ZW4348

I just came off a flight from ORD to LAX with 9 month old on a 757 without a changing table in any of the 4 lavatories. Obviously wasn't going to change the baby in the cabin and ended up putting the changing pad on top of the closed toilet (sounded good in theory). What do parents do on flights long enough to require a diaper change, with infants too young to stand on their own, too long to fit (vertically or horizontally) on top of the closed toilet, on planes without changing tables?

vicarious_MR'er

Well the long flights (read: transatlantic, transpacific, etc.) using dual-aisle aircraft always have changing tables. For some reasons, the single-aisle vs double-aisle seems to be the dividing line (more or less) with many of the American carriers with regards to whether or not there are changing tables.

As to what I do: I'll be honest and say I figure it this way... My kids were always good sleepers (knock on wood), and they wear the special overnight diapers for 12 hours a night while sleeping without being changed midway through the night.

I am generally a religious diaper changer, but for one day out of a million when traveling, if we're talking about only pee diapers, letting him and/or her wear one of the overnight diapers (which I apply immediately before boarding, so it's plenty fresh, and change immediately upon arrival) for a 6-hour BOS-LAX flight is less time-in-diaper than he/she does on a regular night. I know the diaper is up to the task, and I know that baby won't feel the wetness because those overnight diapers absorb like heck. So basically, I let them be so long as they don't poop. I pray they don't poop.

If one of them poops, obviously the diaper is changed immediately either in a manner like you had to do or once they can stand, I do it with them standing.

No matter what you do, it's not easy and not super convenient to have no changing table available, but with luck you can get through it the way I've described or hopefully with no more than 1 onboard change. Once they can stand, it's SO MUCH easier.

Erasmus

It is annoying, I agree, and UA is not the only airline with this problem. We just put the changing pad on the toilet lid and move swiftly. Luckily our first was out of diapers before he was 2, so wasn't so large as to be a huge hassle.

Eclipsepearl

A lot of airlines actually don't have changing tables on their smaller aircraft. The problem with United is that they do have some pretty longish flights on those 757's.

You kind of think they can put at least one plank of wood in one lav somewhere on each aircraft....

First, change your baby in the boarding area, even if not absolutely necessary. Then use those "Nighttime" diapers like the pp mentioned. If your child is in between sizes, go for the larger one but make sure to use some of them before leaving to be sure they fit (i.e. no leg gaps).

Also practice changing your child standing up before leaving, as soon as the child can stand with support (i.e. pulling up). This is a helpful tip anytime in public when you don't have access to a changing table.

It's not recommended to change your child in the seat. Parents do anyway, despite the complaints. If you want to "risk" the wrath of those around you, just don't hand the dirty diaper to a Flight Attendant!!! (They're not supposed to handle them anyway and the waste containers are treated separately coming from the galley vs. lavs).

Keep your child in changing-friendly clothes. If you must dress him or her up to see the grandparents, change the clothes after landing!

I'm not sure of this and too lazy to look on Seatguru but often the handicapped lavs are a little bigger. I've noticed that on the newer planes, this is not always the case but it's worth checking out. A bit more space might make the task easier.

jiejie

I can't tell from the ambiguous tone of your post, but please come right out and say you don't support this disgusting, offensive, and unsanitary practice. Parents: I don't care how small the lav is or how difficult it is for you to contort your routine into the available facilities--take your kid away from the seating areas to deal with business. Or don't fly until kid is completely housebroken. Please.

Ancien Maestro

Must be the language barrier but EclipsePearl is clear that the practice of changing diapers while seated is not recommended..

Unknowingly, we have done this a few times in the past with a pretty neat #!.. #2, forget it.. gotta get to the lav.. Nowadays, everything is going to the lav..

So apologies from this parent for not following protocol unknowingly

Eclipsepearl

Yeah! Someone else expressed what I was too chicken to say. I guess I was trying to be too diplomatic I've seen this seat changing sooooo many times (including on my last flight). Here as well as elsewhere on the net, I've seen the complaints about this practice and they're justified. Being handed those dirty diapers in the aisle... is just so... yuk.

Ancien Maestro

The handling I agree is yuk.. if parents change diapers in the seat because there are no changing tables on the plane, at least take it to the lavatories yourself..

exbayern

Bravo.

And I cannot believe that people think that it is acceptable behaviour, unless they are told not to do so.

In what instance is it acceptable to change a diaper in very close quarters where people are/will be eating? Would the people who think that it is okay to do change a diaper whilst seated do this in at a table or chair in McDonalds?

Fortunately LH usually takes a very dim view of this and their crew have no qualms in my experience telling parents what a filthy, unsanitary practice this is.

Eclipsepearl

Rant away folks. I hear you! The worst is that I'm sure you'll see this again on a future flight

ZW4348

How does one change a baby in the seat? That square footage is even tighter than the top of a closed toilet seat. Unfortunately the kids didn't get the no pooping on a 757 without changing tables memo ... Thanks to Eclipsepearl for the handicapped lav tip. The extra 2 inches on both sides made it a lot easier on the return flight.

Ancien Maestro

#2 forget it.. #1 quickly with lots of wipes, this ime from the not knowing days.. I usually leave it up to my wife nowadays to handle diaper changes in the lav.

GUWonder

Delta's (rather recently halted) non-stop flights (on 757s) connecting JFK with CPH (i.e., New York to Denmark in Europe) very often have had no changing tables on them. Of airlines in the major three airline alliances flying across the Atlantic Ocean, Delta Airline is the only flown one of mine where there were no changing tables in any of the bathrooms on board the planes. All of my CO/UA flights in recent years for trips from EWR to CPH and back have had changing tables (on the 757s).

mfdesquire

It's not that difficult if you have mother, father, and toddler in ABC (or DEF). You simply put a thick blanket on the middle seat and use it as the changing table. I don't advocate this -- it's better manners to use the top of the toilet seat in the lav -- but if there are no strangers in the row, you put a thick blanket on the seat, and you put the dirty diaper immediately in a Ziploc bag which you then promptly dispose of yourself, then I fail to see what harm it causes. If you do it that way, no one sees anything, no one smells anything for more than a few seconds, and with the blanket, it's no more unsanitary than putting your pants-covered rear end in the seat.

It's a far different matter if you are imposing this on non-family members sitting in the row. That's rude.

Ancien Maestro

If the child is old enough to stand up, then pull the diaper off by its sides.. and undo the pull up, install, and reattach..