For many moms (like me), the most crucial milestone in a baby's life is the day he or she can go in the gym daycare. I specifically switched gyms when my first baby was 3 months old to go to a much more expensive gym just so I could work out in peace. But most gym babysitters can't change diapers, and every once in a while, I would get that call while I was working out. "Your baby has a poop."
It didn't happen every day and I always responded immediately, but there was always a part of me, especially if it was toward the end of my workout, that wished I had the courage to say: "Just let her sit in it for a few more minutes."
It seems I am not alone. A post on CafeMom's community wall discusses this, and amazingly, there really ARE moms who have said this! Most in the discussion were appalled, but I say more power to those moms. We get one hour of peace a day, why shouldn't we want it all?
Now, keep in mind this is coming from a mom who never had the balls to do this myself. I always went down with a smile on my face and changed my kids within seconds of getting the call, but it was frustrating, especially when it came at the end of my allotted time and I only had a few more minutes in my workout. Usually I just had to end it then and there, which is a bummer for moms who are really into working out.
But it's more than that, too. Obviously, it depends on whether a person is called out at minute 50 or minute 2, but 10 minutes of diaper sitting isn't going to hurt a baby, and gym daycare workers can deal with the smell for a few more minutes.
Maybe the solution is to have better trained workers who would be able to change diapers. Personally, I would gladly pay more for babysitting and for the gym with the guarantee that I could work out uninterrupted. Maybe not all moms can do that, but I would have.
Part of the reason I was always so quick to respond was because of how it looked. I would never be able to make my child wait in front of others, but let's face it, at home, kids sometimes sit in dirty diapers. If you have more than one child and you are in the middle of making dinner and your older child has an issue, your child might wait 10 minutes to have his bum changed. Ten minutes doesn't cause a diaper rash or cause the child any pain. Obviously, we aren't condoning neglect or waiting for hours, but the difference between 5 and 15 minutes isn't going to kill anyone.
People need to ease up a bit on moms. To me this smacks of society's expectations. Moms should be MOMS all the time. They should never value their own needs above their child's even for a single minute and they should always jump when called. Otherwise they are a bad mom.
I say no. I say moms who put on their own life belt first are better moms. I say their kids turn out more independent and better adjusted. I never would have had the courage to say "let her sit in it," but I say more power to those moms who do. Those 10 minutes may mean more in terms of mom's sanity than anyone can possibly understand.
Do you think these moms who said "wait" are wrong?


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Comments 131
And if I was dropping off/ picking up my kid and smelled another baby sitting in their own shit I'd be pretty pissed off.
Maybe you should find in home daycare.
I have both worked in the gym childcare and had my child in there while working out. I've been on both sides. And I will always go and change the diaper. Because it is pretty much hell to be stuck in a room full of kids and a stinky diaper. I've been there. I'm not gonna put another lady through that if I can help it.
I would have found this shocking .. until I saw who the author was. Every article this woman writes is drenched in selfish arrogance.
In defense of the author, she hasn't done it, she's just voicing her understanding the frustration of having to be interrupted or cut short her workout time. How many of us have woken up a napping baby when we know they have a dirty diaper? If it was me I wouldn't make my child sit in a dirty diaper in that situation but it doesn't mean it's not frustrating. Since the daycare can't change the diapers due to policy, maybe the moms who feel this way should find another source for daycare. It is important to have some "mommy time", kids are better off if their mothers are happy and no one likes a martyr!
You know, I'll make my kid wait for SOME things but I would never have made her wait to get her diaper changed. I even quit my job and fired my babysitter when my daughter continously started getting a diaper rashes, every single week! I would drop her off on my Monday with clear skin on her bum and by my Wednesday or Thursday, she was starting to get a diaper rash. This told me that my babysitter was clearly not interested in taking proper care of my daughter. I chose to quit my job rather than find another babysitter because I was looking at being laid off within a couple weeks and I didn't want to waste the time trying to find a baysitter that I would only be using for a couple weeks.
Your child, Your responsibility. You know the guidelines/rules for using gym "childcare", if you can't abide by them don't use them. My gym doesn't offer this kind of service. I make arrangements so I can go to the gym by myself, other times I do a workout at home.
Yet another article by a narcissistic author.