed them. We changed DS in the back of the station wagon, on the floor, in the stroller and who knows where else!

[ncat]

I have been 'boycotting' Burger King after eating at one in Virginia that had a play area but no changing table in the womens (or mens) room, no countertops in the bathroom, and generally filthy bathrooms.

DH would not let me change DS at the table, but I certainly wanted to.

I now make it a point to visit the restroom first when we eat out on a road trip - and leave without ordering if it is bad.

[llama8]

I prefer the car or bench, but I have used the bathroom floor in an emergency. We use a changing pad so she never had any contact with the floor.

[amldaley]

Almost always go to the car. I have a little changing "station" set up in the back.

Had the same with my Jeep but now am relegated to the front passenger seat. I keep a little kit in a soft vanity case. Even with the total inconvenience of the front seat design, it is still our number one place for changes.

[Ms B]

Lack of a changing table is a big pet peeve of mine in so-called "family" restaurants and at highway gas stations. (Followed closely by lack of a changing table in the men's room -this is the twenty-first century, people, and my DH changes half the diapers, thank you very much!!) DH and I actually have chosen where to eat on a couple of occasions (e.g. raining outside, super hot, having to park far from the restaurant) based upon whether we knew that there would be a changing table inside. I almost always choose to stop at a QT instead of other gas stations if The Biscuit needs a change because they always have changers or large counters.

Restaurants that do not have them get punished by having to deal with a diaper change at the table if we think we can do it discreetly. The Biscuit did in fact "christen" a booth at a brewpub that we like at its grand opening (owner has since put a changing table in both restrooms after I let him know what happened).

I note that there is one "white tablecloth" restaurant that we like to go to (yes, very early) that does not have a changer. The owners are super, though, and pull a table into the coatroom or one of their private dining areas so that we can do a change in there. They get props!!

That said, we do occasionally change in the back of the car (yet another reason why I drive an SUV instead of the coupe that I would prefer), on the back seat when necessary, or on a bench if we are out at the park (the wading pond at our preferred park has restrooms but no changing facilities). Now that DS can stand we indulged in a package of slip-on diapers to use for changes in a bathroom, but that does not work well when there is poop to be dealt with before the fresh "install".

[basilicali]

I sent a message to Chipotle on their website after having to change my DD on the seat and on the outdoor table. I wish I could have changed her in the back of my car, but we had too much stuff in their since we were on a long distance drive. There seemed to be plenty of wall space for a changing table.

Please email them too! Here is the site:http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/talk_to_us/talk_to_us.aspx

This is what they sent back to me:

Karen,

Thanks for writing us. I'm sorry about the lack of changing tables. As a mother myself, I understand how difficult this can be. We have passed along your comment and concerns to our restaurant development team so they can give the addition of changing tables more consideration. In the meantime, we appreciate your thoughts and your patience with us.

Sincerely,
Shannon

Shannon Kyllo | Customer Service Manager
Chipotle Mexican Grill

* To ensure we receive your reply, if one is necessary, please do not change the subject line.


Contact Name: Karen Pimentel

Phone Number: {!Contact.Phone}

Restaurant Name: Tejon Ranch
Date & Time of Visit: //Z

Original Comment:
This Chipotle really needs a wall mounted changing table. People are driving between SF and LA and have too much stuff in the back of their car to change in the car. You don't want people changing poopy diapers on the tables or chairs. Thanks!