One of the things having a child teaches you is that we are still behind the times when it comes to parenting. Society, for all it’s preaching, still treats men as babysitters of their kid. I will never babysit Ms. Nola Nerd Baby. I’m her parent.

Our baby is well behaved, and we only take her to places that are baby friendly. We won’t take her to five-star restaurants. Mostly, we take her to places that if she cried, very few people would notice because most of those restaurants are already noisy. One of us would take her outside if she caused a ruckus. So far, she hasn’t. We have yet to have a server who hasn’t fawned over her…I know we are biased, but she is the cutest.
We just both wish more places would have changing stations in both bathrooms. In older restaurants, we understand they are hard to figure in because men didn’t do that sort of thing before. New restaurants have no excuse. Plan it into the design of the restroom. Too many newer restaurants have them in women’s bathrooms only. My wife deserves a break, and I am fully capable of tending to my child. Also, if possible, don’t put them in the accessible stall. I know it makes sense to put it there space wise, but you are also taking a bathroom away designed for people with special needs when we have to use it.

Worse are venues that you can’t leave. The Audubon Zoo and Disneyworld both have excellent places to change your child in the men’s room. However, we were recently one place that didn’t have one in all bathrooms. Ms. Nola Nerd Baby had a major blowout. The one I picked didn’t have a changing station, so I made a place. We’ll continue to do that, but it would be easier if there were a place.
 
Before we get some eye-rolls about taking our baby out in public. We didn’t take her to crowded places before she had her first round of vaccinations. No one besides family has touched her out in public (and a great big shout out to the public for not doing that!).
Right now, we enjoy taking the Nola Nerd Baby out. She enjoys it. In fact, she loves looking at people, and if you carry her, you must carry her facing forward. It would just be nice if could both change her when we take her places.

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