Stripping off al fresco

No this isn’t a post about dodgy pics of Kate Middleton. Or me for that matter. It’s yet another hurdle jumped in the ongoing process of getting out and about with Minnie – nappy changing al fresco. I’ve always been in reach of a handy toilet with changing table or close enough to home to manage before but this week I found myself in the park, urgently needing to change her.

The park is hugely family-friendly, with 90% of the people there on weekdays pushing a buggy, plus swings and a cafe where you’re as likely to see babies being fed as adults. So I optimistically assumed the toilets would be equally so. I didn’t expect anything fancy (it’s a park after all) but I banked on a flat surface by the sinks. Nope.

The only flat surface was the floor and I wasn’t putting Minnie there even on a mat. The disabled toilet was well and truly locked up and no obvious way to get a key, so I couldn’t check inside there – which meant back to the picnic tables by the cafe. In deference to people eating (I won’t go into graphic detail, I promise), I popped her on the seat section rather than the tabletop and pretty quickly discovered that small though she is, the bench was pretty precarious and one determined wriggle would have her falling off.

In the end, we managed fairly respectably including a change and completely new set of clothes (one of the things I always carry in the change bag) and thankfully the sun took enough of the chill off while I was swapping vests. Next time, I suspect the grass would be a better bet – at least as long as the weather lasts.

And in future, I think we’ll have to spend a bit more time over the road at one of the baby-friendly pubs or cafes. Or fly somewhere warmer where stripping off won’t risk mild frostbite…

Image: VideoPhotoholic/Flickr