7 Places I Never Thought I’d Change A Nappy

There was a time (just a few years ago) where I could direct you to the closest baby changing facility in any shopping mall in Cape Town.

I could also give you the baby friendly lowdown of all my local haunts, down to the amount of seconds it would take me to get my screaming baby to a cubicle to discreetly breastfeed them or change their stinky bums.  But as we’ve slowly grown out of that phase, so has our forethought for those kinds of things.

Knowing whether a venue has an adequate nappy changing facilities is something we have always just assumed.  Often to our detriment…

Here are 7 Places I Never Thought I’d Change A Nappy

(Although it must be said that Seth did some of these, cause he’s awesome like that.)

7. On a tiny bench in a tiny bathroom.

When I was on maternity leave with Knox, one of my favourite things to do was meet up for playdates with other Mommies on maternity leave.  They weren’t so much playdates as they were mornings of awesomeness!  Anyway, one of the restaurants of choice (because of their delicious food) failed slightly in the baby changing department.  I ended up changing him on a tiny little bench squeezed into the corner of the toilet.  Thankfully he was tiny, I wouldn’t be able to do that now if I tried!

6. The boot of the car

Don’t under estimate the value of an empty boot when you’re dying from the smell emanating from the toddlers nappy.  In a pinch this is our “go to” nappy changing station.  Lots of space, relatively private and leaves your car ever so slightly whiffy – a small price to pay for relative convenience.

5. The couch of a busy Woolworths restaurant

Sherbs.  We still cringe at how we casually stank out the restaurant while families were grabbing a bite to eat for dinner.  We couldn’t find any other place to change the foulest nappy of all time, so unfortunately the rest of the restaurant found out what having a teething toddler was really like.

4. On the drivers seat of the car

This was obviously before we realised the unlimited benefits of the boot and the back seats are inconveniently riddled with car seats.  Try keeping a screaming baby still (so as to avoid getting any poop on the seat), while trying to squeeze yourself around the steering wheel and stop the child from either falling out the car or inadvertently driving away when his head hits the accelerator.

3. On my own lap

Possibly one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made.  I must stress that I am not very good at thinking things through in the heat of the moment.  Want a well thought out strategy for something happening in a month – I’m your girl.  Give me a screaming baby, with a stinky bum and no obvious alternative to change them on and you’ll find me trying to change them on my lap.

Pro Tip:  Babies don’t fit on the laps of short legged people.  You’re welcome.

2. Side of the high way 

Oh my goodness.  Our first born has just pooped in her nappy.  There is no possible way that she can sit in it for 10 more minutes.   We’d be had up for child abuse.  Instead let’s risk our lives and change her in the passenger seat while stopped on the side of a ridiculously busy highway.  Great idea.  Probably one of the best we’ve ever had.  Pat on the back for displaying our awesome parenting skills for the whole of Cape Town to see.

1. On the grass pavement on the side of the road

Did I mention that this happened on the first day that the girls attended school for the very first time?  Obviously it was one of those that required an entire outfit change and even some disaster management on the car seat itself.  Obviously.

 

Where’s the strangest place that you have ever had to change a nappy?

 

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A new little thing that I am going to try is to look back over the years to the posts that happened on this very day in the preceding years.  Join me as we take a little walk down memory lane…

2013 – We reflected on going to Alice’s “One”derland party.

2012 – I finally got my butt in gear and packed my hospital bag in anticipation of Knoxs arrival.

2011 – Heard of Irish Twins?  Well we almost sort of have Irish Twins, but not really.