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A father who was forced to squat to change his son’s diaper in a public restroom says dads need changing tables too.

“This is a serious post!!! What’s the deal with not having changing tables in men’s bathroom as if we don’t exist!!” Donte Palmer, a high school teacher in Florida captioned an Instagram photo of him changing his son’s diaper in a restaurant bathroom.

“Clearly, we do this often because look how comfortable my son is. It’s routine to him!!!! Let’s fix this problem!” he posted before also calling on activist and football quarterback Colin Kaepernick to “drop a knee to this issue!”

The father tagged the news outlet The Shade Room in his post, which subsequently published the photo, assuming more than 400,000 likes.

Donte, 31, told Yahoo Lifestyle that the image reflects his daily routine with his three boys, ages 12, 7, and 1.

“We had stopped at Texas Roadhouse for lunch and while my wife ordered food, my son Liam started fussing so I knew it was time for a diaper change,” he says.

With the help of his eldest child Isaiah — whom Palmer calls his “diaper assistant” — the dad began the precarious task of changing the baby in the men’s bathroom.

“I usually lay Liam down on clothes I keep in the diaper bag or the bag itself, and Isaiah hands me wipes or throws out the dirty diaper,” explains Donte who was unaware that Isiah had snapped his photo but later, acknowledging the humour and posted it online.

“People have commented that my wife is ‘lazy’ for not changing our baby’s diaper or that I could have changed him in the car but why should I?” says Palmer.

He is not alone!

Chris Boneyard Mau shared in May that he was getting pretty sick of having to change his daughter on a disgusting floor because the only changing table is located in the women’s bathroom.

“It’s crazy to imagine I know, but there are guys who take care of their kids too you asshats. If it’s a public place with public restrooms in the generation of equality among genders and races then how about making sure us fathers can change our children’s diapers on a goddamn changing table like the mother’s can. Am I asking too much?”

Although if he read this post on change tables he might have second thoughts! “Young Mum Shares Warning About Using Baby Change Tables in Public Areas”

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  • PARENTS ROOMS….. they should be set up in every center and woman need to get a grip and stop throwing fits when males enter that space. Men are not coming there to stare at you breast feeding….they really dont care.

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  • With the amount of men now being Mr. Mom, I am amazed their isn’t a unisex changing room so that either sex can go ahead and change their child.

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  • Can’t get the reply icon to work. Any how very well said rovermum.

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  • It’s quite disgusting that proper facilities are not provided for men as well as women to use. Even in shopping centres where we now have ‘parent’s rooms’ men have to risk the wrath of mum’s who think it is their divine right to preside over facilities that are supposed to be unisex. Dad’s are parents too and it’s about time things changed.

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  • We need to provide unisex change rooms. We can’t complain about men/dads not sharing the load, and then not provide the means for them to help. And let’s think about the poor baby. No child should ever have to be changed in a toilet.

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  • Luckily in Australia there are many disabled toilets with change tables and many unisex baby change rooms.

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  • I don’t even see change tables in the female toilets in most places


    • Toilet, bathroom and change facilities do need to be improved to cater for everybody and to be inclusive.

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  • I agree! I know so many men who are the sole custodians of their children and so many men who are the victims of domestic violence or alienation from their children and yet women seem to have it all in their favour. Sadly, equality is not equal. Children deserve the same facilities and support with their father as they do with their mother.

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  • There should be change tables in all bathrooms/toilets.

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  • Yep, they should have changing tables in public men’s toilet’s too.

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  • In Aust. in some large shopping centres there is parents rooms with change tables. Some Breastfeeding Mums feel uncomfortable when men walk in there.

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  • A very important issue, I agree. And it should be addressed as soon as possible!

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  • I can’t see why they can’t have one in the men’s toilets. If there isn’t a parent room for them to use then a change table should be available for everyone to use

    Reply

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