AIBU - Kids in gym changing area / showers...

I think the point was that kids weeing in the shower was a bit of a IYHKYWU issue - ie people using the family changing rooms are likely to have a higher tolerance to being weed on by children.

I'm really worried now that people might think I'm ok with being weed on by small children ? I'd just like to state, for the record, that I wouldn't be very amused by the above, I just don't understand the family changing rooms tangent and how that would solve the problem.

I've never seen this in many years of gyming but it starts to make sense now...

Exactly ?

Well I have a child and certainly wouldn't want to be weed on but....

I would say that you are more likely to accept that these things happen in a family room whereas I'd be pretty peed off if I went swimming on my own only to find urinating children in the changing room ?

Or even pretty peed on? ?

This thread has gone to a very strange place.

Svensk Tiger (doesn't like being peed on).

[pmsl] but not on La P, obviously.

I can't imagine that many of us would decide to use the male changing rooms, showers (or loos), if the women's were full...

My gym is the inverse of most, by the sound of things. There are separate, tiny, single sex changing / shower areas and then one giant showering area with communal showers, large cubicles for families etc.

I'm losing track of this thread...are people now saying children shouldn't be allowed in the single sex changing rooms? Surely that depends on the rules of the gym (I'm not talking about children pissing everywhere obv ?)

I don't know, I'm completely confused. I thought at one point that people were saying children shouldn't shower in case they wee, but I think some gyms have family showers and they were saying that children should only use those (in case they wee, not for the sole purpose of weeing ?). I've never seen one of these though, hence my confusion. I think we all agree that children should not be allowed to wee in the showers or changing areas (and hopefully the pool is off limits too) but that's about all I'm clear on.

Don't think YABU at all. I noticed the other day in my sports centre swimming changing rooms they've put up a sign saying that any boys over the age of 5 in the female changing should be changed in the family rooms. I would speak to the manager.

I don't think so, KN - I'm not anyway.

I'm saying that as there are seperate shower / changing areas in the OPs gym that it's not unreasonable for her to expect families to use them. WM thinks that it is unreasonable for families to have to wait to use them if they're full because of the pressure on nap times / feeding etc. I wonder (very tongue in cheek) if WM would use the men's changing rooms if the women's were too busy.

Boop - are you seriously saying your gym has communal changing rooms and showers for men and women?

Maybe I'm a total prude, but I think that is extremely odd ?

Well seems I'd be pretty much running that gauntlet.....

KN - I'm saying where there are facilities tailored to families its not unreasonable to expect those with children to use them. Obviously where there aren't then there seems to be little choice than to use the single-sex facilities but to try and minimise the disruption you cause!

I think it was more about boys in the women's changing rooms and girls in the men's.

What?

I'm confused now too, do people think parents and small children shouldn't use single sex changing rooms if the family ones are busy, even though the single sex ones are not adult only?

Man, my head hurts ?

<no peeing, pooing, or heavy petting goes without saying>

Yes, Putney Leisure Centre changing rooms are basically 'open plan'. All cubicles to change in (some small, some large) and with open showers as you enter / leave the pool. If you want to shower 'properly' ie in private without your costume on then you have to use the tiny, single sex, changing rooms which don't have cubicles to change in, but do have enclosed showers. So the communal area has enclosed changing and open showers, but the single sex areas has communal changing and enclosed showers.

I'm at a loss as to which bit you don't get?

Crikey. I suppose if most people go there to swim it makes sense - change, swim, rinse off chlorine, dry, dress. But in an environment where most people are using the gym and so don't have swimming costumes and do want "proper" showers it would be a nightmare. I am greatly relieved that my (also LA) gym is more old-fashioned ?

Well, I didn't get the bit about me causing disruption. I asked a general question about people saying no children should be allowed in normal changing rooms (which seems to me entirely a matter for the gym) - I haven't said anything about my own children at all.

the sign in outside our ladies changing, I think, says boys aged 8 and over shouldn't be allowed in, therefore I assume they go with their fathers or not at all.

