HigherFlyer

As I said earlier in my first post on this topic, yes, I have a daughter.

[B]There is no such thing as a diaper with "more capacity". A bigger diaper won't stay on the baby's butt, and then you're guaranteed to have a mess on your hands, pun intended.[B][/QUOTE]
This is not true. Some brands of disposable diapers have larger capacity before leakage, according to consumer reports.

[B]I have three kids, and never did my wife or I have to change the baby on the plane (all flights <= 3.5 hours). It's not a very common occurrence that this is necessary, but when it does happen, it's gotta be done or it just gets worse real fast.[B][/QUOTE]

Yes, but NOT at the seat. Go to the lav or wait for landing.

DaDOKin DC

(edited by DaDOK)

Wow -- precocious little bugger!!
What airline does he fly?



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Da DOK

HigherFlyer

Yes. I would have insisted that you use the lav.

Is there anything else I shouldn't do while seated next to you for fear that it will deeply offend your sensibilities? [/QUOTE]
It's not my sensibilities that would be offended. I could care less if you change your baby in public. However, if you try to do it in an inappropriate place,where food is served, and where other people are not only in close proximity, but unable to move away to a safe distance, you are endangrering those arround you.

[This message has been edited by HigherFlyer (edited 07-30-2003).]

DaDOKin DC

But back on topic --

I do not have children, but I have travelled extensively with my sibs and their children. And Yes, I have changed my share of diapers.

In my experience, I have to agree that rarely is there an 'emergency' diaper change. A baby who <VERY OCCASIONALLY> sits in his poo for 20 minutes is not going to have any ill effects except possibly become fussy. Can any parent honestly say that they ALWAYS, 100% change a diaper as soon as it is apparent, that there is never a time when the kid might have been sitting in poo or pee for while? I have even asked my pediatric colleagues and they confirm that if occurs ONCE IN A WHILE, there is no harm. Now if a child routinely sits in his poo/pee, that is a different story.

As far a overfull or leaky diaper: If that is concern, I have wrapped the baby in an airline blanket and let him make his mess, if it occurs. Much easier and overall more sanitary to clean a blanket than a seat cushion or carpet.

And in passing, my professional adn personal experience has taught me that the first step in advancement in public health is separating the disposal of fecal waste from other aspects of life (esp food preparation, drinking water, but also general living conditions). The countries and cultures that have not adopted that idea (i.e., change diapers whenever and wherever) are ones that still have problems with fecally-transmitted infections. Is the US now becoming one of those countries again?

(eddited for spelling/grammar)


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Da DOK

[This message has been edited by DaDOKin DC (edited 07-30-2003).]

HigherFlyer

Exactly!! I don't want to get giardia or ecoli on the way to europe.

hnechets

Well, from some of the above posts, YES, and they're dang proud of it!

auh2o

The diaper would have been the least of the mothers problems after I threw up all over her kid...

birdstrike

DeirdreTours

Ya'll are just being silly and dramatic. The careful change of a diaper DOES NOT present a health risk to someone sitting nearby.

Of course the baby doesn't need to be immediately changed EVERY TIME she wets--but, if a baby has a major movement (many infants only move their bowel every other day or so)--it is better changed than leaked.

And, for the poster who keeps asking--No, airlines do not prohibit diaper changes.

birdstrike

You are an epidemiologist? I've always understood that children are well known as disease vectors. Historically, parents deliberately placed their sick children together to enhance herd immunity.

I'm surprised you think differently.

DeirdreTours

If you are referring to the outdated practice of putting one's well children in close proximity with one's sick child so that all become sick and thus "immune" at the same time, what does that have to do with diaper changes?

If you are suggesting that sitting next to an average baby on an airplane is more likely to make you ill than sitting next to an average adult, I would like to see some evidence to back that up.

birdstrike

1) It is not outdated.

2) They were not placed next to each other simply to breath the same air.

Sitting next to an average baby (or adult), no. Sitting next to open stool (child or adult), yes. Fecal–oral transmission doesn't require one to handle the feces in question.

Why should a childs feces be treated differently from an adults? i.e what is the difference between your childs stool and -yours- ?

This has been well understood from the 1800's.

[This message has been edited by birdstrike (edited 07-30-2003).]

HigherFlyer

Irresponsible parenting is indeed on the rise. Today the beach in MSN is closed due to 'potentially fatal ecoli contamination'. The suspected likely cause? A DISCARDED DIAPER!

[This message has been edited by HigherFlyer (edited 07-30-2003).]

FWAAA

Wow - as dangerous as poopy diapers are to public health (your assertion and shared by others), I'm surprised (no, make that amazed) that I survived after changing as many as I did. A miracle that my kids didn't die of e coli.

Darned amazing that dirty diapers aren't killing millions of Americans.

Thanks for the laugh.

HigherFlyer

Glad you got a kick out of it! Three people died here in 2001 from the same bacteria. Hilarious isn't it? I'm sure they were all busting a gut with laughter as they bled to death through their anuses! Ha Ha Ha! :-C

[This message has been edited by HigherFlyer (edited 07-30-2003).]