NYC Dads Get Help Changing Diapers Under New Law

NEW YORK, NY — New York City parents won't have to worry so much about finding a place to change their kids' diapers under a new law Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Tuesday. The law will require many privately owned buildings to have diaper-changing tables in every public bathroom, regardless of gender.

"It’s real simple. Regardless of the gender of the parents, they should be able to use that changing station so all parents can share in diaper duty," de Blasio said Tuesday at a bill-signing ceremony.

Once it takes effect in 180 days, the law will apply to most new and substantially renovated building that are open to the public, such as movie theaters, retail stores, museums and shopping malls.

Building owners who don't follow the law could get slapped with fines ranging from $300 to $1,600 if someone complaints about a lack of changing tables, de Blasio's office said.

City Councilman Rafael Espinal (D-Bushwick) introduced the so-called "potty parity" bill to make it easier for dads and parents of other genders to find a clean place to put a new diaper on their kids if the need arises. The City Council passed it in December.

"After witnessing a father changing his daughter’s diaper on an unsanitary sink in a public space, I realized diaper changing stations must be a requirement in all public bathrooms, because moms and dads should have equal access to sanitary and safe spaces when changing their baby’s diapers," Espinal said in a statement.

Publicly accessible federal buildings must have the tables in men's and women's bathrooms under the Bathrooms Accessible in Every Situation Act, which President Barack Obama signed in October 2016.

San Francisco and Miami-Dade County each have laws in place similar to New York City's, Today reported in 2014.

(Lead image by heymattallen via Pixabay