Public Changing room Etiquette question?

[TigerTy]

Because I care about how our community looks and trust your opinion I have a question. I'm getting ready to do a lot of travel and will be spending a lot of time on planes and in airports. The goal is to change between fights when needed. 

While it's possible for me to change in a standard bathroom stall is is really cramped and embarrassing to undo my tapes with everyone listening. Not to mention carrying my soggy diaper out.  Almost every airport and zoo in my area is equipped with a family restroom, all of which have an adult changing table. Using this facility would really make my life easier while changing. Am I wrong to do so since it wasn't designed with me in mind?

Some context. I'm not really Incontinent but have been diagnosed with IBS and have a Doctors note saying I need diapers to manage my condition (yay HSA). I feel especially guilty since my little side is excited at the idea of getting changed on a public changing table 😊. 

Is it wrong to use a facility that can for real help make my life easier even though it wasn't explicitly designed with a user who is capable of changing in a normal restroom (with difficulty)? I actually think it would help me and would like to do it, but wanted to make sure I was being respectful. I love this community and would never give it a bad name. 

Thanks for the advice 🥰

 

 

[ValentinesStuff]

I would say two things. Don't hog the facilities and clean up after yourself.

[Snugglebear_69]

If you have a legitimate need for the facilities then use them. Be timely so others can use the facilities as needed and leave them clean. Not much more complicated than that honestly.

[cathdiap]

For me, the relevant question would be which of the public toilets have special diaper pails. Most regular men's toilets don't have that and most family toilets do. It can be disturbing to other restroom users to see you walk out and dump your wet diaper into the same regular bin they're going to use for their paper towels. So if possible I would also choose to use a facility that is equipped with a diaper pail. If there is no such option, I do not hesitate to use a regular trash can in the public toilet, as discreetly as possible, of course. We must avoid any suspicion of sexual acts. On the other hand, just as women don't have to carry their used pads or tampons, why should men carry their used diapers?

[CodHero24]

I once used a handicapped stall in an airport that had a mirror, a trash can, and a sink.

The mirror is very helpful for getting perfect tape placement.

I also enjoyed the private sink feature, and the trash can was nice,

but I've gotten used to the "walk of shame".

(Carrying a loaded diaper through a public bathroom to the trash cans).

[olympus]

I would say if you need to use these facilities go for it. As you mentioned your use of diapers is likely for uncontrolled bowel movements. While being timely with your use is a good idea, do not sacrifice cleanliness to be fast for the next user of the room. There is likely not a huge sense of urgency unless the person has to avoid missing a flight. I would think most people in this situation would only need the room if their waste was already in their diaper.

[Little Sherri]

I concur with the majority opinion expressed above. Clean up after yourself, leave the facility in better shape than what you found it in, and don't take too long. A lot of people use those facilities just out of preference, not because they need to - they like the privacy and the locking door. Your use of them is more legitimate than that. I've changed my diaper in airport bathroom stalls plenty of times, with the slow peeling of the tapes back to avoid "shotgun" tape sounds, the crinkling as you position the new diaper and fold up the old one, etc. It's amazing how quiet bathrooms suddenly become when you start unpacking a diaper - all of a sudden, all the hand dryers turn off! Plus walking out with either a diaper in your hand, or, a bag that looks like it contains a dead chicken. 

I've never tried out an adult-sized changing table - my usual technique is to lean against a wall or sink behind me, and put it on standing up. I've seen them, though - we have a new wing on our hospital, and all the washrooms have adult changing tables, not just the handicapped or family washrooms. My only concern would be if my fat ass would pull it off the wall (lol), or, as with every other surface in a public washroom, that it had been cleaned adequately...

[~Brian~]

@Little Sherri @TigerTy

I also agree with my colleagues is when you use any facility whether it be a changing facility, a changing table, a locker room, a gym place, or any place where you're dealing with sports or activities that require you to change your clothes in order to partake in them, Discretion and respect of the facilities is always the most important thing. What I mean by that is, there are so many times when I've walked into a public bathroom or facility, and as people have known, the pandemic has been kinda harsh on all of us. During the most difficult times of the pandemic, when everything was closed, and you needed to have a mask on, and some of these places were closed, are open very limited hours, using others bathrooms was kind of frowned upon,, or bathrooms were not available for people to use unless you're using your own. During the pandemic, my diaper used increased because I needed to be able to use the bathroom, and there's nothing that you can do when you need to use the bathroom other than to use it, and that's why a diaper is a good thing. I've learned that from experience and I also know that it is a good thing to do.

