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I was looking on the Target.com website today and I saw something that struck me funny. It was a description for a diaper-changing table. It reads, "Designed with mother's in mind, our changing table offers ..." Setting aside the fact the grammatical error on the word "mother" for a moment, WTF? I'm fairly certain this is 2008, and by golly, men DO change diapers. Not that I'm really surprised—everything is still pretty mommy-centric these days. Now that I have a wee one, I guess I have become extra-sensitive to the way things are so geared towards moms, and not just the un-fun aspects like diaper changing. It just starts to irk a person when the world is so mommy-slanted. What about the daddies?
Like last weekend when we found ourselves at a restaurant with no changing table in the men's room (food wasn't that good, either). So guess who is obligated to change the “dipee”? Me. Not that I mind, but it’s the principle of the thing. And what about when I’m not there? How’s a guy to change the dipee then?
As a stay-at-home dad, Mr. Pumpkin finds himself literally up sh#t creek without a changing table quite frequently. He often enlightens me on who has the best family restrooms and changing areas in the places he and baby frequent. For instance, Har Mar Mall has a family restroom, but it’s inside the women’s restroom. Fantastic idea.
On the other hand, Target downtown has a very clean family restroom that works perfectly when it isn’t inhabited by a homeless person. A couple of times we’ve taken Baby Pumpkin out to a bar and there’s no changing table in either restroom, but that’s because people aren’t supposed to take their babies to bars, I presume. I guess we’re different.
Anyway, I came across a brilliant idea while I was perusing one of my new must-read-often blogs, Tapir’s Poop, written by a local stay-at-home dad. It was the website Daddytypes.com. Daddytypes.com has a list of NYC men’s rooms with changing tables in them, complete with Google Maps functionality! I also found an article in the NY Times about his web site that I thought was pretty dead-on.
It got me thinking. Do we need to do this for the Twin Cities? I think it so! Then we should invent a diaper-changing table that is antimicrobial, has hand sanitizer built-in and has a place to hang the diaper bag, and we can sell it to all the chumps who don’t have a changing table in their men’s rooms. Problem solved!
5 comments:
what's a diaper? :)
Both of my brothers have changed diapers (just the wet kind) with the tikes in the stroller rather than use the restroom. Brett, my younger brother, referred to it as "the dad technique"....it made me almost throw when I saw a wet diaper on the table....I won't be using that technique.
Amen sister!
But wait a sec, is Target selling a wall-mount changing table that you install at home? It looks so institutional.
But wait a sec, is Target selling a wall-mount changing table that you install at home?
Nope. I just stole the photo off of a web site selling them for businesses.
Don't get me started!! When I look at all the commercials for cleaning and cooking and baby products, with only women in them, I get a little uppity, and this is all theory based, if I actually had to live it who knows what would happen! I think we'll come around slowly, but ladies and gents like you and your fine husband need to raise a stink! I support you!
I think that Jason should totally start a Mpls dad blog. That would be SO cool. He could get other dads to contribute (Like Blake) and then it would be a great resource for people looking for restaurants and shops with family/dad friendly facilities.
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