POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_DIAPERING, AGAIN

Returning to the scene of "the crime," my sister, Ducky, and I went to the Cocoa Room yesterday in the late afternoon for iced tea and conversation.

We sat in the front of the shop where there is one table, the infamous window seat and shelves with wonderful chocolate gifts. We sat at the table, not daring to return to the site of our much blogged about faux pas.

I saw the Barista, a young woman in a brown Cocoa Bar t-shirt, who’d told us very politely, that it was unlawful and unhygenic to change a baby in a cafe. She seemed to be smiling at me and I was sure that she remembered the incident. Perhaps, she’d  seen the blog.

When I went to the counter to pick up our iced teas, I struck up the conversation with this friendly young woman.

"I’m really sorry about last week," I offered. She looked genuinely puzzled.

"Remember when my sister changed her baby’s diaper on the windowseat," I said.

"Oh yeah. That was the day the bathroom was out-of-order. We’re sorry too," she said.

I went back to our table with the iced teas pleased that she seemed to hold no grudge against us. I was also fairly sure that she hadn’t seen anything about the incident on curbed, brownstoner, or OTBKB.

Sipping our iced teas, my sister and I caught up on the day’s events. I was facing the window seat, when a couple, a man in a wool overcoat and a tall Nordic- looking  woman with a baby in a sling, walked into the cafe. A regular at the cafe, the European woman introduced her husband to the owner and went to the window seat to wait for her husband to bring their coffee drinks and sweets.

Sitting in the window seat, she took her baby out of the sling, unbuttoned her shirt, and began to breastfeed the tiny infant without bothering to cover her breast with a discreet breast blanket. I found her lack of inhibition refreshing. She’s German, I  figured, and they’re so much more progressive about these matters than we Americans are.

Her husband brought her a cup cake and a coffee drink. The woman seemed annoyed with her husband. He went back to the counter and she screamed out: "I vanted the chocolate cake with the vanilla frosting," with a look of total exasperation on her face, as she continued to breastfeed her infant.

My sister and I continued talking but my sister could tell that my attention was divided. "I’m sorry what I have to say isn’t as interesting as what’s going on at the window seat." I apologized and tried to be less obvious about following what was going on between the European woman and her husband.

And then it happened. The woman began to diaper her infant on the window seat – no diaper pad, no nothing.

"You’re not going to believe this," I said to my sister. "Look at the window seat."
"I wonder if they’re going to tell her to stop,"  my sister said.
"Maybe this’ll become the most popular place in Brooklyn to diaper your baby," I said. "They should just put a changing table there."

We watched, fascinated, as the woman quickly and cleanly changed the baby’s diaper.

First she undressed her little one and cleaned his adorable bottom with a wipe. She then exchanged the dirty for a clean diaper, folded the "dirty" diaper and put it into the diaper bag ( I assume) and snapped her infant into his onesie.

Very efficient. Quite discreet. No muss, no fuss.

"This isn’t disgusting," I said to my sister.
"The diaper wasn’t that dirty," she said.
"It’s the most natural thing in the world. I guess I’m immune to it," I said.
‘I bet she won’t be reprimanded she seems to be friendly with the owner." my sister said.
"I don’t think anyone saw. And if anyone says anything, I bet she’ll be pretty irrate," I secretly hoped someone would say something so we could see what the European woman would say.

During the diaper change, she and her husband continued to bicker. I bet she barely gave a thought to the fact that she was diapering her baby in a cafe. It was so matter-of-fact, so simple. The most natural thing in the world.

Which doesn’t mean that my sister will ever change her baby in a cafe again. If the rest room is in order, there’s no reason NOT to do it in three. Yet, as demonstrated yesterday, it is easier and quicker to do it this way.

3 thoughts on “POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_DIAPERING, AGAIN”

  1. There is certainly no lack of gross people in this little nieghborhood. I think I am going to drop my pants and go to the bathroom at this cafe the next time I am there. Afterall – my butt is very cute and it is the most natural thing a person can do!

  2. For the record: that wasn’t us. Our Dutch accent is different from a German accent. And we don’t bicker in the Cocoa Bar. And my wife stoped breastfeeding 6 months ago. I might have been the only commenter supportive of what has been blogged before (which someone referred to as “gross”) and I remain supportive of changing diapers (if the loo is out-of-order) and breastfeeding in the Cocoa Bar. Would rather outlaw quarreling (i.e. noise nuisance) in such a small place!

  3. no comments? So where are all those irate bloggers lambasting you for your entitled attitude and disgusting behavior now? so quiet… What’s up with that?

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