Before you read on, you need to watch this:

Men’s public toilets have always been the kind of place you don’t want to spend much time. They’re traditionally disgustingly dirty and the kind of place you have to avoid making contact with any surface…even the flush.

However, times have changed. In a big way. Sure, you still get some filthy men’s public toilets where it’s obvious that men have been playing the ‘see how high you pee above the urinal’ game. But the norm is fast becoming clean spaces for men to go about their ‘business.’

But a mans ‘business’ has also changed. It’s not just about number 1’s & 2’s anymore. Men need baby change facilities in public toilets in restaurants, cafes, soft play, swimming pools, hospitals and all public service. Why? Because, believe it or not but dads do in fact change their baby’s nappy.

A dad in our network tells the story of how he had to go to the hospital with his baby one day. His baby needed a nappy change so he asked at the information desk where he could change his baby. The response was stark…

“I was told it’s in the ladies with a heavy undertone of ‘why would you want to change a nappy?’ I then asked where dad’s were expected to change babies to which I was told, ‘You can ask a nurse if you can use a side room but don’t bank on them allowing you.’ I ended up changing him in a quietish corridor…At the time I was so shocked I didn’t say anything but have since thought about it and am disgusted that I was put in that predicament.”

So really, we can add UK hospitals to the UK based restaurant, coffee & real chains from the video above.

What on earth is going on? If we’re serious about this whole equality thing (and I’m very serious about parental equality) then things have got to change. There have got to be safe, clean places for dads to change their baby’s nappy when they’re out and about, as a basic parental right. If establishments want our custom, they need to provide the correct service.

Rather than just rant, we’re doing something about it. We’ve created a space for people to share and find the dad friendly change facilities in the UK. #dadsforchange

It’s simple. Upload the details of the dad friendly (or unfriendly) facilities. That will then be plotted onto our nationwide map.

The map can be used to see the dad friendly facilities near you.

We feel that it’s important to name and shame those establishments that haven’t joined the 21st century and still think that dads don’t change nappies. If we want to see a genuine change in our towns & cities, businesses have to realise that dads have babies too.