Every public restroom should be equipped with a changing table. We’ve all experienced the frustration: you’re out shopping or dining when your baby has a full diaper, and you enter the restroom only to discover… horror of horrors. No changing table. What are your options? You could resort to changing your baby in a place that is far from sanitary—please, don’t be that person—or you might have to rush back to your car and attempt to change them in the cramped backseat, which is nearly impossible if you’re juggling multiple car seats. The absence of a changing station is a significant inconvenience, and it seems parents are reaching their breaking point.
According to reports from Parenting Daily, two parents, Jamie Cross and Ryan Thompson, are in the process of developing an app that helps locate nearby venues with changing tables, family restrooms, and nursing areas. This innovative app will leverage data collected through their website, Changing Table Locator, which features an interactive map of over 7,000 locations that provide changing stations, with the option for users to submit additional sites. Moreover, it will indicate whether changing tables are available in both men’s and women’s restrooms, addressing the misconception that only mothers are capable of managing diaper changes.
The topic of changing tables has gained traction in the parenting community. Recently, a father successfully advocated for a changing table installation in the men’s restroom at his local Macy’s after facing the same predicament. Prior to that, well-known actor and father, Chris Evans, had petitioned a major retailer to include changing tables in their facilities. The lack of a designated area for diaper changes is an all-too-common issue that adds unnecessary stress to family outings—let’s face it, they can already be quite challenging.
While parents may not specifically choose a dining establishment based on changing table availability, a locator app could incentivize more businesses to step up and provide these essential facilities. There are certainly places where it is understandable not to have a changing table—like a bar, where few infants will be found indulging in cocktails. However, casual dining spots and grocery stores are frequented by families, so why wouldn’t they ensure a space for addressing their babies’ needs?
A quick search reveals that the average price of a commercial changing table suitable for public restrooms hovers between $150 and $200. These units are not prohibitively expensive. Of course, there may be some associated labor costs for installation, but investing in changing stations is unlikely to significantly impact a restaurant’s monthly profits. Most established businesses can afford to accommodate their baby-carrying customers without leaving them high and dry.
Babies, after all, cannot control when they need to relieve themselves, and they deserve the same consideration as any other member of the public. If your establishment is family-oriented and features a public restroom, there is no valid reason not to include a changing area as well.
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In summary, ensuring that public restrooms are equipped with changing tables is not only a matter of convenience but a reflection of a family-friendly business model. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about where to change their babies when they’re out and about, and the cost of providing such facilities is minimal compared to the benefits of accommodating families.
Keyphrase: Changing tables in public restrooms
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