As I typed it I thought 'Oh, but there's a 'Dry Side' changing area too' - for people not using the pool. I've never been in that bit because I only ever swim there - it is entirely possible that is segregated but the signs to the area don't indicate men's and women's, just Dry Side Changing. I wonder if it's designed the way it is because the majority of people using it are families and they've responded to the needs of them? Families are only going to be there for swimming, aren't they - you can't take a child into a gym anyway.

I'm very confused now.

The last gym I went to didnt have family changing, but those that do - are they seperate open plan family changing facilities for men with children, and women with children?

or are they mixed open plan? or mixed cubicles?

I don't mind children in the changing rooms, but I've never been in when there are any boys over the age of about 2-3, and I would have kicked up a fuss about poo or wee in the showers.

The only time I've been annoyed about kids being in there was when two girls were running around chasing each other after swimming (very wet and making the floor more wet), mum was jut doing her own thing, and then one of the slipped and smacked her head on a bench.

Sorry that probably came across as unnecessarily snippy - the laptop battery died halfway through trying to post and somehow managed to post the first bit only!

I didn't mean you were causing disruption at all. I meant that if anyone was using a normal changing room with children that the disruption they cause should be minimised which would mean not allowing your children to wee in the shower and not throwing poo around!

Oh I see- I thought you were telling me off ?

I think we are all agreed about the whole poo angle.

Thats vile and one of the many reasons I'm at an adults only gym

My gym's a lot bigger, and there is a seperate gym area for younger kids (about 10 to 16 I think- I tend to sneakily use the ladies' changeroom there because it's v quiet after work) so the main gym changing/shower area really is ladies/men only. I've only swum at my gym on a Sunday night when there obviously weren't many children in the swimming changing area, but there are def separate areas for men and women. I don't know what the rule is re children, will check tonight.

Poo & wee not in the toilet/potty/nappy is unacceptable whatever the place or circumstances, and I would complain/make a fuss.

Older boys in changing room again unacceptable and I would ask the manager to clearly state enforce a policy on age –if I did not like the age limit I am free to change gyms.

I have a 2 years old, we pay to go to a gym/swimming pool attached to a hotel. It has one family changing room. In my mind the family changing rooms are so the family can get changed together so of you have a baby often it is easier with 2 adults than 1.

No way was I told that I could only use this changing room when daughter was with me, in fact the ladies changing room has a baby changing table.

We have used the family changing once and we had to wait 25 minutes until it was available for us to use to change out of swimming as the lockers where in the changing room – so not bothered again.

I take my daughter into the ladies changing, and would expect to be pulled up if she was peeing everywhere, running around, being a nuisance, I give her a book to read, puzzle to do whilst I get dressed.

This is about how you teach your children to behave in public not about where they can be changed. (that sounds quite pompous but could not think of another way to word it)

I accept you can’t control when a baby/toddler wees but you can apologise and try to ensure you are not in that circumstance too often.

Agreed totally. If one of my toddlers peed in the showers I'd be mortified and wouldn't be able to stop apologising enough to anyone who was there at the time.

I think there should be bans on parents who don't take care of their kids while at swimming or in slippy changing rooms rather than and age limit on children. There's no way I could send my 5 1/2 year old son into another changing room on his own, and it'll be a very long time before I'd be comfortable with the idea. If the pool we went to enforced it's "no over 5's" rule then he wouldn't be able to go swimming as my OH is terrified of water so can't even set foot in the Leisure centre. As it is no-one bats an eyelid because I make sure he stays with me and doesn't get in other peoples way and the one time he did make a comment about a ladies belly being big (she was about 8 months pregnant and wandering around naked) he was given a telling off, made to apologise and is reminded everytime we go that we don't make comments about other people out loud.

I'm sorry, but as fas I'm concerned if you aren't willing to abide by the rules you shouldn't be going swimming.

You are entirely right Sophie. We shouldn't be going, but imo the pool (or council as it's run by them) should be providing somewhere for children like my son, who have difficulties which mean he can't be left alone, to be able to change with their mothers (or girls with their fathers). He gets so much from it and bothers no-one so I won't stop taking him. The day it does become an issue then I'll have to stop taking him which will be very sad.

I think it's appalling that a council-run Leisure centre don't have somewhere seperate for parents (or carers) can change their charges without breaking the rules, but that is a whole other debate.