Would You Be Upset If Your Friend Changed Her Toddler’s Nappy on Your Lounge Room Floor?

A woman has taken to a popular mums forum to ask if she is being unreasonable to be annoyed with her friend for changing her toddler’s dirty nappy on her lounge room floor without asking first.

The woman, who does not have children, explained to the good people over at Netmums that her old uni friend stopped by with her 19-month-old toddler and, while having tea, proceeded to change her child’s soiled nappy on a change mat on the carpeted lounge room floor without batting an eyelid or pausing the conversation.

This greatly offended the woman to the point of signing up a new account to the website, specifically to ask all the other mums if she was being unreasonable to be annoyed at this situation.

The post immediately got us wracking our brains wondering if we’d ever done the same in our baby-brained, sleep-deprived state and not noticed if we’d upset people. I don’t remember ever asking anyone if I could change my baby, I just got it done as it was needed. I do remember tucking soiled nappies (in a plastic bag) back in my baby bag when I was finished as there was no way I would inflict the stench of an old sweaty nappy on someone’s kitchen bin.

I’ve also never had a problem with any of my friends changing their babies on the floor in my home, as long as they used a towel or change mat, which they always did anyway. But I can see how this would be jarring to someone without children, and especially someone who didn’t like children.

While many of the responding mums agreed that the mum in question probably should have asked first, many admitted that they never gave it a second thought to go somewhere else to change their baby’s nappy if they were at a friend’s house.

? Your friend probably didn’t even realise. But you should’ve said something as soon as that changing mat came out, or it became apparent a nappy change was due. You could’ve directed her to your bathroom. Or even mentioned it after.

? Sorry, it’s one of those things that happens when you become a mum. You forget poo is offensive. I like to think I’d ask where to do the change in someone else’s house, but can’t guarantee it.

? I’ve been that friend. 

Almost all my mates have little ones by now and we all just change wherever we are, no drama. However, I went to a pals house who didn’t, started to change my baby on the floor in the living room without even stopping conversation. Didn’t even think about what I was doing it was just automatic. She didn’t say anything to me at the time but I overheard her telling her bf how disgusting it was later. And I realised yeah fair enough actually if that’s not your life! So now I always ask, but it took me overhearing that to actually think about it.

? Changing nappies is just something that you do without even thinking about. She probably should have asked but never thought to. 

? I think it would have been polite of her to ask where she could change a nappy. I don’t think it’s particularly nice to have someone change a smelly nappy in the same room as you’re sat having a drink/eating (even if they are happy to do it at home, that’s their own choice!) The smell does have a tendency of lingering so it’s only polite to ask if there’s somewhere else it can be done. 

? Whilst it’s not something I would do at a friends house, I do think you need to get a grip. You are still so upset hours later that you have decided to write a very long rambly rant about it. It’s a baby’s bum being changed, is it really that offensive?

? Sounds like you need more like-minded friends. It doesn’t sound like you really wanted the baby there at all and have found any excuse to become offended.

What do you think? Is this woman being unreasonable to be annoyed at her friend for changing a stinky nappy on the lounge room floor? Or is it disgusting and she should have asked if she could take her child somewhere else? Have you done it yourself?

Sound off in the comments!