pjoalfa

It is revolting to touch just about anything in an airplane bathroom, much less my kid touching it.

With the "appropriate precautions" mentioned above, it should be ok to just do it and get it over with in the seat. If there is a changing table it will be used, but if there isn't: yes, it bugs me; yes, I'm sorry it bugs you, but there really isn't any other option now, is there?

I've been bothered far more often by someone who has died inside, farting a thousand times during a flight than ever by the changing of a kid (crying is something else entirely).

Kibison

I would have called the FA. It is bad enough to ruin everyone's flight with a screamer in F. Changing diapers in F is crossing the line.

gemac

If it is sanitary to change your kid in the seat, that implies that kid-surface contact can be eliminated or that sanitizer can render that safe. It seems that changing the kid in the lav would be fine too, with the "appropriate precautions".

The other option is in the lav. A lot of parents change their kids there, so they find it to be an option.

cbender

Class of service is completely irrelevant. Coach would potentially be a lot worse than F. I can't imagine my reaction if someone next to me in a coach seat started changing a diaper. Diaper changes (regardless of what is contained in the diaper) belong in the lav (with door open if you can't fit in all the way).

As for changing diapers on restaurant tables, I've seen some 2 square foot bathrooms in Manhattan restaurants, and regardless am fairly certain that anyone trying to change a diaper on a table would be tossed out.

JDiver

What can I say, but ^ ?

(IMO, our sense of values have really declined when people are "offended" by the totally natural function of breastfeeding a baby in public places, etc. Maybe we can outsource some studies to the Taleban on some of these issues; they seem to be gaining strength again, and might have the time and inclination. )

JS

On that note, the last time I was in Manhattan, I ate at a pizza place in downtown (I think it was on Broadway, near the WTC). The restroom was more than two square feet, but it was *the* most disgusting restroom I have ever been in, and I've been in some dirty restrooms before (poorly managed convenience stores in hick towns, porta-potties on the road, etc.) At this Manhattan restaurant, you would have to not only change a diaper on the table, but empty the contents all over the table and the floor in order to have any negative effect on the restaurant's overall health.

There was another place in Manhattan with a disgusting restroom, and it was a McDonald's (forgot the location). Usually McDonald's keeps their restrooms clean, but New York being the filthy place that it is, they can only do so much. Far, far worse than an airplane lavatory.

Get back to me when you find a NY restaurant with a restroom acceptable for adults to use let alone infants.

flygirl1975

I am not a mother but I don't mind if someone changes a diaper next to me. The lav is gross and it's pretty cramped in there! I didn't think all planes have a changing table in the lavs, so there might not have been one. And I don't mind a mother breast feeding either, if you do, look away.

erik123

On a related note - pee is not unsanitary at the least. As a matter of fact (strange though it may seem) it is a common medicine in India (drunk daily) in Ayurvedic medicine. Romans used to wash their togas in pee to keep them white, and many of our grandparents used pee as a remedy against rash.insect bites (I'm not kidding). So when it comes to pee diapers it is sensibilities/sensitivities that matter not health/hygiene.

P.s. - I know this from reading only...

pjoalfa

It's about the only really immediate treatment for jellyfish/man o'war stings, too.

Abidjan

I knew I shouldn't have read this thread before lunch.

JDiver

No offense intended here, pjoalfa, and somewhat OT, but as a qualified master and rescue diver, I can tell you this is unqualified Bravo Sierra and does not work - which is why Australian lifeguards, who must deal with such things as box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri, which can kill you with a sting,) as well as other jellies, keep quantities of VINEGAR on hand. Human urine will however trigger more nematocysts, causing them to discharge more venom into your skin - and possibly contribute to infection.

Sorry, but this kind of dangerous information must be confronted and stopped.

Fortunately, I have never spotted stinging organisms on AA (though a stinking organism has been encountered on occasion, such as the flagrantly flatulent pax on a recent AA 1951.)

janhigginskcmo

I always carried a white waterproof plastic mat that could be layed down anywhere that was questionable to change my babies on. It could be cleaned with soap and water and dried off anywhere. So, I would never change them in public where other people were around. A nursing mom should be descrete in public by placing a baby blanket over her shoulder and covering up the baby while feeding.

BenjaminNYC

Doublespeak. So, the "precautions" protect other pax from the baby's diaper, but they're not good enough to protect the baby from a potentially dirty lav floor? Just lay down a mat. Changing in the cabin is disgusting and inappropriate. Period. :tWd:

JS

Changing in the cabin is not disgusting or inappropriate. You simply don't like it, which is OK, but since it's not your baby, you don't get any say in the matter.

Putting a mat on the floor of the lavatory means the parent would need to dispose of the mat, something that would otherwise not be necessary by using the seat.

brentley

One of the most horrific dining experiences I ever had was with a couple of my friends who treat their baby as an accessory. We were at a pretty well known place in Napa seated right next to the kitchen in an open booth. the staff had been very unaccomadating to the fact we had a stroller with us. The baby needed to be changed and they actually pulled it onto the booth surface and did it right on the spot. It was one of the few times I actually tried to sink under the table, I was aghast.