Diaper Etiquette
 

Seriously, the entire FC cabin is choking on this flight. Is changing a baby in your seat considered proper? Should it be?

I mean, damn.

I was expecting a question on if wearing one was considered proper form. :D
​​​​​Simple answer to the OP, NO. However, some have no clue.
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About 10yrs ago flying BOS-SFO in F one lady in row 1 decided to change her baby's diaper on the table between the seats (this was the old 757s with the brown seats) whilst snacking on some chips. Delightful! Luckily I was in the second row from the back of the cabin so only witnessed this enroute to the front lav.:td:

This is certainly not specific to AA, so I'll move to the Travel with Children forum for all to participate.

Thanks.


aztimm

They are children and it is not easy as you would think and want for the mother.

Have compassion, tolerance & understanding. That was a good time for you to practice patience , understanding and tolerance.

I have sat next to mother with baby on international flights and always reminded myself to have understanding and compassion! We all were baby and cared for by a mother.

I recall not many years ago being in a domestic F cabin with my then-infant daughter and being faced with a code brown situation. The tiny lavs had no changing table. I refused to subject my fellow passengers to anything untoward, and I ended up crouched over her on the floor by the front door. It was cold and noisy (which she didn't like), and I couldn't help casting a shadow over her while I worked, making things doubly difficult. I'd be annoyed if I saw a parent changing a diaper in a cabin where the lavs were fitted with changing tables, but might find it hard not to cut them slack otherwise.

No? Are you for real?

It is not, under any circumstances okay to change a diaper on a seat in any cabin simply because you have kids. If the parents cannot fix their travel better than that, drive. It isn't a human right to use a plane.

Nor, to be fair, is it a human right to occupy a space where others cannot change diapers nearby. Not excusing the behavior, merely attacking your ridiculous position on the matter.

This was an Airbus 321. I didn't pay attention, but i believe there could be a changing table in the lavatory?

I share your disgust. Once I was on a bulkhead coach 777 AA transatlantic flight (when they were still 2-5-2). I was on the aisle two seat area, with a nanny and baby in the window seat. Parents were in J. An acrid smell wakes me up and I see that the nanny is kneeling on the floor and changing the baby's nappies on her seat, next to me. This plane had nappy changing facilities (toilet with large fold down table). Filippino nanny ignored my protests. Flight attendant sympathised but did nothing. That I still remember this incident after all these years probably means I am still traumatised by it...

Solution
 

(Sarcasm on). Upon further internal review-self redacted. (Sarcasm off). Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Understanding and compassion needs to go both ways. Having a child doesn't give one a blank check to inconvenience others just because. In fact being aware of others and changing a stinky dirty diaper in the proper place, teaches your kids to be courteous and thoughtful. Not driven by entitlement. Just my 2 cents. Happy New year!

Some of the changing tables in airplane lavatories are so small or are in such cramped lavatories that unfortunately there may not always be a great solution for changing a flying child's dirty diaper that doesn't upset somebody.

I do find the idea of diapers being changed in the open passenger cabin on the seats and trays to be very disgusting. But my bet is that the airplane seats are probably quite filthy even if a child's dirty diaper has never been changed in the seat.

Teach about what when a mother knows her child is a mess inside and there is hardly any a good space for her to change the diaper? Mothers, almost all of them don't need someone's advice on how to take care of their children. Remember we all have or had a mother and we all were baby and a child first? Except for Buddha, children never walked 7 steps right after then were born.
I have flown internationally and at times was seated next to a mother with baby or child, I practiced tolerance, understanding and compassion and always worked.

Happy New Year to you too!

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