birdstrike

Personal anecdotes aside, what do you think of modern sanitation laws in general? I don't think that anyone argues that fecal matter spread by one child is a threat to civilization, but indiscriminate exposure of the public to fecal material is indeed a problem and one well understood.

Some parents refuse to immunize their children, believing that vaccines are harmful. These same parents are counting on other parents to risk the lives their own children (through vaccination) to bring down the general incidence of the disese in question.

Where does one draw the line between personal convenience and the public good?

b]FWAAA[/b], from the original tone of the thread I don't believe that you were advocating ignoring the health of your fellow travelers. My impression was you were pointing out that sometimes changing a nappy was the best way of reducing contamination (as opposed to allowing a leak).

If I'm wrong, please don't correct me. I treasure my ignorance

beergut

We had the sme locally here a few years back, a holidaymaker's young Child died after swimming in the ocean near here. Haven't a clue if it was from a disposed nappy BUT it was definitely found to be fecal related.

Nigel

JS

Because I know how to use the toilet, but a baby doesn't.

Speaking of stool differences, why is it that it's OK for dogs to sh!t and piss all over the sidewalk (or my lawn! ), but everyone gets all up in arms when they see a dirty diaper?

[This message has been edited by JS (edited 07-31-2003).]

corbetti

No, but the majority of PARENTS i've seen in this situation *are* the selfish ones because they just sit there and act like the kid's not wailing.

Tell them to take a bus. Or leave the kid behind.

Ahh, yes - the witty cry of the self-centered. I've heard that one before. :P

birdstrike

Not quite the answer I was looking for. Of course since an infant can't use the toilet an adult has to take responsibility for dealing with it. To be more clear "From a health perspective why should a childs feces be treated differently from an adults"?

Quote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Speaking of stool differences, why is it that it's OK for dogs to sh!t and piss all over the sidewalk (or my lawn! ), but everyone gets all up in arms when they see a dirty diaper?

It is not OK for dogs to mess on your lawn or public property. Take it up with the owner. Walkers in my neighborhood are pretty good about picking up after their dogs. All of our parks provide free bio-degradable collection bags. Some people still don't deal with the dog waste appropriately, despite knowing what their social responsibilities are. It is the same with diapers.

Human feces is a more potent human disease vector than dog feces and should therefore be handled with more care.

I know from previous discussions on this board that I am one of the folks -least- concerned with environmental contaminants, but even I will draw the line somewhere

edited for UBB

[This message has been edited by birdstrike (edited 07-31-2003).]

jrk1998

This isn't about a baby being changed - its about parents having no manners at all.

I've seen parents do this out in the terminals, in the lounges, at the gate and even on restaurant tables. Its more a matter of their convenience, rather than the baby's.



[This message has been edited by jrk1998 (edited 07-31-2003).]

dctorres

Some parents probably don't react because:
1/ If they're the impatient type (And I suspect we have quite a few of those types on FT), they're just add to the scene.
2/ They may just end up making it worse.

I've never heard a baby cry for more than 10 minutes on a flight, and I do fly a lot and on long-haul flights.

Yes, busses do work. Try one. I don't see anything in the contract of carriage stating that I've got a right to no children crying, no fat people next to me, no people with smelly feet next to me, etc.

It's self-centered, IMHO, to expect that the flight be exactly like we want it with all the peace and comfort of home.

dctorres

REstaurants? Yuck.....

As for airports, travelling is stressful enough without having to worry about baby's needs. Sorry, but it is. I'm willing to cut people some slack for changing a baby publicly. I don't see it as having no manners so much as I do being strung out -- especially if the parent is travelling by themselves or have several children in tow.

Analise

Unless the obese person is taking up his seat and yours. But this is a topic for another thread.

dctorres

So true

And for OMNI too!

corbetti

They should consider more effective birth control.

We need a license to drive a car but not to have children...

corbetti

I have - and in business class. At least go sit in the back of economy if you INSIST on taking your infants for their first mileage run.

Oh, so now it's normal to impose on others but self-centered to not appreciate it? What a bizarro PC world we live in. Does this mean that as long as there aren't any under-18 people I can watch my porno on my widescreen laptop without headphones? Or, that I can blast the music on my computer because I want to?

I doubt it.

Analise

Now that's not very nice. I'd expect the comments above to be written by somebody in Omni, but not here!

HigherFlyer

I am completely incredulous that anyone would actually try to defend this kind of antisocial behaviour. Do you wash your hands after using the toilet? I have my doubts. When you changed those diapers "whenever & wherever", how did you wash your hands? Several of my friends were exposed to Giardia in 1991 by sharing a meal with someone like you. He worked in a day care center, and HAD washed his hands, but not well enough. Do you also let your dog crap in the house? Do you leave your toilet un-flushed? When you step in dog crap, do you clean your shoes, or do you track it into every place you go? After you change a diaper in the center seat, how do you get out without touching the aisle seat? Even if you went to the lav afterwards to clean up, you were spreading bacteria throughout the plane. I hope I never end up seated near someone like you. :-C

corbetti

Hey, i'm just stating what many people think. Or maybe it's just the voices in my head