Connecticut Bill Will Make Baby Changing Tables Accessible to Both Women and Men

Most parents know how hard it is to bring infants out in public, but dads face an extra challenge when it's time to change their kids' diapers. If buildings do provide baby changing stations, they're usually limited to women's restrooms, leaving male parents in a difficult situation if they want to perform a basic act of childcare outside their home. As NBC Connecticut reports, Connecticut is the latest state to fight this trend with a bill that mandates changing stations in all new restrooms regardless of gender.

If the bill is passed, it will require that diaper changing stations be made accessible to both women and men in all newly built or substantially renovated public or commercial buildings with one or more public bathroom. The state's Senate voted 34-2 in favor of the bill on April 17, but it still needs approval from Connecticut's House of Representatives before it becomes law.

In addition to helping single dads and dads who share childcare responsibilities with their female partners, Democratic Senator Will Haskell says the bill would also make life easier for gay couples with children. Without such laws, men are often forced to changed their kid's diapers on floors, benches, or counters.

If Connecticut passes the bill, it will join New York in requiring changing tables in all new public restrooms. Thanks to a law signed by President Obama in 2016, changing tables are also mandatory in federal buildings open to the public.