The problem I see is that there are people out there who will go to like say a public bathroom in a mall or some sort of a public place like an rim or maybe a Civic Center or maybe a school or something, and depending on what happens, the bathroom can be pristine clean, or vile and disgusting to the extreme one way or the other. my problem is when you go to a mall, i've walked into bathrooms that are totally pristine and awesome and you can use them and there's no question that you think they're clean, whereas on the other end of the spectrum there times when you walk into the bathroom and just walking into the bathroom itself and not even opening the stall door would be enough to make you want to wretch and vomit all over the floor.

In each case, we're talking about extremes called either it's going to be extremely clean, or vilely dirty, so you don't even want to put your butt down on the toilet 'cause you don't know what is going on and it's not clean and it's not something that is inviting. It is always the users responsibility to use the facilities as they're intended, and try to clean them or keep them as clean as possible. when I walk into a bathroom that looks like a sewer system, and smells like 1, It automatically turns me off. One of the most important things is you are using a public facility, and there are many many many individuals that might use that toilet during one day, And the best thing to do is to realize that people use it, some of them are really clean, some of them are mildly clean, some of them are totally disgusting, but it is a public bathroom So if you have a need to use the bathroom, and you walk into a clean bathroom, that is an inviting thing. I used to use the hospital bathroom when I would come in and out of work because of the fact that I would go to the hospital changing busses to go from town to town from my home to my office, and then come back from my office to the hospital and then from my hospital to my house. My bathroom may not be as pristine as others, but I know darn well it's not gonna smell like a sewer and it's not gonna have a whole bunch of stuff that will cause people to wretch and be sick.

So as I said, the best thing you can do is to use the bathroom and try to keep it as clean as possible. during the pandemic, there was just no way that most people could use the bathroom, so diapers were what we used.  remember the bathroom is provided for people to use, And if you use it correctly, it will be continually available for those that need it. disrespect or misuse of a facility could cause it to disappear or be locked. most times when you end up with a facility that the public uses, People have been locking the bathroom and keys are only available from certain places. I say use the bathroom and keep it clean and then take your stuff with you and make sure that as much as you can you are making sure that the bathroom is not disgusting!

the good thing about these family restrooms is that 90% of them are halfway decent, and most of them do come with the particular changing table. I've seen airports that have the adult changing tables for disabled, but I have yet to see a table that an adult can use to change. I use my bed to do that, cause I can't use the floor 'cause it's too hard.

So yeah respect your bathroom and respect the people that use it, and make sure that others are allowed to use the bathroom, and not have it locked. I wish that the US Would have things such as the RADAR Key, like @Little Belle received from the NHS. That they would have a system where at least there would be 1 bathroom that would always be clean because there are people that use it, and the reason why you would have it locked is so that everybody doesn't have access to it. That's one thing that we do not have in the US, but it would be nice to be able to have peace of mind as you go into the bathroom so you don't end up having to walk into a sewer!

Brian

[Dubious]

The reason for wearing diaper doesn't matter. 

If it makes changing easier, use the facilities. 

I used the handicap toilet to take out an insert, and at same time put in a new one.
Wasn't a need to change the diaper, and I only changed insert for risk of smell as I was meeting family.
It was much easier, and way more discreet.  

[CodHero24]

I literally tape on 100% of my diapers standing up.

It started out as "practice" for a less than ideal changing scenario in a tight public stall.

Now, it's just become a matter of preference to always tape-up while standing.

IMPORTANT: The hardest part of changing while standing up is having your pants down. (I'm serious 🤣)

EXAMPLE: If your pants are OFF, your legs can spread freely and your movement is not limited.

However, having your pants DOWN around your ankles keeps your legs forced together somewhat, and limits your movement.

This makes it very difficult to use wipes in an already tight area such as a bathroom stall.

And an added BONUS: if you're cleaning a MESS with your pants down and you drop a "nugget", your Pants act as an Easter basket.

THESE are all valid reasons I always choose the Handicapped stall for Diaper Changes IF it's available.

One way to increase your speed is to have a decent "Diaper Kit" inside your backpack.

Everything should be packed backwards so you have access to the wipes first and the fresh diapers last.

[Dubious]

I only put on hook'n loop diapers while standing, cause I always fasten them wrong since I don't have much experience.

Just a tip... 

[John Davis]

If you are not medically handicapped, don't use it.  Leave it for those of us who are.

--John

[DiapergirlWB]

5 minutes ago, John Davis said:

If you are not medically handicapped, don't use it.  Leave it for those of us who are.

--John

I also am handicapped RBKA and need the bars to easily get off a toilet.  You can't expect non handicapped people to never use the stall esp in a busy restroom.  i wish when the saw a handicapped person they gave us preferential treatment for it but there is no rule.

[John Davis]

DiaperGirl, we agree. I was referring to handicapped restrooms, not stalls in general public restrooms.

--John