[hcsig]

At my local YMCA children are not allowed in the locker rooms with their parents. In order for me to get my 12 month old daughter changed to go swimming or after swimming, I have to walk her through the gym and change her in one of the family bathrooms (note there are 2 in the entire building) Which I hate because they have summer camps in the gym right now and the kids are wild...I have almost been hit several times while carrying my daughter.

I know when I was little my mom used to always take me into the locker room with her and change me and my sister. She always kept a close eye on both of us, and we weren't allowed to run around at all.

I did not know this rule until Friday when I took my daughter into the locker room to change her so we could go swimming. I had already worked out and just wanted to change her into a bathing suit, put our stuff back in the locker and go straight to the pool. I had done it several times before, and no one has ever said a word to me about it. Anyways, this woman, who works at the Y, reprimanded me for having her in the locker room and told me that if I did it again they would revoke my membership!!!!

I am ifsy about having to change her in the bathrooms, the locker room is always clean and carpetted. Where the bathrooms look clean but have a tile floor and I do not want her walking around on the floor with no shoes on (making it more difficult to put a bathing suit on) Then I have to take all of our stuff out to the pool with us, because I can't put it in the locker room.

To me it just doesn't make sense. I could walk my workout stuff to the car after I pick her up from the child watch center and then go to the bathroom to change both of us. It just sucks that I have to take that many extra steps just to go swimming. I always time my workouts so I end right around the time that swim lessons are ending and open swim starts so we couldn't go before I workout. And with the price of gas, I hate to load her up take her home so that I can bring her back an hour later in her bathing suit (we are already there)

Anyways, is this normal now-a-days?!?! She is my first child, and it didn't become an issue until they opened the pool. She loves the water and would go every single day if I let her...but with it becoming such a hassle I might cut down on how many days a week I take her.

I had just never heard of not allowing a child to go into the locker room with their mom or dad. Maybe times have changed more than I realized.

[schatz]

thatsucks. Maye they are more worried about the pervs looking at the kids while changing...

[tmy56]

That's the kookiest thing I ever heard of.
I would tell them that you are paying for a 'family' membership - then everyone in your 'family' is allowed to use the facilities.
I can't think of one good reason for them to have that rule.

[MaxxMe]

I agree if a child of the opposite sex is over a certain age they shouldn't be in an adult locker room while people are changing. I'd be uncomfortable with that with older kids. BUT...there certainly is no reason that a 12 mo old baby can't be in there or a small child no matter what sex they are. I'd bring my concerns up to them and ask why a child that young, same sex, cannot be in that locker room. I'd even come to the point of writing a letter to their board of directors about it.

[BStroh]

I was a manager at a local health club for years, until I quit to work part-time at another company when I had my son. We had a policy that opposite gender children over 4 years of age couldn't be in the locker room (mainly for modesty of all involved). We had private family rooms located off the pool deck however. What you described doesn't make sense- why wouldn't your daughter be allowed in the women's locker room? She is a woman after all. Is the locker room strictly for adults only? I know some clubs like to keep certain areas for adults only. If that is the case they should make their family rooms more accessible, since after all, the Y is a family facility.
I would write a letter (no e-mail) to the clubs general manager (the GM is the top manager at health clubs). You'll get a response either way and hopefully some understanding.
Good luck!

[applerama]

That is really weird. I would go talk to someone in charge and ask them to explain why they have this policy in place

[tryingtosave23]

I worked at a YMCA and we never had that rule. I would ask someone at the front desk and explain your situation. she is just a baby, surely they wouldn't mind you changing her in there. That is very strange!!

[NJMom]

At our YMCA, parents with children must change in a certain section/side of the locker room. The other side is adults only.

[FreebieMama]

That's so weird! When I was a kid and went to the YMCA, children were allowed in with their parents. Since then, they have remodeled and there are 3 locker rooms - men, women, and family. The family locker room is wonderful, with 6 or 8 large restrooms, and lots of benches and changing tables.

[erainwater1976]

I am getting a membership and they just gave the rules... Its not right... I have a 15 month old and it woon't be easy..

[Holli0303]

I have never heard of this, I would definitely write a letter.. I would love to hear the reasoning behind this. It doesn't make sense. Are you sure the staff member didn't misinterpret the rule in her head? On a side note, the tile is probably much cleaner than the carpet! My son was just crawling around our locker room carpet at our Y and I was thinking, I wonder what is hiding in it!

[332pca]

That is strange. I had a family membership at the Y for years and my DD and DN always go to the locker room with me. I use to take my DS also until they got big enough to go to the Men's on their own. If they stayed in the Men's too long I would go at the door YES I WOULD and start screaming their names and I would not leave until they answer. 12 is old enough to go in the locker room with you I would call Headquarters and see what they say. I don't think they would want you to go to another facility because of something so silly.

[akajb2]

Is this a new rule? I have not heard this before.

[Sullygirl]

I haven't been a Y member in 3 years, but back then, they had an adults only room in the ladies locker room. The other part, the showers and lockers were available for adults and kids (gender specific after 4yo). How else are the kiddie swim teams supposed to shower after a meet? Taking turns in the family room would take forever.

[obe]

that is way weird.

[armympwife]

That's stupid. 12 month old baby girl can't go into the women's locker room with her Mom. What if you were nursing? Isn't it better to use the women's locker room for 20 minutes instead of tying up one of the family bathrooms? Plus she's not a child, she's an infant.

[hcsig]

Ok, so I asked the wonderful woman at the front desk the reasoning behind not be able to take kids into the locker room. And her explanation was that it is considered an "adult locker room" because they have a hot tub and a sauna in there. Now, I looked today and it is not posted that it is an "adult locker room" there is just a sign in that hallway that says kids under the age of 12 must have adult supervision.

Let me also add this to the argument, the hot tub is broken and in a seperate part of the locker room where the bathrooms are, you have to go through a door to get there, and the sauna has a super high handle that my friends' 4 year old can't reach.

I explained to her that it was difficult having to wait to change my daughter in one of the "family bathrooms" and how it didn't make feel comfortable that she could easily get in the trash can, toilet, etc. (she knows not to touch the stuff in our house but a new bathroom is a different story) Ending on the fact that I would then have to take everything out to the pool with us, because I cannot go into the locker room to put stuff in a locker.

She was so sweet and said that they had been getting a lot of complaints about the rule since the pool had opened. But that it was an area wide policy and she didn't see it being changed. But at least I felt like someone listened to my complaint and understood where I was coming from (I still feel it is a stupid rule)

And here is the kicker of it all...the family bathrooms are closed this week due to the summer camps using them. So, we HAVE to take kids into the locker room to change them...there is no where else to change them at!!!