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UK mother Hayley Turner was out with her baby boy when she noticed he needed a diaper change. Hayley brought her son Samuel into a public restroom to change him. She started to place him down on the public changing mat when something happened. Samuel screamed out in pain the moment he touched the mat.

At first, Hayley assumed he was crying because he was tired. But when she lifted him back up, she noticed his back was red. She quickly turned her eyes toward the changing mat and couldn’t believe what she saw. Hayley share her story on Facebook, writing, “It turns out some lowlife scum thought it would be ‘fun’ to deliberately put drawing pins in the bottom of the changing mat.”

The reason Samuel was screaming was because his back was pierced with pins the moment Hayley set him down to change him. Hayley’s Facebook post has gone viral with over 100,000 shares. She explained that she wanted to spread warning to other parents to prevent it from happening to another child.

“Our baby boy was led on pin!!!” She wrote. “And because he isn’t old enough to tell me it hurt, he now looks like a pin cushion with 5 holes in total! Angry doesn’t even cover it. It’s quite sad to think this has to be done but my word of warning is to CHECK YOUR CHANGING MATS!!”

Safety Tips For Using Changing Stations In Public Restrooms

Hayley shared her story to help prevent similar situations from happening to other parents and children. While changing your child’s diaper in a public restroom may not be ideal, for many moms on the go, it’s the only option. The trick is to have a few supplies on hand to make the process a little bit more sanitary.

  • Use Hayley’s story as a reminder to always check the changing table for pins or other objects that could harm your child, before laying them down.
  • Wipe down the changing table with baby-safe antibacterial wipes before laying them down.
  • Have a blanket and a changing pad on hand in case the restroom doesn’t have a changing table.
  • In addition to wipes and diapers, carry plastic bags for soiled clothes, antibacterial gel or wipes and a toy to distract the baby if needed.
  • While disposable changing pads aren’t the most environmentally friendly option, they can be a more sanitary option if you need to use a public restroom to change your baby’s diaper.

Sources:
Shareably
Facebook
Everyday Family