Visiting a business accelerator space with one of my babies
I’ve been advocating for parent-friendly business spaces since 2016.
Have you ever brought your baby into a business setting, a corporate environment or simply a business shop or retail space to support a local business and been met with – a lack of baby change facilities!? I have. Many times.
I’ve changed all three of my kids on floors, in their strollers, on tables, sofas, in the back of our vehicle. All because there wasn’t a baby change table and I needed to give my baby or toddler a fresh diaper.
And if you’ve landed on this page, I’m sure this isn’t your first rodeo and you’ve also perhaps raised the question, “Is there somewhere I can change my baby here?”
You know the experience. The blank stare. The lack of assistance. A big misunderstanding of what it takes to show up as yourself, with your kid(s) and attempt to participate in life and work in general.
It can be hard for you as a parent, a caregiver and an adult who needs to use the washroom AND wash your hands too.
Not only is it less hygienic to have to juggle a baby while attempting to use the facilities, are we really willing to accept that in 2023, babies and other pre-school age kids can’t be present in business spaces!?
No, we aren’t. And this page is here to help you change that.
Download my FREE Mixing Babies And Business™ Baby Change Table Request Template [Word Docx 9KB].
Because when I’ve been met with this problem, I’ve asked out of curiousity if anyone else has ever requested the same thing.
“How much does a baby change table cost?” (At the time it was under $500 for the table, the cost is mostly related to the labour required for someone to install it).
I’ve spoken to reception, building facilities management, advisors working on site, complete strangers working in the space and I’ve gotten public about it:
- Taking photos of the facilities
- Writing about it and sharing my experiences on my personal blog and social media
- Tagging the relevant organization(s)
And you know what happened!?
They installed a baby change table on the ground floor in an all genders washroom in 2019 AND a second baby change table was installed in the same building on the second floor in early 2020!
And as of 2022, I’ve heard word from a second coworking and event space they’ve managed to negotiate with their landlord to have baby change facilities installed in their leasehold corporate building.
No letters required, just a lot of awkward publicity and questions (from me), advocacy for parents (like me) and after a while, a small success (for all parents using these spaces in future).
You can carry on as you are, changing your baby in whichever place you need to BUT if you feel called to do something about the lack of parent-friendly facilities in a business space, please use the template as a starting point to get loud about what it takes to intentionally create inclusive business spaces for primary caregivers and their families.
Email it or print it out to deliver to the building reception, facilities management and share it on your social media, tagging in the company brand channels and key people working in the marketing communications, events and HR teams.
This is how small changes are created by active and engaged community members, in local and affordable ways.
Get involved, so the parents and their children coming along behind you will never have to experience what it feels like to not belong in a business space.
Parent-Friendly Professional Development | Mixing Babies And Business™ 